Table of contents:
- Why does someone have difficulty learning?
- Sign learning disabilities can be different at each phase of life
- Children under five years of age
- Children aged 5-9 years
- Early adolescence (10-13 years)
- Late adolescence and adulthood
- Various forms of learning difficulties
- Reading impairment (dyslexia)
- Impaired numeracy skills (dyscalculia)
- Impaired writing ability (dysgraphia)
- Motor skills disorders (dyspraxia)
- Impaired language skills (aphasia)
- Disturbance of processing visual auditory information
- ADHD
- What can parents do to help children with learning difficulties?
For those who are called children, it is natural that from time to time they have difficulty learning new things in their life. For example, learning to read and write. However, if complaints of learning difficulties tend to be consistent and continue until the child reaches adulthood, there may be certain underlying medical conditions.
Why does someone have difficulty learning?
Learning difficulties are more common in children, but it is possible that they can also be found in adults. This is because the condition has never been previously clinically evaluated. The most common forms of learning difficulties are related to reading, writing, counting, thinking, listening, and language problems because each individual's understanding process is different.
However, keep in mind that learning difficulties are not associated with low levels of intelligence and / or motivation to learn. Someone who has learning difficulties generally has a normal or even higher level of intelligence and has the same opportunities to develop as other individuals. It's just that, their brains work in different ways causing them to capture and process information differently. Therefore, the process of teaching methods requires conformity to how he understands and learns something.
Sign learning disabilities can be different at each phase of life
Learning difficulties in children will be very serious when it hinders the process of learning new skills during their growth and development because they will continue to have an impact until they grow up. Here are some signs of learning difficulties that need attention:
Children under five years of age
This includes difficulty spelling and finding the right words, difficulty distinguishing letters, shapes, colors, numbers, and days, and difficulty understanding commands and performing simple activities - such as wearing clothes or tying shoelaces.
Children aged 5-9 years
It is characterized by difficulty learning new things, inability to read, impaired writing and spelling correctly, and difficulty reading the numbers on the clock.
Early adolescence (10-13 years)
This is characterized by difficulty understanding reading and counting, unable to write neatly, difficulty expressing opinions and also low organizational skills (such as tidying rooms, completing assignments, arranging study desks etc.)
Late adolescence and adulthood
Symptoms include difficulty reading, writing and speaking, difficulty drawing conclusions from a reading or information, doing simple things too slowly, difficulty adapting to new environments and poor memory skills.
Various forms of learning difficulties
Forms of learning disorders can be distinguished based on a person's ability to learn during school, including:
Reading impairment (dyslexia)
Dyslexia includes difficulties in basic reading skills and difficulties in understanding the relationship between sounds, letters and words which can cause someone with dyslexia to have difficulty understanding the idea of a sentence or a paragraph.
Impaired numeracy skills (dyscalculia)
Dyscalculia is a type of learning disorder that affects a person's ability to speak language, visuals, sequencing, brain memory and organizational abilities. The most common signs of this disorder are difficulty in basic and simple calculations and difficulty reading the numbers on the clock.
Impaired writing ability (dysgraphia)
Dysgraphia can be caused by difficulty physically forming letters and numbers (in a literal sense: difficulty in writing), or it can also be in the form of difficulty in expressing thoughts in written form. Writing disorders are characterized by sloppy handwriting, inconsistent writing and spelling, and no continuity between sentences in writing (sounds of illogical sentences).
In addition to the ability categories taught at school, learning disorders can also include:
Motor skills disorders (dyspraxia)
Impaired motor skills in the form of impaired coordination of the brain, eyes and limb muscles to carry out activities that require communication such as running, jumping and cutting.
Impaired language skills (aphasia)
Aphasia is a difficulty in understanding spoken language and is related to the ability to retell what has been said, as well as obstacles to proficiency in speaking and the ability to understand words, sentences, or directions.
Disturbance of processing visual auditory information
This disorder occurs because the brain has difficulty processing an incoming information received by the ear and eye. Disturbance to the auditory process involves a person's ability to distinguish sounds or pronunciation of words from other sounds. Whereas visual processing disorders involve the ability to distinguish shapes, numbers and letters, detect depth and distance or impair eye-hand coordination.
ADHD
Although ADHD is not a disorder that prevents a person from thinking and learning, ADHD is a disorder that reduces a person's ability to stay focused and pay attention. ADHD can also be found in someone who has previously experienced learning disabilities, thus worsening the condition.
What can parents do to help children with learning difficulties?
The first and most important thing to do to quickly overcome this learning disorder is to detect it early. Parents can observe the behavior patterns and habits of children while studying to be able to find out the types of disorders they are experiencing so that delays in the learning process can be resolved.
Learning difficulties basically cannot be eliminated but with in-depth assistance to understand the thought process and learn new things, the limitations faced can be overcome. Recognizing and treating learning disorders requires gradual steps and professional support from a child psychologist or child education therapist.
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