What You Need to Know About Learning Disabilities
Most people think a learning disability is a problem where a child cannot learn. That is simply not the case; a learning disability should be a called a learning difficulty, because the issue really lies within grasping and storing information. One of the key signs of LD is the child will learn something, at least you think he learned it, and then the next time you inquire about it, he/she has no clue. The biggest problem with LD is the following, if the learning disability is not detected, the issue will worsen over time.
I am writing this article to inform our community on learning disorders. This is a very common issue amongst children and like autism, one that cannot be cured. But, it can be modified and facilitated through an array of intervention methods.

What is a Learning Disability?
There are some key factors you need to know before we continue our discussion on learning disabilities:
1.    A child with LD is NOT dumb- in fact; he/she may be just as smart or even smarter than his/her peers.
2.    A learning disability is a neurological disorder- the brain functions differently than that of other children.
3.    A speech impediment can advocate to a learning disability- get your kids evaluated for speech!
4.    One in seven Americans will be diagnosed with a learning disability
5.    More common than not, an individual with a learning disability will have an issue with a specific task- reading, writing, spelling, and/or math.
6.    With the help of parents, teachers, therapists, and pediatricians, an individual with LD can succeed in school and in a profession.
A learning disability inhibits a child’s performance in their academics. It will impair certain areas of information processing; most commonly: reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, recalling, reasoning, and matching. About 80% of individuals with LD have a problem is reading; making it the most common type of learning disability.
One common misunderstanding is that ADHD and a learning disability are the same thing. This is false; the reason most people are under this misconception is because they inherently take place at the same time. A child with ADHD will most likely have a learning disability; this does not mean all children do.
Although there is no gene that signifies LD as a genetic issue, learning disabilities do occur within families. So if you know of a family member that has LD, be aware that your child may be at risk for it. Get your child evaluated immediately, I cannot stress enough the importance of early detection.

Types of Learning Disabilities
There are different types of learning disorders, with different severity categories. The term learning disability is so broad and causes much confusion. Its name makes you think disability like, unable. But that is not the case at all; they just learn differently than we do.
Let’s talk a little bit about the different disorders:
1.    Dyslexia: we all know this one; it’s the disorder in which the individual supposedly reads backwards. It is a language based disorder because the individual has a hard time comprehending written language. They will struggle with reading comprehension and fluency because of their difficulty decoding the words they are reading.

2.    Dyscalculia: I think I had this as a child since I did so poorly in math! This is the mathematical disability. A child with this will have a hard time solving math problems as well as absorbing mathematical concepts. Adding, especially subtracting, will advocate to a difficult time doing well in math class. Many a times, this will co-occur with dyslexia.

3.    Dysgraphia- this has more to do with a problem with motor skills, an individual with this type of LD will have a hard time writing. These kids are usually the ones whom you ask to write a number “8” and they’ll draw a blob with several circles. They have a difficulty forming shapes and letters, and they have a huge issue with writing it within a confined space. They love to draw and color outside the lines!

4.    Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders- this is a difficulty with sensory perception and understanding. Despite the fact that the child has perfect audition and vision, they still have a hard time absorbing verbal and visual stimulus. They probably feel like the kids in Charlie Brown, when the teacher speaks, all you hear is “wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa.” These kids will most likely have issues with math and reading, because their perception of letters and numbers are most likely very different fro what we process.

5.    Nonverbal Learning Disability- this is a neurophysiological disorder that affects the right brain. It will impair visuo-spatial, intuitive, organizational, and evaluative processing. These individuals will have a difficult time discerning emotions, facial expressions, and gestures; basically anything that is part of nonverbal communication. Their biggest problem is that they will take emotions, expressions and gestures the wrong way and react inappropriately towards them.

How Can You Tell if Your Childs Has a Learning Disability?
Since LD is one of the most difficult difficulties to detect, I thought I should post a list of detection cues.
•    Early signs of LD:
o    Family history of LD
o    Illness or injury to the brain that impairs neurological development
o    Poor prenatal care and nutrition
•    Early childhood Delays:
o    Gross motor movements are delayed- walking, standing,
o    Fine motor movements are delayed- moving fingers or toes
o    Communication skills-delayed ability to produce and understand speech
o    Cognitive skills- trouble solving problems
o    Social/emotional skills- do not interact appropriately with other children.
•    School Age Signs:
o    Child has a difficulty connecting letters to sounds
o    Complains that he/she studies more than peers, and yet does poorly on exams
o    Has poor memory
o    Difficulty with attention and/or behavior
o    Severe problems with math, reading, writing, spelling, and problem solving.
If you have observed any of the following signs, take your child to his/her doctor immediately. Many times your child’s teacher may be the one to inform you she thinks there may be a difficulty. Although you are the expert on your child, teachers can identify an LD more readily. She will see the rate at which the other students are learning and then compare it to what your child is doing. If your child has a learning disabilities make sure you get a referral for a specialist.

The following websites have essential information regarding learning disabilities. Again, if you have noted any behaviors or symptoms of learning disabilities feel free to contact our office. We will be more than happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have!

•    http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/learningdisabilitybasics/tp/SignsofLD.htm
•    http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/whatisld