It can be very difficult when you notice that your child seems to be struggling at school. The struggles may be in reading, writing, maths, or it may be more around their ability to concentrate or process information. How do you know if you should be concerned?
There is no one characteristic to look out for to determine if your child has a learning difficulty or learning disorder. There are usually a combination of factors. This can also depend on the age of your child and the learning demands that are on them.
What is the difference between a learning difficulty and a learning disorder?
Learning difficulties are problems with things such as reading, writing, maths, while a learning disorder is an ongoing and diagnosed problem in these areas, such as dyslexia (reading disorder), dysgraphia (writing disorder) and dyscalculia (maths disorder).
It is worth noting that not all students who struggle have a learning disorder. A student may have a learning difficulty as they have had prolonged absences or they may have a hearing or vision problem. Some students just need a little longer to catch up to their peers.
Some common signs of a learning disorder can include:
- Dislikes or lacks motivation to read, write and/or do maths
- Difficulty with ‘sounding out’ words or working out how to say unfamiliar words
- Reading out loud is slow and seems to take a lot of effort
- Difficulty remembering what they have read
- Consistent trouble with spelling
- Difficulty using simple punctuation (capital letters, full stops)
- Difficulty learning number facts and/or using them to solve problems
- Difficulty comparing numbers (eg. which number is bigger, which pile has more)
- Not understanding verbal instructions and/or not being able to express themselves verbally.
- Difficulty organising materials (books, pencil case),
- Difficulty organising information or concepts.
What should I do if I think my child may have a learning difficulty or disorder?
- Talk to your child’s teacher.
Make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the teacher. If they are in high school and have different teachers for different subjects, you may choose to start with the English or Maths teacher (depending on your area of concern), or ask your child which teacher they think knows them best.
Discuss what you have noticed at home and ask what they have noticed in the classroom. Think about the frequency of the problem and how long it has been happening for. How is your child progressing compared to others in the class? Is this normal for their stage of development, or are they falling behind their peers?
You may also talk to the Learning Support Coordinator. This may give you a better understanding of what is developmentally appropriate and if adjustments may need to be made for your child’s learning.
- Talk to your GP/Health professional
Your GP can help determine what other health professional your child may need to see and provide a referral. Other health professionals such as psychologist, pediatrician, speech therapist can provide an assessment and testing to determine if your child has a learning disorder. They will also provide strategies to support your child at home and at school. It is also a good idea to have their hearing and vision tested to see if that may be the cause of any difficulties.
Ways to support your child
- Inform your child’s teacher and the Learning Support Coordinator of any diagnosis and/or strategies that have been recommended for your child. We are keen to work together with the family and health professional to help support your child.
- Celebrate your child’s strengths. This may be in other areas such as sport, music or drama. It could also be that your child is kind and encouraging to others or has an interest area, such as cooking.
- Praise your child for having a go at something they find difficult.
- Encourage your child to think about what support they think would be helpful. Eg: Do written, verbal or visual instructions help them the most? Ensure they know it’s ok to ask for help.
Remember that each child is different and all children develop at different paces. It is important to consider the age and stage of your child, as what may be appropriate for young children may be different for older students. This article has talked mostly about learning difficulties, however the same advice applies if you are concerned about your child’s attention/concentration and ability to focus on a task, or any other behaviour that may be affecting their learning.
If you have concerns about your child’s learning and think they may be having more difficulties than their peers, it is important to follow this up. Getting a clear picture of how your child is progressing, and in some cases receiving a diagnosis of a learning disorder, can help give a realistic sense of the challenges your child may be facing and help teachers and parents work together to find suitable adjustments to support your child.
Mrs Debbie Hall / Head of Senior School Learning Support
