Each child is sweet and adorable. No wonder they are passionately loved and cared for. But life may not constantly go the way we want it. And unfortunately there are children with learning disabilities.
This is a neurological condition and it stops a child from processing, receiving and sending information. Because the brain is affected. However it is not a sign of any kind of mental or physical handicap.
A qualified Speech Pathologist can effectively intervene here and treat the child through speech and language therapy.
▪ Reasons of learning disabilities
The following elements may cause learning disabilities. But this list may not be precise since no particular reason is found yet.
- Stress
You may wonder what kind of stress our children have. In fact, an injury or disease may cause stress.
- Unhealthy atmosphere
Exposure to chemicals and other toxins.
- Negligence
Sadly, carelessness of parents causes learning disabilities at times. For instance, alcohol or drug consumption by mother during her pregnancy.
▪ How to recognise
This difficulty can be managed to a large extent with the help of speech and language therapy. Definitely it takes patience and constant guidance by a speech pathologist.
However it’s important to find whether the child has this disorder, ideally at the initial stage.
There are tests to analyse the condition. Before that there may be noticeable symptoms. For example, during physical growth or development if there is a delay in gaining the skills which are expected to develop at certain stages, it can be a symptom of learning disability.
Following are a few of the symptoms. And they are classified based on the age of the child.
▪ During preschool the child faces the following learning and behavioural difficulties. Please note this is not a complete list.
- Inability to utter even simple words
- Lack of focus
- Difficulty to recognise letters
- Disobedience
▪ At primary school level
- Difficulty to identify characters or letters
- Find it hard to comprehend letters and sounds
- Trouble in learning new skills
- Inability to recollect facts
▪ At middle school child shows
- Hesitance to read aloud or take up new tasks including assignments. 2. Difficulty to recognise similar sounding words
- Children with learning disabilities overreact sometimes.
▪ High school
- The child doesn’t seem adaptable to new environments
- Difficulty to comprehend word spellings
- Short attention span
▪ Who and how to intervene
Naturally teachers and parents will be noticing the child’s learning difficulties initially. Subsequently the intervention of a speech pathologist happens followed by speech and language therapy.
As we know, all truths are not pleasant. The fact is, learning disabilities can’t be completely cured. But the interventions mentioned above can bring significant positive changes. Eventually the child becomes academically successful.
▪ How to begin the treatment
To address the problem, the first step is to approach a professional with the required expertise in speech and language therapy. He or she can guide the child and teach techniques to enhance the study skills.
▪ Personal attention
It’s ideal to approach a speech pathologist or an organization which focuses on the development of children with learning disabilities. Because they provide individual care.
Anyway, the kind of treatment required will be decided based on the nature of disability. The components of treatment may include music, dance and other art forms.
In an organization a team of specialists develops a schedule, then designs and sets specific goals to be achieved. Obviously the improvement of the child is assessed in regular intervals.
Normally qualified professionals with experience form such teams. They are capable to make the process a soothing experience for the child and parents as well.
Duration of the therapy or treatment depends on the intensity of the disability. So, as stated in the beginning of this article, patience is the key factor.
