Learning disabilities, learning disorders, or learning problems occur when a child’s brain is wired to receive and process information differently. This means that the child hears, sees, and understand things in a way that is different from a generally accepted viewpoint, thus making it difficult for the child to learn new information and skills.

Identifying learning disability in children isn’t so easy, especially if you’ve not handled a child with a learning disability. While there are red flags to watch out for, it is important to note that an inconsistent display of such a sign may mean that your child has no problem.

However, there are warning signs that are more common than others, especially during different development stages of a child.

In our recent post, we discussed the different stages in a child’s learning journey and the common signs of learning disability at every stage. You may want to read the post here – Early Intervention: Encouraging Therapy and Learning Center in Children

That said, here are the most common learning disabilities suffered by children:

Dyslexia – Learning Disability in Reading: This can be the inability to understand the meaning of words, phrases, or paragraphs. It can also occur when the child has difficulty grasping the relationship between words, sounds, and letters. Children who suffer from reading disability have difficulty recognizing or understanding written letters and words. This can also affect their fluency, reading speed, and general vocabulary skills.

Dyscalculia – Learning Disability in Math
Depending on the child’s areas of strength and weakness, learning disability in math may occur in the form of a visual disorder, language learning difficulty, or difficulty with sequencing, organizing, or memorizing numbers, and operation signs. Dyscalculia may also occur in the form of inability to tell time or problems with basic counting principles.

Dysgraphia – Learning Disabilities in Writing
Dysgraphia occurs when a child has problems with forming words or organizing his or her thoughts on paper. Children with dysgraphia find it difficult copying letters or words and writing in a neat, legible manner.

Dyspraxia – Learning Disabilities in Motor Skills
Dyspraxia occurs when a child finds has difficulty with movement and coordination – motor skills. Depending on what the problem really is, such a child may not be able to learn basic skills like cutting, writing, jumping, running.

Aphasia – Learning Disabilities in Language
A child with aphasia, language and communication learning disorder, finds it difficult understanding or producing spoken language. This is because he or she cannot organize his thought in order to understand or pronounce words correctly.

Auditory Processing Disorder
This occurs when there is a problem with auditory processing or language reception, making it difficult to distinguish mild variations in sound. It could also result in hearing sounds at the wrong speed, making it difficult to understand the rudimentary concept of reading, writing, and producing sound.

Visual processing disorder
A child suffering visual processing disorder may find it difficult differentiating between shapes. Visual processing disorders may also manifest in the form of skipping words or lines when reading, reversing letters or numbers, misperceiving distance or depth, and so on. This can be an impediment to developing gross and fine motor skills such as reading, cutting, and even basic math.

Final words
Some children develop faster than others. However, there are certain development milestones that every child is supposed to hit at certain ages.

If you have any reason to believe that your child has a learning disability, please do not waste time before seeking professional support. The sooner the root cause of the problem is identified, the better your child’s chances of overcoming it.

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