As a parent, you are always on the alert for any learning difficulties that may arise. You may see that your son or daughter is falling behind others in school and just doesn’t seem that “excited” about coming to school. Many factors can contribute to problems that may arise in school; many of these can be managed by meeting with your child’s teacher and other school personnel. However, if you suspect that the problems your son or daughter is experiencing are more than can be remedied by taking with the teacher it is possible that your son or daughter may have a learning disability. While you should not get overly alarmed about any particular problem that may arise, here are some ‘look fors’ if you suspect a learning disability.

 

“I just don’t understand” – children want to succeed but it may be that an underlying processing issue is preventing him or her from truly understanding the work

 

Trouble memorizing – learning to recognize common words is vital to becoming a good reader and knowing basic multiplication and division tables is essential to  moving forward in math. Does your child have difficulty memorizing numbers or words even after repeated practice

 

Flipping – it’s common for many children to have trouble with letters or words that look alike -  letters “p” “q” and “d”. For children with dyslexia though this letter confusion/reversal lasts beyond elementary school. Other signs to look for are problems coming up with rhymes to words and significant difficulty learning to either read, write or both

 

Trouble communicating – It’s not that children don’t know what they want to say, it’s that they just can’t get the words out

 

Feeling “distant” – does your child prefer to be alone rather than playing with friends or siblings? Is it hard for him or her to look you in the eye? Did he or she learn to speak unusually late and, even then, did it seem to be in a mechanical tone. These could be signs of autism a condition that can range from moderate to severe

 

Acting Out – some children with learning disabilities develop behavior issues in school. The misbehavior could be related to feelings of failure or due to attention-deficit hyperactivity or attention-deficit disorder.

 

Pine-Richland has a great reputation for working with children who have special needs. Again, many problems children face in school do not become learning disabilities. However, should your son or daughter eventually be diagnosed with a learning disability rest assured that with appropriate interventions, patience and love these problems can be remediated.

 

R. Pysch

1/21/2009