Getting to Grips with Learning Difficulties

Getting to Grips with Learning Difficulties

What is a learning disability? As the name suggests, a person with a learning difficulty has trouble taking in information and learning. So what does this really mean in practice? Research and experience has shown that people with learning disabilities often struggle in a few core areas and learning processes which we need in order to learn efficiently.

Below is a list of skills and behaviours that may indicate inefficient learning and which can impact on children's learning experiences.

GROSS MOTOR.

Children who have poor gross motor skills may: ·         Trip over a lot, appear “accident prone”, frequently bumping into things, ·         Have no sense of danger or not scared of heights, be impulsive, Appear floppy and awkward when performing movement activities, Have poor balance, Have difficulty learning new motor tasks (often dislikes outdoor activities)

FINE MOTOR. Children with poor fine motor skills may: Have an immature pencil grip and drawing skills, Dislike eye-hand coordination tasks, Have poor, messy handwriting, and write slowly, Have difficulty using scissors, Perform poorly at fine manipulative tasks, Have difficulty mastering new fine motor tasks, Tire easily when performing fine motor tasks, particularly pencil skills

VISUAL PERCEPTION. (This is our brain's ability to interpret what we see.)

Children with visual perception difficulties may: Reverse letters e.g. b/d in writing tasks Lack concentration with visual tasks Have difficulty copying from blackboard Be poor readers and / or spellers Have difficulty with puzzles and block designs Have difficulty finding their place on page, or on the blackboard Have poor visual memory

READING AND WRITING.

Children who have difficulties in these areas may: ·         Find difficulty in reading and / or poor concentration ·         Find it difficult to formulate and organise ideas to write them down ·         Have messy handwriting ·         Be able to explain ideas verbally, but struggle in being able to write ideas down.

BEHAVIOURAL.

Children with behavioural problems may Have poor self esteem Lack the ability to concentrate Not mix well with peers. May prefer                                                                                                      playing with younger children Show immature social behaviour Be either aggressive / shy and timid/                                                                                                     disruptive at school
ORGANISATION. Children who lack organisational skills may: Be generally disorganised, Struggle to get themselves ready on time, Have difficulty getting things organized at school e.g. getting out pencils, paper, glue and the right book for a classroom activity.
CONCENTRATION AND ATTENTION. Children who lack these skills may ·         Have a short attention span ·         Tend to be impulsive and not think things through ·         Struggle to concentrate in class and easily become distracted ·         Struggle to listen to instructions and follow them through ·         Have difficulty completing daily routines e.g. starting and finishing getting dressed.
SELF-CARE. Children who find it difficult to look after their own needs may Have difficulties dressing themselves Struggle with using utensils to feed themselves (i.e. knife and fork) Be messy eaters Depend on others to assist with self-care tasks at an age older than normal Be slow to perform all self-care tasks
AUDITORY. Children with hearing sensitivities may Struggle to concentrate on the task at hand when there is other noise Be oversensitive to loud sounds e.g. vacuum cleaner, TV too loud Be bothered by sounds unnoticed by others e.g. fan or air conditioner. Generally children are deemed to have a learning difficulty if they struggle in a number of the above areas. If you suspect a child you know has a learning difficulty, a comprehensive assessment by professionals will give you a good idea of the best way to assist the child’s learning.