Learning Disabilities in Kids

 

It is not easy to detect learning disabilities in kids and many a times, the condition may not be diagnosed due to lack of awareness. However, if you know the signs and symptoms of learning disabilities in kids, you will be able to note the problem and find the right solution.

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Signs and Symptoms of Learning Disabilities in Kids at the Age of Preschool

 

Symptoms of learning disabilities in kids at preschool level include

• Unable to learn numbers, shapes, alphabets and much more.

• Difficulty in rhyming.

• Trouble in controlling pencil and crayons.

• Difficulty in pronouncing words properly.

• Unable to follow directions.

• The trouble with button, zipper and much more.

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Signs and Symptoms of Learning Disabilities in Kids at the Age of 5 – 10 Years

 

Symptoms of learning disabilities in kids at elementary school level include

• They make frequent errors in spelling the words correctly.

• Difficulty in understanding the basic concept of mathematics.

• Confusion in reading the words.

• The learning process is too slow.

• Unable to remember the sequence.

• Trouble in making words by blending sounds.

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Signs and Symptoms of Learning Disabilities in Kids at the Age of 11 – 15 Years

 

Symptoms of learning disabilities in kids at high school level include

• Bad handwriting.

• Organizational skills are bad.

• Unable to read comprehensions.

• Dislike solving test papers and word problems.

• Poor mathematics skills.

• Unable to express the thoughts.

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Types of Learning Disabilities in Kids

 

With learning disabilities in kids, they have to face the challenges with writing, learning, reading, reasoning, hearing, speaking and understanding mathematics.

On the basis of these problems learning disabilities in kids are classified into following types.

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1. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

This type of learning disability in kids is also stated as central auditory processing disorder which affects the auditory processing skills or receptive language that is the ability of a person to hear well. Auditory processing disorder affects the hearing ability of such kids and affects the way and processing of sound that travels through an ear to be interpreted by the brain. Hence, kids with APD cannot distinguish the inferred difference between the sounds and not even able to recognize that from where the sound is coming or resist to hear the sound or background noise.

2. Visual Processing Disorder/Visual Motor Deficit

Visual processing disorder affects the visual processing of the eyes or in simple terms, it affects the sense of a person to understand the things they are seeing. If learning disabilities in kids is presented as visual processing disorder, the following behaviors are noted

• Unable to make difference in shapes and figures.

• Holds the pencil too tightly.

• Difficulty in reversing the numbers and letters.

• Trouble in cutting.

• Unable to find skipping or missing words and lines.

• Poor eye–hand coordination.

3. Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that is also known as Language-Based Learning Disability which specifically affects the reading ability of a person. This is one of the commonest types of learning disabilities in kids. In this kind of disability kids are unable to recognize the relation or link between the sounds and words or unable to understand the meaning of words and paragraphs that generate the reading comprehension problems.

Dyslexia creates problem in following areas

• Fluency of reading.

• Recalling and spelling.

• Decoding.

• Writing.

• Recognition of words and letters.

4. Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a learning disorder that specifically affects the fine motor skills and writing ability or skills of a person. Trouble in forming words and letters is known as basic writing disorder and when the person is unable to organize thoughts on paper this disability is referred as expressive writing disability. This too is one of the common types of learning disabilities in kids.

Kids with Dysgraphia face problems such as:

• Illegible handwriting.

• Lack of neatness in writing.

• An inconsistency of writing.

• Unable to copy letters and words correctly.

• Inconsistent spacing.

• Unable to think and write at the same time.

• Improper writing organization.

• Poor spellings.

• Spatial planning on paper is poor.

5. Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is one of those learning disabilities in kids that impairs their ability to understand numbers and their facts properly. Other learning disabilities such as visual processing disorder or language learning disability and the ability related to memory and organization also produce a great impact on dyscalculia.

Kids with dyscalculia have following disabilities:

• Trouble in remembering and organizing numbers.

• Unable to tell time.

• Trouble in operating signs.

• Difficulty in understanding the counting principles.

6. Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder)

Dyspraxia also called as developmental coordination disorder which affects the motor skills of a person that are responsible for coordination and movements. It impairs the fine motor skills such as writing and cutting and gross motor skills such as jumping and running both. Dyspraxia affects kids in following areas

• Improper co-ordination between hand and eye.

• Unable to distinguish left and right.

• Difficulty in tying shoelaces and ties.

• Poor body balance and self-awareness

• Handwriting is untidy or messy.

• Some kids are unable to hold the pencil properly.

7. Dysphasia/Aphasia: Language Processing Disorder

Dysphasia and aphasia is a language associated disorder or communication disability. It can also be caused due to any injury to the brain. Kids with dysphasia and aphasia are unable to speak up and understand the language properly. Dysphasia is a moderate condition which only affects the communicating ability but not does the overall disruption of speech while aphasia is a condition that does the total impairment of speech and comprehension. Kids with aphasia cannot understand the words and their meanings and are also unable to use them to produce spoken the language as their brains are not capable of organizing the thoughts and communicating them verbally to someone. 

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