Properly identifying the symptoms of learning disabilities is important. Parents should be careful when diagnosing and treating learning disabilities.
The National Institute of Health of the United States has stated that fifteen percent of the American population has some form of learning disability. Looking at this another way, for every class of approximately twenty students, three of the children are learning disabled. The recognition of learning disabilities is growing. Plus, the problem has been spreading faster than the efforts to combat it. However, before we can deal with this problem and come up with effective strategies to help the children, first, we must understand the differences between the learning disabilites, including what a learning disability is and the causes of it is. The treatment must fit the diagnosis accurately. It is too often that children with emotional or developmental problems are diagnosed with learning disabled children and therefore do not get the attention and remediation that they need.
First, there is a distinction between a learning disability and a difficulty. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a distinct difference between the two. Everyone experiences difficulty when learning something. We are not adept at every skill. Or we may not all be perceived to be of equal talent. Some of the difficulties we experience include such things as learning to drive properly, to weave a basket, to fix cars, to bake a cake, etc. None of these may appear to be detrimental to our day-to-day living. There are numerous ways to get around such difficulties. A learning disability on the other hand, refers to a disorder manifested by significant difficulties in acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities.
Learning disabilities or disorders are presumed to stem from a discrepancy in the central nervous system. There seems to be problems with interpreting what is seen or heard and linking information from different parts of the brain. For example, a person may have difficulty coming up with the correct response to signs and symbols, so when they hear or see a word they'll repeat something different. Like, instead of saying left they might say felt; this is wahat is assumed to be a learning disability. Being a problem of the central nervous system, it is important to subject the child to the appropriate neurological tests to determine if there is in fact something physically or chemically wrong with their brain.
The lack of conclusive research on the function of the brain is one of the unsolved problems that lie in the way of diagnosing and treating learning disabilities. Progress has been made with the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans. These scans allow better study of the brain"˜s structure and function. Therefore, learning disabilities are diagnosed mainly by observations of the child's academic performance, which is usually compared with the other students and behavior. There are major limitations to this type of diagnosis because the symptoms of the different disabilities overlap. At the same time, emotional stress of the parents, other children, or the teacher may be contributing to the behavioral patterns of the child. For example, a child may have delayed speech development as a result of a deep fear. So, what can you do to be sure your children shares symptoms related to a learning disability? When a child seems to be performing poorly on their academics ask several questions before diagnosing the child.
1)Is the background and environment enriching and supportive providing the necessary stimulation, motivation, and encouragement for learning, i.e. books, material, and resources for learning?
2)Is the child nutritionally balanced? An over-looked lack of a particular vitamin or mineral could affect the proper development and function of the whole body and parts of the central nervous system.
3)Is the child simply developing at her own pace? Not all children learn all things at the same pace. Developmental charts are only to be used as a guide. There are allowed exceptions.
4)Is the child emotionally healthy? The child may be carrying around some subtle fear, anxiety, or lack of self-confidence. Undealt with emotions can interfere with learning and behaviour.
5)Is the teaching method appropriate for the child? Not everyone takes in information in the same way. Would explaining a concept in a different way make a difference to the child's understanding?
6)If you still are seeing problems have an exhaustive investigation by more than one of a variety of informed agents done with your child, like their teachers, their school counselor or psychologist, their medical doctor, or a neurologist, a educational psychologist, or a speech therapist. The behaviour observations must be regular and long term, so ensure that the patterns are consistent and not just an after-effect.
Patience, support, and persistence are absolutely essential in dealing with a child who seems to be functioning outside of the norms.
