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Learning Disabilities

Each child has a unique style of learning. Some children learn easily regardless of the teaching strategies or academic curricula selected. For many children, however, learning is an ongoing challenge despite high intelligence and motivation. When a child has persisting difficulty learning, it is important to consider the possibility of a learning disability (LD). The National Institute of Health estimated that 15% of children in the United States have a learning disability. Learning disabilities can manifest in a variety of ways including problems with how a child listens, speaks, reads, writes, reasons or does mathematics. These problems can occur in children with other disabilities, such as an emotional or attentional problem, but they are not caused by these problems. Similarly, they are not caused by cultural or language differences or inappropriate instruction. Below are common signs of learning disabilities in elementary school children:
Cognitive Poor fund of information Difficulty sequencing ideas Little awareness of cause-and-effect relationships Poor ability to organize ideas and information	Reading Poor phonetic decoding skills Slow and labored reading Difficulty understanding what was read Poor ability to focus on main ideas
Perceptual-Motor Reversals, rotations and inversions of letters and numbers Imprecise fine motor coordination, such as unstable pencil grip Papers are generally sloppy Poorly formed or illegible letters Slow rate of writing and poor quality on timed tasks	Spelling Trouble developing letter-sound associations Transposition of letters when spelling words Omission or substitution of sounds when spelling words
Mathematics Poor computational skills Poor mathematical reasoning Difficulty recalling the sequence of an operational process, such as confusing steps in long division	Written Language Slow and labored writing Imprecise and unclear expression Poor organization of thoughts Incorrect use of punctuation Composition usually too short for the purpose
Spoken Language Trouble pronouncing individual words Difficulty grasping what others say to them Limited range of vocabulary Difficulty retrieving the appropriate words for a situation	Work and Study Habits Poor organization and budgeting of time Difficulty completing work on time Difficulty sustaining effort on a task Excessive test anxiety

Four out of five students with a learning disability have problems that are specific to reading. Dyslexia (reading disorder) is a language-based learning disability that is generally caused by difficulty processing sounds in language and correlating sounds with letters. Dyslexia affects a child's ability to decode written language and derive meaning from it. Dyslexia is not associated with low intelligence, sensory impairment or limited academic exposure. A child with dyslexia may have many other talents including superior intelligence, creativity, emotional maturity, athletic abilities and leadership skills. In fact, aside from reading and other related skills, a dyslexic child can have strengths like any other child. Although a comprehensive psychological evaluation is needed to diagnose dyslexia, some common signs include:

• Difficulty learning the sounds that correspond with letters
• Slow reading of words in isolation
• Difficulty recalling known words quickly
• Trouble pronouncing longer words orally
• Confusing letters, such as reading "b" as "d"
• Trouble memorizing rote mathematics facts
• Trouble learning calendar concepts, such as days of the week, months and seasons
• Visual-spatial problems, such as confusing right and left hand

Learning disabilities can be confusing and frustrating to a child. In fact, a child with dyslexia may have the mistaken belief that he or she cannot be successful in life. Whereas dyslexia certainly poses significant challenges, the following list of famous people with dyslexia illustrates that this difference in learning style does not mean that someone with dyslexia is destined for failure:

Albert Einstein Alexander Graham Bell Anthony Hopkins Benjamin Franklin Bruce Jenner Charles Schwab Danny Glover Dustin Hoffman

Dwight D. Eisenhower George Burns Henry Ford Jack Nicholson Jay Leno John F. Kennedy John Lennon Magic Johnson

Nelson Rockefeller Robert Kennedy Robin Williams Steven Spielberg Tom Cruise Walt Disney William Hewlett Winston Churchill

If you have questions about learning disabilities or a psychological evaluation, please e-mail us at info@prattcenter.com.