What are the early warning signs of learning disabilities? That's an excellent question parents and educators should ask. Children with learning disabilities exhibit a wide range of symptoms. These include problems with reading, mathematics, comprehension, writing, spoken language, or reasoning abilities. Hyperactivity, inattention and perceptual coordination may also be associated with learning disabilities but are not learning disabilities themselves. The primary characteristic of a learning disability is a significant difference between a child's achievement in some areas and his or her overall intelligence.
Learning disabilities typically affect five general areas:
1. Spoken Language: delays, disorders, and deviations in listening and speaking
2. Written language: difficulties with reading, writing, and spelling
3. Arithmetic: difficulty in performing arithmetic operations or in understanding basic concepts
4. Reasoning: difficulty in organizing and integrating thoughts
5. Memory: difficulty in remembering information and instructions.
(At this point I would like to comment on what has been discussed so far. As you can see there is a significant amount of information and it can be a bit overwhelming. I just want to say that the early warning signs that are about to follow are not comprehensive but extensive. Just because your child has any of these "signs" doesn't mean he is automatically "learning disabled". This is just a list that a parent can look at if they have reasons to believe that their child might be or if there is any question as to the possibility of testing or early intervention.)
Among the symptoms commonly related to learning disabilities are:
* poor performance on group tests
* difficulty discriminating size, shape, color
* difficulty with temporal (time) concepts
* distorted concept of body image
* reversals in writing and reading
* general awkwardness
* poor visual-motor coordination
* hyperactivity
* difficulty copying accurately from a model
* slowness in completing work
* poor organizational skills
* easily confused with instructions
* difficulty with abstract reasoning and/or problem-solving
* disorganized thinking
* often obsesses on one topic or idea
* poor short-term or long-term memory
* impulsive behavior; lack of reflective thought prior to action
* low tolerance for frustration
* excessive movement during sleep
* poor peer relationships
* overly excitable during group play
* poor social judgment
* inappropriate, unselective, and often excessive display of affection
* lags in development milestones (e.g.,motor, language)
* behavior often inappropriate for situation
* failure to see consequences for his actions
* overly gullible; easily led by peers
* excessive variation in mood and responsiveness
* poor adjustment to environmental changes
* overly distractible; difficulty concentrating
* difficulty making decisions
* lack of hand preference or mixed dominance
* difficulty with tasks requiring sequencing
When considering these symptoms, it is important to remain mindful of the following:
* No one will have all these symptoms
* Among LD populations, some symptoms are more common than others
* All people have at least two or three of these symptoms to some degree
* The number of symptoms seen in a particular child does not give an indication as to whether the disability is mild or severe. It is important to consider if the behaviors are chronic and appear in clusters.
(I hope this information helps some of you who have questions about your child. My hope is that perhaps some educators will also benefit from this information as well. In my next post I will discuss some specific examples and ideas presented in "The F.A.T. City Learning Disability Workshop".
*********************************************************
Next time: Experiencing Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension
*********************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment