Learning Disorders & Disabilities In Children

Learning disorders are more common than you may think and they are typically found early, as they are exhibited in children. Learning disabilities in children affect the way they receive and process information, as well as the way they communicate information to others. Children with learning disabilities are by no means less intelligent than other children, but rather they hear, see and understand their world differently than others. In fact, many exceptionally gifted children are misdiagnosed with learning disorders because essentially they learn differently, too. Luckily, the brain comes equipped with neuroplasticity, especially in children. Neuroplasticity describes the ability to create new brain cells and adapt to new ways of learning. If you have children with learning disorders, remember that your influence on their confidence levels is huge. Approach them and their learning with realism and optimism, as well as unconditional support.

Some learning disorders affect the way information physically reaches the child or the output the child can put forth. These are auditory and visual processing disorders and sensory integration disorders. Auditory processing disorder causes a difficulty in hearing the difference between sounds and often affects children’s reading abilities even when reading to themselves because the words are still “heard” in their heads. Visual processing disorder causes kids to struggle with maps, charts, displays, diagrams, and other visual means of expressing information. Sensory integration disorder, also known as dyspraxia, affects both fine and gross motor skills. Kids with dyspraxia can have trouble with anything involving hand-eye coordination or body movements, like zipping up a jacket or jumping rope. Of all learning disabilities, dyspraxia is typically able to be diagnosed the earliest as motor skills are crucial to very young development.

Other learning disabilities affect particular subjects of learning and often the affected children excel in other subjects. Dyscalculia describes the inability to process numerical information, including difficulty telling or understanding time. Dysgraphia describes the difficulty that comes with writing, both physically writing (handwriting difficulties) and mentally writing (organizing ideas). Dyslexia, perhaps the most common of learning disorders, involves difficulty reading due to decreased comprehension of words and phrases. Dyslexic children often describe the words they see as looking “mixed up.” Children with these sorts of learning disorders are often given Individual Education Plans in school to help them learn the subjects with which they struggle in a different way than their peers.

Learning difficulties also include emotional trouble in children, although they should be properly diagnosed as an emotional processing disorder is not the same as an emotional reactivity disorder like bipolar disorder or depression. Children with emotional learning disabilities exhibit these characteristics at a very young age, as they have trouble turning life experiences into learned emotions. Other conditions often misdiagnosed as learning disabilities include ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. While these are not technically classified as learning disorders, they certainly affect the way children process information.