Many children have difficulty with reading, writing, or other learning-related tasks at some point, but this does not mean they have learning disabilities. A child with a learning disability often has several related signs that persist over a period of time.
Parents are often baffled by the problems presented by a child with learning disabilities. Often this “invisible disability” does not become obvious until a child reaches school age. Even then, difficulties may be subtle and hard to recognize.
The signs of learning disabilities vary from every child. Here are the most frequently displayed symptoms:
- short attention span
- poor memory
- difficulty following directions
- inability to discriminate between/among letters, numerals, or sounds
- poor reading and/or writing ability
- poor spelling
- difficulty in copying shapes, letters, and words
- eye-hand coordination problems
- disorganization and other sensory difficulties
To diagnose if a child has a learning Disability, teachers typically offer a referral for educational testing to understand why a student is not working up to his/her potential. Usually, the discrepancy between a student’s expected achievement (such as reading at grade level) and actual academic performance is a hallmark of a learning disability.
Specific evaluations can diagnose specific learning disabilities. Parents may also choose a private evaluation by a neuropsychologist, a professional who is qualified to provide a diagnosis.
When parents who observe their child struggling to learn, should ask their school to provide comprehensive testing by a team consisting of a psychologist, occupational therapist, physical therapists, a speech-language therapist, and an educational specialist.
Most importantly, it’s important to understand that even though your child has a learning disability, there is professional help available which you can seek. Also, with their guidance, you can help your child to improve his/her learning curve.
Download the Mai app to improve your child’s skill in metacognition and also assess your child’s skill in planning.
