Types of Learning Disabilities

Different Types of Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities (LD) Types are academic skills disabilities, speech and language disabilities and miscellaneous disabilities. This first Type, academic skills disabilities, are disabilities that delay a person's progress in school, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia (or agraphia) and dyscalculia.

The second Type, speech and language disorders are disorders in which a child's speech, hearing, or understandings of spoken words are delayed. Miscellaneous learning disabilities, the third Type, include fine motor skills problems (dyspraxia) or nonverbal learning disability.

Dysgraphia Learning Disability

Dysgraphia is a learning disability resulting from the difficulty in expressing thoughts in writing and graphing. It generally refers to extremely poor handwriting. The letters may be the wrong size or spaced incorrectly. A person suffering from Dysgraphia may frequently misspell written words, although they can read the same word just fine. Another possible problem with Dysgraphia is using the wrong word in a sentence. These individuals generally have a higher than average IQ.

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder. It is either non-specific or specific. Non-specific Dysgraphia may be owing to the individual being mentally retarded, poor attendance in school or psychosocially being deprived. Specific Dysgraphia arises from motor coordination problems, and in spelling and language disabilities.

Dysgraphia in children is usually found when parents first start teaching their child to write their name. Sometimes children with Dysgraphia have another learning disability, but they usually have no problems socializing with other children. When Dysgraphia develops in an adult, it is usually caused by some type of trauma.

Dysgraphia Learning Disability can be categorized into three subtypes:

Motor Dysgraphia - This is due to poor muscle tone, deficient fine motor skills, poor dexterity and motor clumsiness. In this instance whilst spelling skills are not impaired their letter formation for a small paragraph of text is acceptable but takes a lot of effort and time to finish and cannot be continued for a long period of time. In their written or copied work, the handwriting is illegible. Finger tapping speed is also abnormal.

Dyslexic Dysgraphia - If an individual suffers from Dyslexic Dysgraphia it does not necessarily mean that the individual has dyslexia. In Dyslexic Dysgraphia, spelling skills are abnormal. Their writing is illegible, copied work is fairly good and finger tapping speed is normal.

Spatial Dysgraphia - This is due to a failing in the understanding of space. Their handwriting and copied work is illegible, they have normal spelling ability and finger tapping speed is normal.

Symptoms of Dysgraphia

• Students may exhibit strong verbal but particularly poor writing skills.
• Random (or non-existent) punctuation. Spelling errors (sometimes same word spelled differently); reversals; phonic approximations; syllable omissions; errors in common suffixes. Clumsiness and disordering of syntax; an impression of illiteracy. Misinterpretation of questions and questionnaire items. Disordered numbering and written number reversals.
• Generally illegible writing (despite appropriate time and attention given the task).
• Inconsistencies: mixtures of print and cursive, upper and lower case, or irregular sizes, shapes, or slant of letters.
• Unfinished words or letters, omitted words.
• Inconsistent position on page with respect to lines and margins and inconsistent spaces between words and letters.
• Cramped or unusual grip, especially holding the writing instrument very close to the paper, or holding thumb over two fingers and writing from the wrist.
• Talking to self while writing, or carefully watching the hand that is writing.
• Slow or labored copying or writing - even if it is neat and legible.

Dysgraphia Diagnosis

Just looking at an individual's handwriting is inadequate in diagnosing that, that individual suffers from Dysgraphia. A qualified person should test the individual by making the individual write self generated sentences and paragraphs as well as copying a particular text. Not only the final product is evaluated but the individual's position, posture, the way the pencil is gripped, cramping, if there are any tremors in the writing hand and several other factors. Finger tapping speed is also assessed.

Dysgraphia Treatment

The treatment in this case may vary. Sometimes to help control the writing movements the treatment for motor disorders is also considered. Other treatments may deal with neurological problems and also impaired memory. Doctors also suggest that individuals who suffer from Dysgraphia make use of computers so that they could altogether avoid the problem of having to write. To strengthen muscle tone, evaluate eye hand coordination, to improve dexterity and to correct the improper way the pencil is held, occupational therapy should be considered.

Dyslexia Learning Disability:

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability and concerned with writing and reading. Most children learn to read by the age of six, but the person who suffering with Dyslexia Learning Disability who’s delay at which the child begins to read, sometimes they are still unable to read even in the second grade. Dyslexia Learning Disability is not limited to children but it can go on right through into adulthood. Dyslexia Learning Disability is equally common in both girls and boys and not more prevalent in boys as originally thought to be.

Dyslexia persons are usually exhibit talent in sports, music, art, designing, drama, and mechanics, engineering and sales. Dyslexia persons are usually considered to be lazy, immature and careless or they may be thought of as individuals who do not try hard enough or may be even termed as having a behavioral problem. Because of their inabilities they often feel frustrated and are emotional and suffer from poor self-esteem. Dyslexia persons are also tending to have a very short attention span.

Dyslexia Symptoms:

Ø Spelling difficulty is a common symptom. Some words commonly misspelled by Dyslexics are many, any, they, said, enough, friend and some words may be spelt in the following way, journey is spelt as jerney, or search as serch and knocks as nock.

Ø Dyslexia is hereditary, that is, it runs in families and is of a neurological origin, that is, it is caused by a failure in the brain that is concerned with language. It is even thought that it may be caused by lack of hearing at an early age probably owing to ear infections.

Ø The strongest indication that a child may be Dyslexic is that although the child appears to be bright, he/she has problems reading, or spelling or coping with mathematics.

Ø They get confused between left and right and with directions such as East and West.

Ø Inability to follow simple instruction.

Ø They are unable to organize themselves.

Ø They get confused with b/d and p/9 they therefore tend to write b as capital, that is, B to avoid the confusion.

Help For Dyslexia Learning Disability:

You can help your child if he suffers from dyslexia by talking to your child and explaining to him/her what exactly it is and that is not a failing on his/her part. The better your child grasps this, the better he/she will be able to deal with it.

As a parent, you should be supportive and patient and show plenty of love as your child's self-esteem may be affected if he/she suffers from a learning disability. Very often, children who do suffer from a learning disorder are very talented; therefore, his/her strengths and talents should be encouraged.

The home should be made as comfortable as possible for your child to study in. Take care to give him/her a well-organized, quiet and clean place for your child to study. Also have a particular study time for him/her. Also provide plenty of nourishment and rest along with plenty of family support.

Joining a support group thereby staying in touch with parents of other dyslexics will also be an added benefit in providing you with support emotionally and relevant information.

Keeping in constant touch with you child's teacher can be beneficial in that the teacher becomes fully aware of your child's disability and then both parent and teacher can work in conjunction in various ways to help the child.

Dyslexia Testing

Dyslexia diagnosis are multi way and various kinds of testing which are used to diagnosis of dyslexia. Initially, dyslexia tests are done to identify the presence of common dyslexia symptoms, and more detailed dyslexia tests are conducted to measure the dyslexia symptoms. However, conducting the dyslexia tests is very important if some primary dyslexia symptoms are observed, as it is better to be diagnosed earlier in one's life. It is better to test and diagnose dyslexia at the age of six rather than at ten or twenty years of age. Dyslexia tests are conducted by an educational psychologist. Before consulting an Educational psychologist for evaluation a medical doctor should be consulted so that physical illness is ruled out.