Learning despite disabilities

Learning Disability (LD) is a problem that affects children all over the world. According to the International Dyslexia Association and the Learning Disabilities Association of America, about 15 percent of the US population - nearly one in seven - has a learning disability.

Similarly in Thailand, a medical study conducted in 2004 by Siriraj Hospital's division of child and adolescent psychiatry revealed that 10 percent of six million primary students had been diagnosed with a learning disability.

People diagnosed with Learning Disabilities (LD) have one or more challenges in learning. The Learning Disabilities Association of America and The US National Centre for Learning Disabilities describe learning disabilities as a neurological disorder, a condition that affects and interferes with the brain's ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information.

While a neurological disorder remains the primary cause, Dr Nittaya Kotchabhakdi, Developmental and Behavioural paediatrician at Ramathibodi Hospital, says that the child's preschool learning experiences also contribute as the secondary cause. The more parents talk to their children at this stage, the better experience they will have with languages and the more they can associate spoken words with surrounding environments.

The period between late one-year olds to five-year olds, she says, is the prime time for a human brain to develop in many areas, including languages. As a result, this is the time to introduce children to spoken languages and associate words with various shapes and forms, before introducing them to symbols (pictures and alphabets). If parents skip the verbal interaction process and jump right to symbols, children may end up memorising what they see. To these children, the words will have little meaning when put into a different context, which makes learning more difficult when they grow up.

Early detection

Because a learning disability is not a disease, it cannot be cured. With early detection and prevention, however, a child with one or more learning disabilities can learn to overcome that particular weakness or weaknesses in learning, albeit not completely.

The most common learning disabilities, says Dr Nittaya, are reading and spelling difficulty (dyslexia), writing difficulty (dysgraphia), and difficulty with arithmetic (dyscalculia).

However, the symptoms of a child with a mere learning problem as opposed to a learning disability are similar: bad academic performances or poor reading comprehension and writing skills. "These symptoms don't necessarily mean the child has got a learning disability," Dr Nittaya says.

Children with a learning disability can have a normal or even higher IQ than their peers, which means they can converse and play like children unaffected by either of the conditions. This makes early detection more difficult for parents. In detecting dyslexia, for example, parents should observe whether or not the child can spell a word correctly or distinguish one alphabet from another. In addition, some children may lose comprehension skills because they lose visual tracking of words and end up skipping the entire sentence.

Signs of learning disabilities, Dr Nittaya says, become clearer when children study in Prathom 1, when they start to learn to read and form basic words. If in doubt, parents should first consult with teachers to see what the problem is. If the child cannot read or write at all, or does so with extreme difficulty, parents may go a step further and seek advice from pediatricians or experts in child development.

"Treatment is a cooperative effort among doctors, psychiatrists, and teachers," says Dr Nittaya. "If the child's IQ is a problem, then the student should study in a special education programme. However, if the IQ is normal, but the student can't read or write, we have to do remedial teaching, in which we use clay to form the alphabets or have the student touch plastic letters, in order to help distinguish the formation of one alphabet from another."

Helping children to overcome their learning disabilities is important for their future. If left unattended, a learning disability may develop into a social or behavioural problem, especially as today's school environment leaves very little room for slow learners or those who learn differently. With the proper care and treatment, and if the child is given appropriate support from parents and teachers, learning disabilities can be overcome, at least to a degree. Most importantly, LD will probably not prevent a child from having a successful career or achieving great things in life.

What are the clues of a learning disability? In preschoolers, look for: Communication delays, such as slow language development or difficulty with speech. Problems understanding what is being said or problems communicating thoughts. Poor coordination and uneven motor development, such as delays in learning to sit, walk, colour, and using scissors. Later watch for problems forming letters and numbers. Problems with memory and routines; for example, not remembering specifics of daily activities or not understanding instructions. Possibly, problems remembering multiple instructions. Delays in socialisation including playing and relating interactively with other children. In elementary school, look for: Problems learning phonemes (individual units of sound) and graphemes (letters, numbers). Problems learning how to blend sounds and letters to sound out words. Problems remembering familiar words by sight. Later, difficulty with reading comprehension. Problems forming letters and numbers. Later, problems with basic spelling and grammar. Difficulties learning maths skills and doing maths calculations. Difficulty remembering facts. Difficulty organising materials (notebook, binder, papers), information, and/or concepts. Not understanding oral instructions and an inability to express oneself verbally. Some types of LD are not apparent until middle school or high school. With increased responsibilities and more complex work, new areas of weakness may become apparent. Losing or forgetting materials, or doing work and forgetting to turn it into the teacher. An inability to plan out the steps and time lines for completing projects, especially long-term projects. Difficulty organising thoughts for written reports or public speaking. Source: LD Online at www.ldonline.org (reprinted with permission). What are learning disabilities? Learning Disabilities is an umbrella term that describes a number of other, more specific learning related problems. Some of the most common are: Dyslexia - A language and reading disability Dyscalculia - A disability associated with arithmetic and maths concepts. Dysgraphia - A writing disorder resulting in illegibility. Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder) - Problems with motor coordination Central Auditory Processing Disorder - Difficulty processing and remembering language-related tasks. Non-Verbal Learning Disorders - Trouble with nonverbal cues, e.g., body language; poor coordination; clumsiness Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit - Reverses letters; cannot copy accurately; eyes hurt and itch; loses place; struggles with cutting Language Disorders (Aphasia/Dysphasia) - Trouble understanding spoken language; poor reading comprehension Source: Learning Disabilities Association of America at www.ldaamerica.org (reprinted with permission). More information and where to seek help Web resources: - LD Online, www.ldonline.org . - Learning Disabilities Association of America, www.ldaamerica.org . Consultations: - Special Education Programme, Faculty of Education, Sri Nakharinwiroj University at 02-664-3937-46 or visit www.swu.ac.th . - Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health at 02-354-8333-43 or visit www.childrenhospital.go.th/main/index.php - The Acorns to Oaks Children's Centre at 02-711-7157, 02-711-7158 or visit www.atocbkk.com . - Reed Institute at 02-391-0107, 02-391-4438 or visit www.reed-institute.com/index.html . - Happy Home Clinic at 02-982-9937, 01-985-3655 or visit www.happyhomeclinic.com/index.html .