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Learning Disability : A Growing Concern for Parents

Across the world, Learning disability is a term that makes

parents and teachers equally stressful. Eventhough there is a popular awareness about

other kinds of disabilities and problems , learning disabilty is a confusing term for a

common individual. There are doubts whether it comes under mental retardation or even

mental illness. Lack of awareness about learning disability or dyslexia is one of the

reasons for not identifying great talents and potential in the children. It is generally

reportedthat fifteen percent of the worlds children have learning difficulties, but either

parents are not aware of it, or they do not know who to approach for help. Or they shy

away from help because of the stigma attached to their children, if they have to be sent to

special schools. Hence, as there is an increasing trend in the prevalence of this problem

among children, the term becomes more popular and clear. Eventhough children are the

victims of this problem, burden is on those who are caring them especially parents. So, it

is high time for parents to be aware about this emerging concern and help their children

in early identification and management.

What is Learning Disability?

If your child seems bright and curious about the world but has a problem

with speech, reading, or arithmetic, he or she may have a learning disability. Learning

disabilities include a spectrum of disorders that affect the way the brain processes

information and make it difficult to grasp certain concepts. They can be mild or

severe.The term learning Disability refers to a broad range of disorders that impair an

individual's academic and functional abilities. These abilities are generally those of

speaking, listening, reading, writing, spelling, reason and the ability to organize

information.. These children find difficulty in managing the academic works. They may

also be slow learners and they would score poor marks.

Learning disabilities are problems that affect the brain's ability to receive,

process, analyze, or store information. These problems can make difficult for a student to

learn as quickly as someone who isn't affected by learning disabilities. In most of the

cases, these children are branded as 'useless', 'poor performers', etc. by the teachers and

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parents. They are also given punishment. These children are not intellectually weak but

they possess different skills like music, sports, art, acting, innovation, drawing, craft,

driving, etc. Many eminent people like Winston Churchill, Einstein, Issac Newton,

Thomas Alva Edison and many popular hollywood actors were dyslexic during their

childhood. If these children are not identified and remedied, we will be guilty of losing

great men of eminence in future. Many times, because of the punishment given by

teachers and parents, such children use their skills in different way and may turn out to be

criminals and anti social elements.

A heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the

acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical

abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and presumed to be due to

Central Nervous System Dysfunction. Even though a learning disability may occur

concomitantly with other handicapping conditions (e.g. sensory impairment, mental

retardation, social and emotional disturbance) or environmental influences (e.g. cultural

differences, insufficient/inappropriate instruction, psychogenic factors) it is not the direct

result of those co nditions or influences. ( National Joint Committee on Learning

Disabilities (NJCLD))

The Nalanda Institute report has highlighted that in India during the last two-decade or

so, there has been an increasing awareness and identification of children with LD.

Despite this growing interest India still does not have a clear idea about the incidence and

prevalence of LD. Unfortunately, epidemiological studies of LD are fraught with

difficulties ranging from the very definition of LD, identification, assessment, to socio-

cultural factors unique to India. In India around 13-14% of all school children suffer from

learning disorders.

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Alarming Signals

You can't tell by looking that a person has a learning disability, which

can make learning disabilities hard to diagnose. Learning disabilities typically first show

up when a person has difficulty speaking, reading, writing, figuring out a math problem,

communicating with a parent, or paying attention in class. Some kids' learning disabilities

are diagnosed in grade school when a parent or a teacher notices a kid can't follow

directions for a game or is struggling to do work he or she should be able to do easily.

But other kids develop sophisticated ways of covering up their learning issues, so

learning disabilities don't show up until the teen years when schoolwork - and life - gets

more complicated.

Learning Disability as a problem should be identified during early childhood because it

will allow for a better diagnosis.

Signs that appear in preschool

Delay in understanding or using spoken language

Difficulty in understanding simple instructions

Lengthy pause before naming objects and colors

Limited awareness or interest in books

Difficulty in coloring or drawing

Problems with motor coordination

Short attention span (won't sit through one storybook)

Symptoms in school-age children

Difficulty in understanding and following instructions

Trouble in remembering what someone just told them

Failing to master reading, spelling, writing, and/or math skills and therefore fails

schoolwork

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Difficulty in telling the difference between "right" and "left," problems

identifying words or a tendency to reverse letters, numbers or words (e.g.,

confusing "b" with "d," 18 with 81, or "on" with "no.")

Lacking motor coordination when walking, playing sports, holding a pencil or

trying to tie a shoelace

Frequently loses or misplaces homework, schoolbooks or other items

Unable to understand the concept of time, confused by the difference between

"yesterday," "today," and "tomorrow."

