What is a Learning Disability?
A learning disability is a severe problem in acquiring or using basic academic
skills. These skills are important for reading, math, writing, listening, speaking
or thinking. The problem cannot be mostly due to something else, such as attention,
motivation, hearing or vision problems.
How Common are Learning Disabilities?
About 5 of every 100 Arkansas students have been found to have a learning disability.
More students have learning disabilities than any of the other types of educational
disabilities (such as language disorder, mental retardation, hearing impairment
and autism).
What is the Most Common Learning Disability?
Most students with learning disabilities have reading disabilities. Most students
with learning disabilities have problems in more than one area. For example,
students with reading disabilities often have problems with writing.
What to Do When a Child is Having Difficulty
in School
Not every learning and developmental problem is necessarily a learning disability.
Many children are simply slower in developing certain skills. Because children
develop at different speeds and levels, sometimes what seems to be a learning
disability is actually a delay in maturation.
Parents and professionals should openly discuss their concerns. Clarification
and additional information should be sought from school personnel as well as
others who are in regular contact with the child. Steps should be taken to accommodate
the student in situations where they learn best. If a student’s difficulties
do not improve, a comprehensive educational evaluation should be arranged by
the student’s parents or guardian. Evaluations are meant to help identify
areas of relative strength and weakness, and to help determine whether the student
is eligible for specialized assistance in school.
Warning Signs and Symptoms
The primary characteristic of a learning disability is a severe discrepancy
between IQ and achievement. While there are no single indicators of learning
disabilities, there are some common warning signs of a learning disability.
The following list can be helpful in determining whether a child has a learning
disability and may lead to seeking further assessment. Just because a child
demonstrates any of the following traits does not mean the child has a learning
disability. Unless a child develops several warning signs consistently and the
problems persist over time, there probably is no need for concern.
Preschool age:
Speaks later than most children
Pronunciation problems
Extremely restless and easily distracted
Difficulty following instructions
Trouble interacting and playing with peers
Slow vocabulary growth, inability to find the right word
Elementary and middle school age:
Slow to learn connection between letters and sounds
Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d),
inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt/left) and substitutions (house/home).
Slow to remember facts and learn new skills
Trouble learning about time and arithmetic
High School age:
Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently
in a single piece of writing
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences James L. Dennis Developmental Center:
The Dennis Developmental Center, located adjacent to the ACH campus is an evaluation,
referral and treatment clinic which provides quality developmental services
for children from birth through school-age, 501-364-1830, http://www.uams.edu/pediatrics/clinical_services/outpatient.asp
