subject: Help Your Child Persevere Through Learning-developmental Disabilities [print this page] Does your child struggle with school? Does he or she dread reading out loud, writing an essay, or tackling a math problem? While every kid has trouble from time to time with homework and other areas of school, if a certain area of learning is consistently problematic, it might indicate a learning disorder. Over the past decade, the number of American children with learning and developmental disabilities has continued to climb-reaching nearly one in six in 2008. The increasing prevalence of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder accounts for most of this change. People with learning and developmental disabilities can live healthy, normal lives. By better understanding the various disabilities, you can help your child successfully transition into a normal, healthy life among his or her peers.
What are Learning Disabilities?
Learning disabilities are an umbrella term used for a wide variety of learning complications. A learning disability is not a problem with one's intelligence or motivation, and children with learning disabilities are neither lazy nor dumb. In fact, most children with learning disabilities are just as smart as anyone else-their brains are just wired differently than others, which affects how they receive and process information. To put it simply, children and adults with learning disabilities see, hear, and understand things differently than those without a disability. Through these disabilities, one can have trouble with learning new information and skills, and putting them to use. The most common types of learning disabilities involve problems with reading, writing, math, listening, and speaking.
Understanding the Types of Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities can often be grouped in school-area skill sets. So if your child is in school, the types of learning disorders that are most conspicuous usually revolve around reading, writing, or math. Some of these school-area skill set learning disabilities often include:
*Dyslexia - trouble in reading, which occurs when there is difficulty understand the relationship between sounds, letters and words.
*Dyscalculia - trouble in math, which may cause a child to struggle with memorization and organization of numbers, operation signs, and number "facts."
*Dysgraphia - trouble in writing, which can involve the physical act of writing or the mental activity of comprehending and synthesizing information.
On the other hand, reading, writing, and math are not the only skills that are impacted by learning disorders. Other types include difficulties with motor skills, understanding spoken language, distinguishing between sounds, and interpreting visual information, such as:
*Dyspraxia - difficulty with movement and coordination, whether it is with fine motor skills or gross motor skills.
*Aphasia/dysphasia - this involves the ability to understand or produce spoken language.
*Auditory and visual processing - if either the eyes or ears aren't working properly, learning can suffer.
Disorders that Make Learning Difficult
Additionally, difficulty in school does not always stem from a learning disability. Anxiety, depression, stressful events, emotional trauma, and other conditions affecting concentration make learning more of a challenge. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism sometimes co-occur or are confused with learning disabilities. ADHD, while not considering it a learning disability, can certainly disrupt learning. If your child has ADHD, they may often have trouble sitting still, staying focused, following instructions, staying organized, and completing homework.
On the other hand, if a child has problems mastering certain academic skills they can stem from pervasive developmental disorders such as autism and Asperger's syndrome. If your child has autism spectrum disorder, they may have trouble communicating, reading body language, learning basic skills, making friends, and making eye contact.
No parent wants to see their children suffer, but the important thing to remember is that most kids with learning disabilities are just as smart as everyone else. The only difference is that they will need to be taught in ways that are tailored to their unique learning styles. By learning more about learning disabilities in general, and your child's unique learning difficulties, you can help pave the road for success at school and beyond.
Contact your pediatrician in Edison for more information on learning disabilities and how you can help your son or daughter succeed in everything they do.
