Diagnosing Learning Disabilities: What Are the Signs?
When trying to diagnose a learning disability what do you look for? Are there any significant physical traits to be seen? The answer is no, there are no physical signs to a learning disability - except, of course, any genetic or possible other disorders that may cause a learning disability as a secondary effect. Keeping this in mind, it would be a touch presumptuous to assume that that there may not be an underlying problem just because your child does not physically appear any different than other children.
There are many forms of learning disabilities that perhaps some people are not aware of. This article will identify some common signs of a potential learning disability. If you have noticed your child struggling as they get older in very remedial tasks that you feel should have been picked up at a very young age – for example, putting together comprehendible sentences, or tying their shoes - then this may very well be a sign. It is impossible to determine at the start of schooling whether or not your child will have difficulties and start to fall behind. There are however, a few things to consider that may have eluded you until now. Perhaps they do not have a learning disability at all, rather an eyesight problem. It may be possible that your child is placed too far back in the classroom and is having trouble seeing what is going on, or what needs to be done. The same can be said for hearing, it can be misconstrued as a learning disability, yet your child may merely have a problem with communication because they are not picking up the proper instructions from the teacher. Both of these issues can, in a sense, be a learning disability only because of the restrictions that are placed on them. These problems can be corrected when you take them to an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist.
Another sign could be that they just cannot sit still in class or at home while studying. This is a sign of a learning disability that is known as attention deficit disorder, or A.D.D. This condition is where the individual cannot focus on a set task for very long. This can also impede the learning process, as they do not pick up any set details and cannot focus on what is needed, or should be done for more than a few minutes at a time. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D is to some extent the same disorder, yet you can throw extreme hyperactivity into the mix. The same lack of attention is present in this disorder, as well as a seemingly endless supply of energy. This in turn makes it very difficult for the person to sit still in class. Both of these disorders although related, are not the same and will need to be treated differently. Hyperactivity can be a very hard condition to control without the use of some very potent, specially prescribed drugs. Many times these drugs however, can strip the child of far too much more energy than needed, and really be counterproductive. Talk to a specialist and find a means to control this disorder. This should help at least control the fidgetiness in the child; many times specialists will recommend a change in diet as an initial move to correcting this disorder.
If a change in diet does not work, often they will set up small tests to determine the severity of the disorder so that a proper treatment can be applied. There are several fashions of learning disabilities such as academic skills disorders, language and speech disorders, and sometimes, yet rarely, coordination disorders that can lead up to some forms of learning disabilities. As a parent it is your job to watch over developments that may arise in your children, especially when it comes to learning or the lack thereof. When you see signs of a disability, it is very concerning, yet there is usually a treatment for the problems. It is better off not left to chance, and risking the possibility of it getting worse. The less you pay attention to the problem, the more disabling the problem can become in the future. Help your kids learn on pace with everyone else.
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