Specific learning difficulties - when it's hard to learn
specific; learning; difficulties; difficulty; disability; dyslexia; dyscalculia; dysgraphia; learn; spelling; reading; ADD; ADHD;
Contents
What are specific learning difficulties?
Did you ever fill in a friendship form at Primary school? You know, where you had to write the names of kids who were good at maths, science, art, sport, getting on with people and a whole range of other stuff?
- Did you think about why some people weren't good at writing or reading or spelling or maths?
- Do you know someone who has to really work hard to write a sentence but is brilliant at maths, drawing, music, sport, being a great friend or whatever?
Some people, maybe even you, have specific learning difficulties. That is, they (or you) have problems in one or more areas of learning, but not in others.
- Outside school they can usually cope pretty well, but inside school where they have to read, write, work things out, research, or spell, it can be very hard and very stressful.
- It can be worse for them when others are unkind, tease or leave them out of things.
- It is even worse when someone has struggled along with some difficulty, trying to hide their problem and has never had the help that they need.
How awful if someone has had to put up with being labelled as 'badly behaved', 'lazy', 'dumb' or 'doesn't try', when in reality that person has a specific learning difficulty and needs help to deal with it.
Common specific learning difficulties
Dyslexia, or difficulty with reading is the most common.
- The person trying to read may not see the letters and words going from left to right.
- They may see the letters moving around on the page, or grouping together in ways that are not words which make sense.
- They may see letters in reverse or sitting backwards.
Look at our topic on dyslexia if you want to know more.
How important is it to be able to read? Think about all the stuff that you have to read every day in and out of school. You not only read, but you have to make sense of what you are reading and use the information in some way.
Dyscalculia is a similar sort of problem, but with number skills.
Dysgraphia is a problem with writing.
There are also other less common language and learning difficulties.
Symptoms of specific learning difficulties
There are many signs that someone may have problems. They may:
- be really good at answering questions and talking about things, but have difficulty writing things down
- have very poor handwriting skills
- always be late completing schoolwork, or not be able to get it finished
- have trouble remembering stuff like times tables, maths formulae or dates in history
- have trouble remembering what they were supposed to do
- lose their place when reading a sentence
- have problems concentrating for very long because it is hard to do the work
- have poor listening skills
- have problems remembering homework and returning it to school
- be disorganised and not have the right equipment for a lesson
- often be disruptive in class, get into trouble, or tease others as a way of covering up that they have difficulty doing the work
- have a family history of such problems.
Other learning disabilities
Intellectual disabilities make it hard for the person to be able to learn. These can be present form birth, eg. Down Syndrome and Autism, or may have been caused by some head injury or illness later on.
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) affect behaviour, which can make it very hard for someone to concentrate, sit still or be a cooperative part of a group.
Getting help
It is important to get help as soon as possible.
- There are specialist programmes in primary schools for children who need help.
- Secondary schools have specialist programmes too, and there are many home tutors around.
If you or your friend have problems learning and you haven't had any help in the past, it is not too late. You can:
- talk to someone like a teacher, parent, school counsellor or a medical professional and tell them what it is that you are finding hard
- be tested to discover what is the specific learning difficulty
- be given strategies to help you cope with the difficulty
- feel happy that you know what the problem is and are learning to deal with it
- concentrate on what you can do, and work to improve your ability to cope with your difficulty
- either ignore or explain to people who tease that you have a learning difficulty and that you are trying to learn
- ask for help when you need it
- learn to use the tools that can help you, like a calculator, computer, tables charts, dictionary or spellchecker
- use your diary and always pack your schoolbag the night before so that you have everything you need
- get into a routine at home which includes homework or practising skills time
- make time to have fun and spend time with family and friends
- set yourself reasonable goals so that you can make steady progress
- talk about how you are feeling about your learning.
- You can talk to parents, school counsellors and teachers. They will help and advise on goal setting, what skills to practise and help you feel good about yourself and what you are achieving.
If your friend has a specific learning difficulty, then you can:
- encourage her to try - but don't do the work for her
- help her to read and understand
- check that she knows what to do and how to go about it
- help to build her confidence by praising what she can do
- set a good example by getting on with your work and not being easily distracted
- be interested in any special programme she may have
- be prepared to sit near the teacher so that your friend can ask for help quietly and not feel embarrassed
- hang out with her at lunch and recess
- be her friend.
With so much emphasis being placed on school, exams, and getting certificates or diplomas, it can be easy to feel depressed if you have a specific learning difficulty.
- Take heart if you are struggling. Nowadays there is a far better understanding of learning difficulties, and most people would know something about them.
- There are equal opportunities for everyone in the work force, and someone with a learning difficulty has the same chance as anyone else to get a job, providing he has the skills required.
There is a long list of famous people who had various learning difficulties which they came to terms with, and they still managed to achieve and have successful lives.
- Albert Einstein is believed to have had dyslexia.
- Sir Isaac Newton is believed to have suffered from Asperger Syndrome (although this syndrome had not been discovered when he was alive).
- Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise, Jay Leno and Richard Branson are just a few of the famous people of our day who have managed to be highly successful in their chosen careers, in spite of having lots of difficulty at school because of their learning disabilities.
Want to know more? Just go to your favourite search engine, type in 'famous people and… ' (whatever type of learning difficulty you or your friend are dealing with), and you will be amazed!
Resources
South Australia
- DECS (Department of Education and Children's Services)
http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/decs_home.asp
School Guidance officers come to schools to do assessments.
- Special Education teachers may be able to do assessments.
- Private educational or child psychologists can be recommended by your doctor.
- SPELD 298 Portrush Rd Kensington Tel. 8431 1655
http://www.speld-sa.org.au
General
Reference
Demonet J-F, Taylor MJ, Chaix Y, 'Developmental dyslexia' The Lancet, Vol 363, May1, 2004
http://www.thelancet.com
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).