Students with learning disabilities (LD) often struggle in school and do not realize all the available accommodations intended to give them an equal chance at succeeding. Many are unaware of what accommodations there are that could provide LD students with a fair opportunity at success.
Educators often make concessions during assessment procedures in order to accommodate learners with disabilities; however, data regarding these adjustments are scarce.
What is a learning disability?
Learning disabilities are disorders that cause difficulty with reading, writing, and math skills. While symptoms typically emerge during school age, they may not be recognized until adulthood. Some individuals who suffer from learning disabilities also have a mental health condition like depression or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
There are various types of learning disabilities. The most prevalent problems include reading, writing, and mathematics difficulties; however, there can also be motor coordination, language, or communication challenges, as well as issues in understanding visual data. Some individuals living with learning disabilities struggle with all areas at once, while others only face problems in certain ones.
Learning disabilities do not have an identifiable cause; instead, they result from difficulties with how your brain receives, processes, and stores information. While any individual can be affected by learning disabilities, these disorders are more likely to appear among low-income communities due to environmental and economic disadvantages.
Some individuals with learning disabilities also suffer from other health conditions, including Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, or epilepsy. Others may have profound and multiple learning disabilities that require assistance with daily tasks like eating, washing, or personal care.
Many individuals who suffer from learning disabilities go undiagnosed and untreated, leading to poor academic performance and increased stress levels that impede socialization skills, careers, and day-to-day lives. When appropriately diagnosed and given the consideration and accommodations they require in order to thrive at school and in their career goals, success can follow suit.
Teachers can assist students with a learning disability by clearly outlining course requirements and providing alternative assessment options, encouraging students to visit the disability services office if any issues arise, and tailoring accommodations specifically to each student’s needs. These accommodations mustn’t give an unfair advantage or reduce academic rigor in any course; housing must fit each student’s specific circumstances.
What are the symptoms of a learning disability?
Signs of learning disabilities may not always be easily identified. A child who struggles to read or memorize his time tables might be straightforward for teachers to spot; other students, however, may need more time. Unfortunately, many feel embarrassed by their difficulties and try to conceal that they need assistance – missing out on opportunities provided by an official diagnosis that would better prepare them when entering college or the workforce.
Parents need to keep a watchful eye out for any subtle signs that their children have learning disorders and know how to get them the assistance that they require – whether this means consulting specialists for diagnosis and advocating with schools for accommodations or simply making sure their child receives both academic and social support.
Most often, learning disorders can be identified by symptoms related to reading, writing, or math. These issues include slow or inaccurate reading, difficulty comprehending what was read, and poor handwriting, as well as difficulties with spelling, grammar, and math calculations. Problems with sequencing, retention, or organization may also arise.
Learning disabilities often include difficulty understanding nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and body language. Furthermore, those with learning disabilities may have trouble with visual perception issues like missing subtle differences between shapes, reversing letters and numbers incorrectly, or difficulty with depth and distance perception.
Other disorders can also create difficulties for students in the classroom, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and anxiety. While these conditions make it hard for a student to focus or concentrate, they don’t affect intelligence nor qualify them for learning disability concessions.
Parents should first discuss their concerns with their child’s teacher and request an evaluation if they suspect a learning disorder may be at play. Furthermore, speaking to doctors or friends who have experienced learning issues themselves can be very helpful; additionally, a specialist could perform an independent evaluation should their school refuse to do it or fail to provide enough evidence of a problem.
What are the causes of a learning disability?
Learning disabilities have many causes; sometimes, we do not fully understand why a person has one. Some individuals with learning disabilities have health conditions that increase their likelihood of learning disability, such as cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, or epilepsy, that contribute to making it harder to understand; these may include difficulty moving around or concentrating.
Other people develop learning disabilities because of events during gestation, delivery, or early childhood that result in illness, injury, poor nutrition, or drug and alcohol use before birth or during pregnancy that lead to it. Other reasons could be having parents with learning disabilities themselves or being born prematurely while experiencing stress and trauma during delivery and infancy.
Children with learning disabilities typically struggle in school, and their parents may recognize this. These learners may experience difficulty reading, doing math, or communicating their ideas through written language; additionally, they may struggle with comprehending what has been read or written – an issue known as cognitive and language-based learning disabilities.
Many children with learning disabilities also struggle with paying attention in class and can often resort to impulsive or emotional reactions, leading to difficulties such as interpreting nonverbal cues such as facial expressions or body language interpretation; coordination or fine motor skill difficulties; these issues are known as visual processing disorders.
Learning disabilities can be extremely challenging to navigate, yet they don’t have to be insurmountable. There are steps parents can take to help their child, and they need to trust their instincts and seek professional advice if they suspect a learning disability exists in their child.
As was once believed, only those with an IQ below 70 had learning disabilities; this definition has since expanded to encompass those between 70-90 IQ who may also be slow learners. Students with learning disabilities are entitled to free education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and schools provide support through an IEP or 504 plan (named after Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) such as additional time on tests, teachers who offer extra support or access to writers during exams.
What are the treatments for a learning disability?
Treatment for learning disabilities varies significantly between people. Some may require speech-language therapy to improve their spoken language, while others require occupational or physical therapy for motor skill enhancement. Other individuals may benefit from special aids or software programs to aid in reading, writing, and reasoning abilities.
Learning disorders cannot be treated, but proper intervention can significantly enhance a person’s abilities in school and life. The first step should be visiting a physician who can diagnose your condition through tests like intelligence assessments or measuring how well someone understands written and verbal information.
If you suspect that someone you know has a learning disability, they must seek assistance early. Delay in diagnosis could result in lower academic achievements, poor mental health outcomes, and unemployment/underemployment situations later down the line.
There are various forms of learning disabilities, but some of the more prevalent include:
Reading and Writing Disability. Reading and writing disabilities may involve difficulties comprehending what is read, and difficulty spelling or forming words on paper, while math-related learning disabilities include difficulty memorizing numbers, operation signs, or number facts (for instance, 5+5=10 or 22=8), or problems with mathematical reasoning.
Visual Processing Disorders. Visual processing disorders include difficulty distinguishing similar-appearing words or objects, difficulty with hand-eye coordination and following spoken instructions, and difficulty recalling things already seen. Other symptoms may include trouble following instructions verbally as well as difficulty remembering items seen earlier.
Some treatments for learning disabilities involve making changes both inside and outside the classroom. Students with learning disorders might receive extra time on tests or written assignments; sitting near teachers may help increase attention; gadgets like calculators or software that turns text into voice can also aid homework completion.
