What is a Learning Disability? (part two)

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The following are red flags of LD in older children, adolescents and adults:

Grade School

-Reverses letter sequences (soiled/solid, left/felt)
-Slow to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other spelling strategies
-Avoids reading aloud
-Trouble with word problems
-Difficulty with handwriting
-Awkward, fist-like, or tight pencil grip
-Avoids writing assignments
-Slow or poor recall of facts
-Difficulty making friends
-Trouble understanding body language and facial expressions

 

High School Students and Adults

-Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing
-Avoids reading and writing tasks
-Trouble summarizing
-Trouble with open-ended questions on tests
-Weak memory skills
-Difficulty adjusting to new settings
-Works slowly
-Poor grasp of abstract concepts
-Either pays too little attention to details or focuses on them too much
-Misreads information

Children and adolescents who exhibit a combination of these behaviors have a good chance of having a learning disability. When this happens it is best to consult your child’s pediatrician or a developmental pediatrician or a child psychologist. It is difficult to get an appointment especially with a developmental pediatrician, so as soon as you suspect LD, make an appointment with one already. In the meantime, you can also talk to your child’s teacher(s) regarding their own observations and recommendations.

Children with learning problems are often referred to a psychologist for a psychoeducational or neuropsychological assessment. The referrals usually come from developmental pediatricians or teachers/schools. What the assessment does is to determine the level of cognitive functioning (IQ) and achievement levels in reading, math, spelling and writing. A learning disability is identified when the achievement level in a specific area of learning is significantly lower than the IQ (which, at the very least, would be in the average range).

What is a Learning Disability?

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A learning disability (LD) is a neurological disorder that is lifelong. Children with LD have average or above average intelligence but have difficulty performing as well as their peers in school. Their difficulties could be in one or a combination of the following:

1. Dyslexia— a language based disability where a child has difficulty in reading; this manifests itself as difficulty reading words (decoding) or understanding what is being read (reading comprehension).

2. Dyscalculia— a learning disability that involves difficulty understanding math concepts and solving arithmetic problems.

3. Dysgraphia–a writing disability that involves difficulty in forming letters or writing within a defined space.

4. Auditory and Visual Processing Disorder— a disability that involves difficulty making sense out of auditory and visual information even as child has normal hearing and vision.

The following are “red flags” for possible existence of LD in younger children (taken from LD Basics on ldonline). The earlier LD is identified, and interventions started, the better the chances of the child to overcome their difficulties and succeed in school.

Preschool
-Speaks later than most children
-Pronunciation problems
-Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word
-Difficulty rhyming words
-Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes
-Extremely restless and easily distracted
-Trouble interacting with peers
-Difficulty following directions or routines
-Fine motor skills slow to develop

Grades K-4
-Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
-Confuses basic words (run, eat, want)
-Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d), inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt/left), and substitutions (house/home)
-Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs (+, -, x, /, =)
-Slow to remember facts
-Slow to learn new skills, relies heavily on memorization
-Impulsive, difficulty planning
-Unstable pencil grip
-Trouble learning about time
-Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents

More next week….

7 Signs your Child has Problems with Attention

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Is your child having problems in school (e.g. poor grades) and in social situations? Is

happy-654713_640she at times described as “tamad” (lazy) or “matigas ang ulo” (hard headed)?

It may be good to answer the following questions to see if there is more to your loved one’s condition than the usual issues of a child:

1. Does your child have difficulty organizing tasks and activities?

2. Does he/she lose things necessary to perform these tasks and activities, such as toys, school assignments, pencils, books?

3. Does your child make careless mistakes in schoolwork and is not able to give close attention to details ?

4. Does he/she have a difficult time following through on instructions and finishing schoolwork and chores?

5. Does your child have difficulty sustaining attention in tasks and play activities?

6. Does he/she seem not to listen when spoken to directly?

7. Is your child forgetful in daily activities?

If the answer is yes to most of the above questions then your child may be manifesting a condition called ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) predominantly Inattentive Type *

If you notice these problems in your child, you can take the following measures:
– talk to your child’s teachers regarding their observations in the classroom;

– consult a Developmental Pediatrician and/or Psychologist for a formal assessment/diagnosis, intervention planning and referrals to appropriate professionals.

It is best to set an appointment with the “Dev Ped” as soon as possible as the waiting period may take as long as 6-8 months!

Teamwork with the Dev Ped, Psychologist, Teachers and other allied medical professionals (Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists etc) will help you assess and document your child’s condition, and determine the interventions and accommodations needed to help your child and the family manage the situation effectively.

*(Source: DSM-IV-TR, pp 92-93)

Signs of autism in older children

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The signs of autism in older children are more varied but still revolve around the following (DSM-IV-TR):

a. Impaired social interactionsea-261612_640
-little or no eye contact,
-unable to develop friendships with peers,
-unable to enjoy and share interests and activities with others
-unable to use imagination or engage in pretend play

b. Qualitative impairments in communication
-delayed development of spoken language or none at all,
-speaks in an abnormal tone of voice,
-repeats what others say,
-takes whatever is said too literally;

c. Restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior
-repetitive motor movements such as hand flapping/rocking back and forth,
-preoccupation with objects such as spinning wheel, cars
-has narrow topic of interest and obsesses/memorizes facts such as train schedules, maps
-follows a rigid routine and gets upset with unexpected changes.

Source: DSM-IV-TR

Early signs of autism in babies and toddlers

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brothers-764670_640As defined by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention:
“Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction,verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old.” It is important to watch out for early signs of the condition in you child. The earlier the diagnosis, the earlier the interventions, the better the outcome for the child. The better the outcome the better the quality of life for everyone in the family. The early signs are:

Early signs of autism in babies and toddlers
– Doesn’t make eye contact (e.g. look at you when being fed).
– Doesn’t smile when smiled at.
– Doesn’t respond to his or her name or to the sound of a familiar voice.
– Doesn’t follow objects visually.
– Doesn’t point or wave goodbye or use other gestures to communicate.
– Doesn’t follow the gesture when you point things out.
– Doesn’t make noises to get your attention.
– Doesn’t initiate or respond to cuddling.
– Doesn’t imitate your movements and facial expressions. (Source: Helpguide.org)

If you notice any of these behaviors in your baby, consult your pediatrician or a developmental pediatrician soonest.