What Are Learning Disabilities?

According to the NCLD, 1 in 5 children struggle with a learning disability. Learning disabilities are disorders that interfere with a person’s ability to learn basic skills, such as reading, writing, and math. If your child appears to be struggling with processing and retaining information in school, they may have a learning disability. Three of the most common learning disabilities include Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia. Geo Psychological Testing has broken down these three disorders in more detail:

Dyslexia

Children with Dyslexia have difficulty understanding phonics and learning to read or spell. Early signs of dyslexia include delayed language development, lack of coordination, and difficulty distinguishing between left and right.

Dyslexia has no relation to vision/hearing problems or brain damage. Dyslexia occurs as a result of dysfunction in the cerebral cortex, a part of the brain that controls language processing.

There are three types of dyslexia: phonological, surface, and visual. 

Those with Phonological Dyslexia struggle the most with phonics, meaning they have difficulty breaking up speech into individual sounds. Children with Surface Dyslexia may understand phonics, but are unable to piece together the individual sounds to create a whole word — this is particularly difficult with unusual spellings or pronunciations. Last, some children may experience Visual Dyslexia, which may prevent them from processing what their eyes are seeing.

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that relates to written expression. Children with Dysgraphia have trouble spelling, producing legible handwriting, and organizing their thoughts on paper. 

The majority of Dysgraphia cases are developmental. Some children exhibit symptoms of Motor Dysgraphia, which means their Dysgraphia stems from a lack of fine motor skills. Other children may experience Spatial Dysgraphia, which stems from a lack of spatial perception. Last, some children may show symptoms of Linguistic Dysgraphia, which relates to inadequate language processing skills. 

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a math learning disorder that impairs a child’s ability to process number-related concepts and perform accurate calculations or measurements. Children with Dyscalculia may have difficulty counting and recognizing patterns or sequences.

Professionals note that there is often an overlap in symptoms between learning disabilities. Much like Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, a child with Dyscalculia may have a poor sense of direction or spatial orientation. Additionally, children with dyscalculia often have dyslexia.

These three learning disabilities can be identified at a young age, but there is no cure — only treatment! Therefore, children with learning disabilities will still experience symptoms of their disorders into adulthood. With practice, children can learn to manage their learning disabilities.

If your child is struggling in school, it is important to identify the root of the problem. A Learning Disability Evaluation and report may provide the answers you’ve been seeking. This assessment allows for diagnostic clarity and individualized recommendations to move forward in pinpointing issues of distress, planning effective treatment, and reaching personal goals. Interested in learning more? Contact Geo Psychological Testing today!