Understanding Learning Disabilities: A Guide for Parents
This month, we are focusing on learning disabilities. In my first post, we looked at some common misconceptions and things that are true about learning disabilities. In this post, we will focus on common learning disabilities, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia individually. For each learning disability, we will look at what it is, what it looks like, and some proven interventions.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is the most talked about learning disability. However, it is often misunderstood in popular culture. There are a few things that are important to understand about dyslexia. First, dyslexia is a language-based disability. Difficulty with reading is one symptom of dyslexia, but it is far from the only one.
Secondly, dyslexia is not caused by vision concerns. This means that vision or eye-based interventions such as eye therapy will not address dyslexia. However, they may be helpful for people with dyslexia who have co-occurring eye muscle or tracking concerns.
Dyslexia can look like:
Difficulting learning letters and letter/sound associations
Inability to sound out unfamiliar words
Struggling to learn to read despite interventions
Reading at a slow speed with frequent errors
Confusing or mixing up letters
Struggling with word recognition despite practice and reteaching
Difficulty with spelling despite practice
Struggling with other memorization tasks, such as remembering math facts
Taking an unusually long time to complete reading and writing tasks
Extreme difficulty learning another language in a classroom setting
Effective interventions for dyslexia
Focus on phonemic and phonological awareness (hearing and manipulating sounds)
Explicit reading instruction with a teacher trained in dyslexia AND using a curriculum like Orton-Gillingham
Accommodations such as having directions read aloud, extra time on tests, not being graded on spelling, or not being asked to read aloud to the whole class without warning
Assistive technology such as audiobooks, speech-to-text, spell-check, the ability to type assignments, or recorded lectures
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a learning disability involving writing. For people with dysgraphia, there is a discrepancy between what they know and what they can produce in writing. People with dysgraphia can communicate their thoughts orally but cannot effectively translate what they say or think to the written page.
Some people with dysgraphia also find it physically challenging to write, compounding the struggle to translate thoughts into writing.
Dysgraphia can look like:
Struggling to recall how letters are formed
Unsure when to use lower and uppercase letters (that does not improve as expected with practice)
Struggling with grammar and punctuation while writing
Ordering words incorrectly or omitting words while writing
When you talk to your child about something they will write, they give a great answer with lots of details. When you say, “Great! Write that!” they write one short sentence.
Teachers say your child participates in class but does not turn in written assignments
Your child tells you that they cannot write down their ideas
Seeming physically uncomfortable while writing
Having messy, choppy printing that does not improve as expected as they age
Struggling to write in a straight line
Difficulty holding and controlling writing instruments
Interventions and supports for dysgraphia
Instruction with a specialized writing curriculum like Step Up to Writing or Handwriting Without Tears
Additional instruction in phonics and writing with a teacher trained in dysgraphia
Occupational Therapy
Accommodations such as reducing copying tasks, additional time for written tasks, breaking writing assignments into steps, using lined paper or graph paper, and offering alternatives to written assignments such as an oral report
Assistive technology such as speech-to-text, spell check, or the ability to type assignments
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a math-related learning disability that can be described as math blindness. People with dyscalculia struggle to understand, file away, and use basic math concepts essential for completing math problems. Unfortunately, dyscalculia is the least researched and least understood of the learning disabilities. However, some experts believe that it is as common as dyslexia. Current research is starting to give more details about people's experiences with dyscalculia and effective interventions.
Dyscalculia might look like:
Counting each item, even for small numbers of items
Struggling to grasp concepts like biggest vs. smallest
Being unable to represent math problems with physical objects
Struggle to judge or estimate concepts like time, speed, or distance
Difficulty understanding that a numeral, number name, and group of objects all represent the same thing (6, six, and a pile of six objects)
Struggle to select the correct operation to use when doing math problems
Do not seem to get the logic behind math concepts despite repeated instruction
Struggling with the basics of place value after repeated instruction (for example, struggling to understand the difference between 1, 10, and 100)
Have a hard time interpreting visual representations like graphs and charts
Interventions and supports for dyscalculia
Explicit and repeated math instruction focused on building conceptual understanding around number and place value through manipulatives and concrete examples
Accommodations such as providing manipulatives, highlighting keywords in math problems, graph paper to keep work organized, extra time for math tasks, use of math fact charts, cue cards that outline the steps to complete a problem, or reduced number of math problems
Assistive technology, such as using a calculator (when computation is not what is being evaluated)
This sounds like my kid! What now?
If you suspect that your child might have a learning disability, the next step is to learn about your options for evaluation and support. This process can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone! Here are some resources to get you started:
My recent blog post, Should I Have My Child Evaluated?
My FREE webinar: Comparing IEP & 504 School-Based Support Plans
My course, Understand and Access Evaluation for Your Child, will guide you through the evaluation process from start to finish, including both school and medical model evaluations.
And, as always, if you are looking for support on a specific topic and can’t find it, let us know here. My team and I are always looking for more ways to support this community :)