Learning Differences: Should I Be Concerned?
By Lisa Goldin - FF/S
During the school year, learning specialists have many difficult conversations with parents about concerns that have been identified by their child’s teachers. Often, a parent says that they observed certain behaviors but did not realize that their child might have a learning difference. While every child experiences some of the same signs, if they occur frequently, the parent should question whether their child might have a learning difference.
Some of the most common signs of a learning difference include the unwillingness of their child to participate is an academic activity. Children are born to be curious and most children love to read at young ages and enjoy books that are read to them. If your young child does not like to read and is reluctant to write, this could be a concern. As students grow older, they may not enjoy reading as much, but if they “hate” reading or refuse to read aloud, you may need to investigate further.
Many students also struggle with poor working memories. If you ask your child to perform 5-6 tasks in order and he or she cannot complete the task routinely, then it's time to focus on working memory or there could even be an attention concern. Students with attention issues are often confused by instructions. During our conversations, parents will sometimes indicate that this problem is very pervasive but they thought that it was “normal.” It's true that some students will selectively choose instructions to not follow, but if this occurs often, it could be cause for concern.
Click here to view a checklist that will help you gain further understanding of learning differences.
The most common learning difference occurs in reading. The term “dyslexia” is used to identify any student with a reading disability. Many assume dyslexia involves someone who sees letters backwards or mixes them up. This myth is untrue. Dyslexia is more about the coding or decoding of words and letters, and it often goes undiagnosed until a person reaches adulthood.
At Darlington, we try to identify students with reading disabilities earlier because research says that early identification and remediation have been successful in minimizing the impact of the disability. Our Read2Succeed program has made a significant impact on identifying and providing the services necessary to remediate students. Lower School students with dyslexia will often exhibit the following signs:
1. May be slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
2. Has difficulty decoding single words
3. Has difficulty spelling phonetically
4. Makes consistent reading and spelling errors such as:Letter reversals - “d” for “b”
Word reversals - “tip” for “pit”
Inversions - “m” for “w”
Transpositions - “felt” for “left”
Substitutions - “house” for “home”
May confuse small words - “at” for “to,” “said” for “and,” “does” for “goes”
5. Relies on guessing and context
6. May have difficulty learning new vocabulary
7. May transpose number sequences and confuse arithmetic signs (+-X/=)
8. May have trouble remembering facts
9. May be slow to learn new skills
10. May have difficulty planning, organizing and managing time, material and tasks
11. Often uses an awkward pencil grip
12. May have poor “fine motor” coordination