Specific learning disabilities

Deficits in any area of information processing can manifest in a variety of specific

learning disabilities.

Reading disability : Of all students with specific learning disabilities, 70%-80%

have deficits in reading. The term "dyslexia" is often used as a synonym for

reading disability.A reading disability can affect any part of the reading process,

including difficulty with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, word decoding,

reading rate, prosody (oral reading with expression), and reading comprehension

(ICD-10 and DSM-IV codes: F81.0/315.00).

Writing disability : Speech and language disorders can also be called

Dysphasia/aphasia. Impaired written language ability may include impairments in

handwriting, spelling, organization of ideas, and composition. The term

"dysgraphia" is often used as an overarching term for all disorders of written

expression (ICD-10 and DSM-IV codes F81.1/315.2).

Maths disability: Sometimes called dyscalculia, a maths disability can cause

such difficulties as learning maths concepts (such as quantity, place value, and

time), difficulty memorizing maths facts, difficulty organizing numbers, and

understanding how problems are organized on the page (ICD-10 and DSM-IV

codes F81.2-3/315.1).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysphasiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_disabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysphasiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_disabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia

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Nonverbal learning disability [this disorder is not listed in the ICD-10] :

Nonverbal learning disabilities often manifest in motor clumsiness, poor visual-

spatial skills, problematic social relationships, difficulty with math, and poor

organizational skills.

Dyspraxia : Dyspraxia can cause difficulty with single step tasks such as

combing hair or waving goodbye, multi-step tasks like brushing teeth or getting

dressed, or with establishing spatial relationships such as being able to accurately

position one object in relation to another.

Disorders of speaking and listening : Difficulties that often co-occur with

learning disabilities include difficulty with memory, social skills and executive

functions (such as organizational skills and time management).

Auditory processing disorder : Difficulties processing auditory information

include difficulty comprehending more than one task at a time and a relatively

stronger ability to learn visual

How and when are most children with learning disabilities diagnosed?

Learning disabilities are often detected in the first years of school, as a child

learns to talk, read, and write. Teachers are often the first to notice a problem. But a real

diagnosis requires a formal evaluation by a specialist, preferably a pediatric psychologist

or psychiatrist with expertise in the field. These evaluations usually aren't made until a

child is 5 to 7 years old and are repeated as the child gets older. Even if you notice a

problem sooner, specialists generally agree that it's impossible to draw firm conclusions

from preschoolers, because learning styles and speeds are so varied in the early years.

How Parents Deal with the Situation ?

Determining whether your child has a learning disability is a complicated process. After

going through all of the assessments and evaluations you may feel overwhelmed if a

learning disability is identified. Raising a child with a learning problem is stressful. It can

take a toll on parents and other siblings, who may be jealous of the extra attention the

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_learning_disabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyspraxiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_processing_disorderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_learning_disabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyspraxiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_processing_disorder

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child receives. Many families find help through support groups or counseling. Numerous

organizations offer a range of assistance for dealing with learning disabilities, from

educational information to online chat rooms as referrals for counseling.

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When you work with your child at home on academic and life

skills, you help them recognize their own strengths and increase their self-esteem.

And your job as a parent is to help him learn to overcome his disability without

harming his self-esteem. How do you do this? Here are 10 tips for helping your child

be the best he can be:

1. Learn as much as you can about your childs particular type of learning disability.

2. Talk to your childs teachers and principal about what resources they may have for

accommodating your childs specific learning needs.

3. If you have a local support group for parents of LD children, join it and attend

meetings. You can share research, practical advice, your experiences, and moral

support. Plus, your child might make friends with some of the other children who are

going through some of the same experiences.

4. If you dont have a local support group, look online for newsgroups and mailing

lists to join.

5. Work with your child on her/his homework every night. This will have three

benefits: youll be able to observe how your child learns best, your child will learn the

material better as you help her to focus, and her self-esteem will be boosted when she

sees that your time working together is special time that cant be interrupted

6. Some types of LD result in a child who is unable to understand humor or sarcasm.

If this describes your child, speak plainly with him, and always explain any jokes that

he doesnt get in order to reduce his frustration at not being in on the joke.

7. Outside of learning, find what your child is especially good at and cultivate that

talent, whether it is in the area of sports, art, dancing, or computer work. This will

help raise self-esteem and may also elevate your child in the eyes of her peers which

also plays an important part in a childs self-worth.

8. Enlist your childs help in doing chores around the house, and be sure to break

larger tasks into smaller steps.

