Common Learning Disabilities

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities nearly 2.9 million school-aged children have specific learning disabilities (SLD, and approximately 5 percent of all school-aged children in public schools have the disorder. The numbers are even more staggering because this study does not include children in private or religious schools nor children who are home schooled. 

A learning disorder can affect a child at a very young age, but quite often goes undetected. Many children with learning disabilities have difficulty in reading, writing, speaking, staying focused and doing mathematics. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities roughly one-third of children with specific learning disabilities also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), making it even harder for a child to concentrate in school. 

Specific learning disabilities are not a disorder in themselves, but a disability that is applied to several group disorders. Unfortunately, SLD does not go away and is a lifetime disorder, afftecting patients into adulthood. People who have specific learning disabilities often struggle with several symptoms that range from minor to dehabilitating. 

According to  Science Daily, a person with a learning disability does not necessarily have a lower or higher intelligence than others, nor does he or she lack the ability to learn. But it is imperative to detect specific learning disabilities as soon as possible so a child can succeed in school and ultimately in society. Half the battle is identifying specific learning disabilities in order to receive the appropriate help from psychologist or educational counselor. 

The following are common classiications of mental disorders:

Dyslexia: 

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability seen in children. It is a reading and language condition that can make it difficult for a person to comprehend letters, sentences and reading material. The most frequent symptom is reversing letters like “b” and “d”.

Unfortunately this disorder is often dismissed because it is very common among young readers. If children still have difficulty in reversing letters once they reach the second grade, the problem may be dyslexia. Other symptoms to watch out for are slow reading with many mistakes, guessing at words instead of reading them, refusing to read and reading words backwards like “pan” and “nap”.

Dysgraphia:

Dysgraphia is a writing disorder that makes it hard to express thoughts in writing. A person with dysgraphia will often have very bad handwriting and a hard time finishing a written test on time. Many sufferers have a hard time with the sequence of words and letters while they are writing. Other symptoms of dysgraphia are reversing numbers or letters, blending print and cursive in their writing, odd slants and sizes of letters, and poor writing skills. 

Dyscalculia:

Dyscalculia is a mathematical disorder that can cause problems with learning time, measurement and the place value of numbers. Because it is not as common as other learning disabilities, dyscalculia can go completely undetected. Symptoms of this mental disorder include issues with basic math like subtraction and division, problems with the passing of time and obvious difficulties distinguishing between right and left.

The good news is that early detection of specific learning disabilities can reduce or prevent academic failure for students. Many special programs are available for learning disabilities that help children progress in learning. Opportunities for support can be found in small specialized educational groups, the community, at school, national organizations and qualified professionals.

Helping Psychology is made possible by Argosy University. Drawing upon our more than 30-year history of granting degrees in professional psychology, Argosy University has developed a curriculum that focuses on interpersonal skills and practical experience alongside academic learning. Because getting a degree is one thing. Succeeding, quite another.