Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities – it is a problems among

children related to disorders in understanding or
using spoken and/or written language.
Such disorders manifest in the inability to listen
well, process information readily, and inability to
talk, read, write, spell and even add numbers.

Learning disabilities are also referred to as

perceptual handicaps, brain injury, brain
dysfunction, developmental aphasia and
specific sensory motor dysfunction.
A disabled child is usually of normal
intelligence but does not meet the age-level
expectations.

At the preschool level, learning disabilities may

come in the form of problems related to pre-
academic skills, gross motor, fine motor, visual,
auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic perception, and
expressive language.
The learning disabilities could be symptoms of world-
wide problems. Today, such is called sensory
integration or sensory dysfunction.

Sensory integration is the process by which we

receive information through our senses, organize
this information, and use it to participate in
everyday activities.
The senses are: auditory, tactile, vestibulary (balance center in
the inner ear), proprioceptive (muscles, joints, and tendons),
and visual.

Tactile learning style/Kinesthetic learning

style (touching, feeling and moving)
Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise-based program to
improve balance and reduce dizziness-related problems. The
symptoms related to vertigo, dizziness, and light headedness.
Proprioceptive input can be alerting for those This learning style requires
who need increased sensory stimulation to that learners first see what they are
facilitate attention and learning. expected to know.
This definition provides identification of students qualified for
educational services depending on three conditions:

1. Normal intelligence. This refers to child’s performance at

above normal range using non-verbal measures which include
language concepts.

Ex. Children with learning disabilities can, and do, succeed

Perhaps you’re concerned that by calling attention to your
child’s learning problems they might be labeled “slow” or
assigned to a less challenging class but the important thing to
remember is that most kids with learning disabilities are just
as smart as everyone else.
2. Academic achievement deficit – Condition where child shows academic
achievement deficit in at least one subject, such as oral expression, listening,
comprehension, mathematical calculation, and spelling.
Further, a major discrepancy between expected achievement and ability is
considered. This should not be a result identified and generally accepted
handicapping conditions.

3. Absence of other handicapping conditions (exclusion criteria) – there

must be no manifestation of visual or hearing impairment, mental retardation,
severe cases of emotional disturbance, and cultural neglect.
 Learning disability is characterized by poor academic
performance, social and psychological problems, and delayed
physical development.

The different types of learning disabilities are:

1. Dyslexia – Difficulty with reading (learning disability that

affects a person’s ability)
(ex. To understand numbers and learn math facts like have
poor comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with
memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling,
time, or have trouble with counting.
2. Dysgraphia – writing (learning disability that affects a
person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills)
Ex. Problems may include illegible handwriting, inconsistent
spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and
difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing
at the same time.
3. Visual agnosia – sight (a disorder that affects the
understanding of information that a person sees, or the ability
to draw or copy)
Ex. Missing intelligent differences in shapes or printed
letters, struggles with cutting, holding pencil too tightly, or
poor eye/hand coordination.
4. Motor aphasia – speaking (language and communication learning
disabilities involve the ability to understand or produce spoken language)
Ex. Ability to retell a story and the fluency of speech, as well as the
ability to understand the meaning of words, parts of speech

5. Dysarthria – stuttering (ex. Swallowing problems)

6. Auditory Agnosia – Difficulty hearing differences between sounds
Ex. A child may hear a telephone ring or a dog bark, the child does not
recognize the specific nature of these sounds and experiences them simply as
noise.
7. Olfactory Agnosia – smelling (inability to recognize odors despite a normally
functioning)

8. Dyscalculia – Difficulty with math

Ex. Problems doing math problems, understanding time, using money
There are three general causes of learning disability:
1. Problematic pregnancies, occurring before, during, and
after delivery causing injury whether minimal or severe to
brain and brain dysfunction.

2. Biochemical imbalance caused by intake of food with

artificial food colorings and flavorings.

3. Environmental factors caused by emotional disturbance,

poor quality of instruction and lack of motivation.