9. Consider counseling if your child seems overly sad, frustrated or angry, and is

having difficulty dealing with those feelings on his own. The counselor may also

teach your child some social skills to help him make and keep friends.

10. Remember to praise your childs achievements. Knowing that shes doing

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While working with your child at home examples of activities you can implement at

home fall into several categories ways to cope, organization, critical thinking, and

emotional support.

Ways to cope

Take frequent breaks when doing homework

Know your childs primary learning style and adjust accordingly.

Accommodate for the childs primary learning style by allowing them to pace

around, listen to background music, attach visual displays to the walls, or wear

earplugs or headphones if distracted by noise

Organization

Model and teach them how to make to do lists and prioritize their homework

Set aside a regular time each week for organizing workspace, belongings,

schoolwork, and activities; make a game of it or provide a reward

Give your child a task that requires organization: grocery shopping required for a

recipe, planning a birthday party on a budget, using a map to figure out the route

from one place to another

Critical thinking

Play games of strategy

Talk about current events and ideas with multiple points of view

Encourage all sorts of age-appropriate reading and writing

Emotional support

Praise your child for the positive qualities they exhibit during the whole process

of doing homework not just when they finish their homework

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Engage them in social problem-solving; how to resolve conflicts with friends,

teachers, and kids who may be bothering them at school

Encourage activities that your child enjoys and excels in

Keep open lines of communication so your child feels comfortable discussing

feelings with you

Regulate your stress and help your children learn to regulate theirs

Let your children know that you enjoy their company by playing and talking with

them. Its important not to ignore other children in the family.

Conclusion

Research has shown that a set of personal characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors can

help persons with learning disabilities to be successful. Unfortunately, we often

concentrate our efforts primarily on academic/educational areas, paying little attention to

the development of these attributes in persons with learning disabilities. Noting the

importance of these attributes in promoting positive life outcomes, it is reasonable to

direct greater efforts toward fostering the development of these success attributes, at least

to the same degree that we strive to improve academic skills.Fostering the success

attributes is one of the ways that parents can help their children with learning disabilities

grow up to be more successful throughout their lives. Attitudes, behaviors, and

characteristics require exercise, practice, and review just like any other skill children

learn.On a final note, it turns out that children growing up with learning disabilities

appreciate all that parents do for them during the difficult years, whether they ever say

thank you or not.

Learning disabilities are difficult to cope with, but make sure your child knows that

many famous people, even geniuses, have also had learning disabilities and overcame

them Thomas Edison couldnt read until he was twelve years old, and Albert Einstein

didnt speak until he was three. Emphasize persistence, give praise when praise is due,

and your child will also find his or her own way to thrive.Children are like unpolishedstars, which come in varied sizes and shapes. It is a good parent, who shines them to

bring out the best in them

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References :

1. Payne, Trevor and Turner, Elizabeth (1999),Dyslexia A Parents and teachers

Guide, Multilingual Matters LTD, Clevedon.

2. National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, (2003), Educating Children with

Learning Problems in Primary Schools, Secundrabad

3. http://sspconline.org/article_details.asp?artid=art10

4. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/10/14/stories/2006101401301900.htm

5. http://www.articledoctor.com/disability/list-of-famous-people-with-learning-

disabilities-5796. http://www.essortment.com/all/talkchildhish_twyy.htm

7. http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/help/parents.asp

8. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp

9. http://www.learningwithld.com/about-belaraja/pressreleases/TOI_22sep99.jpg

By

Jeby Jose

http://sspconline.org/article_details.asp?artid=art10http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/10/14/stories/2006101401301900.htmhttp://www.articledoctor.com/disability/list-of-famous-people-with-learning-disabilities-579http://www.articledoctor.com/disability/list-of-famous-people-with-learning-disabilities-579http://www.essortment.com/all/talkchildhish_twyy.htmhttp://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/help/parents.asphttp://www.dnaindia.com/report.asphttp://www.learningwithld.com/about-belaraja/pressreleases/TOI_22sep99.jpghttp://sspconline.org/article_details.asp?artid=art10http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/10/14/stories/2006101401301900.htmhttp://www.articledoctor.com/disability/list-of-famous-people-with-learning-disabilities-579http://www.articledoctor.com/disability/list-of-famous-people-with-learning-disabilities-579http://www.essortment.com/all/talkchildhish_twyy.htmhttp://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/help/parents.asphttp://www.dnaindia.com/report.asphttp://www.learningwithld.com/about-belaraja/pressreleases/TOI_22sep99.jpg

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