Everything You Need to Know About Learning Disabilities: Expert Advice

Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dysgraphia can impact children's academic performance. In this article, expert Dr Alexandra Smith offers advice on recognising the signs and taking steps to support your children effectively.

What are the most common learning disabilities in children, and how do they manifest?

The most common learning disabilities in students include dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dysorthography. These disabilities manifest as difficulties in reading (specifically in reading technique, comprehension of the text, and independent work with the text), reduced handwriting legibility, and a high rate of errors in written expressions. In some cases, these learning disabilities are accompanied by dyscalculia, which involves difficulties in mathematics.

Increasingly prominent are deficits in specific functions related to phonemic awareness, visual perception, spatial orientation, intermodal coding, seriality, and higher cognitive processes (memory, thinking).

How can parents recognise that their child may have a learning disorder?  

Since developmental learning disorders are hereditary, families with a history of learning difficulties (or where they have been diagnosed) are at higher risk. It is also imperative to consider the child's medical history (pregnancy, birth, or any complications after birth that could affect the development of the central nervous system).

Observing the child’s overall psychomotor development is essential—when and how they start sitting, whether they crawl, and how their gross and fine motor skills develop. Does the child show interest in activities like scootering, cycling, climbing on playgrounds, and skating, and how well do they perform? What is their attitude toward drawing, colouring, cutting, and glueing? Can they solve puzzles or build with Lego or other construction sets? Do they differentiate between the right and left sides of their body on a surface, and how well can they orient themselves in their environment?

Great attention should also be paid to the child's speech and communication skills: when do they start saying their first words and forming simple sentences? How are their pronunciation, vocabulary, ability to express themselves, and language understanding?

A significant indicator of potential future learning difficulties can be the child’s motivation for school-related activities:  

• Do they look at books, show interest in letters and numbers, ask questions about unknown things, think about them, want to understand, and discuss them?  
• How long can they concentrate on a particular activity (do they constantly interrupt or switch between activities)?  
• What are their willpower and character traits like (do they finish what they start, seek solutions to problems, ask for help, and accept it)?

What are the first steps parents should take if they suspect a learning disorder in their child?  

The quickest and most accessible solution for parents is to talk with the class teacher. The teacher can connect them with the school's support team (if available), and the parent can communicate about their child's learning difficulties with the school psychologist and special education teacher. 

In some cases, parents may be advised to have their child undergo additional specialised evaluations, such as speech therapy, neurological, child psychiatric, eye, or ENT examinations, among others.

Are there specific games or activities you recommend for supporting learning in children with these disorders?  

For children with learning disorders, it is very beneficial to include games and activities focused on:  

- Phonemic awareness training: syllabication of words, counting syllables in a word, isolating syllables in a word, identifying short and long syllables, finding the first and last sound, breaking down and constructing words from sounds, creating rhymes.

- Visual perception: finding differences between images, comparing pictures, finding overlapping images, completing incomplete pictures, and solving puzzles.

- Speech: talking about a picture, creating stories, answering questions, using tongue twisters, looking at and reading books with the child, and developing linguistic sense (practising correct declension, verb conjugation, and comparison of words).

- Memory: various Kim's games, memory card games, learning poems, repeating verbal instructions, performing three or more actions based on verbal instructions.

- Attention: sorting objects, comparing patterns, various drawing completion tasks, crossing out, searching for items, and listening to stories.

Are there any recommendations for specific methods or approaches that have worked well with children with learning disorders?

Regarding reading, it’s beneficial to apply joint reading (an adult reads simultaneously with the child) and alternating reading (the adult and child alternate reading words or sentences). If there is a large amount of text to read, it is helpful to have the adult read the text aloud (the child listens while following along with their eyes) and allow extra time for working with the text. For older children, the text can be recorded on a voice recorder, allowing the child to learn through listening (playing, stopping, and rewinding the recording as needed).

For writing difficulties, various relaxation and fine motor skill exercises are helpful, along with specially designed writing tools (grips, triangular writing utensils) and notebooks with extra guidelines (or line rulers). Children can also learn to use a practical writing script like Comenia Script, write in print, or, for older students, use a laptop for writing.

For issues with applying grammar rules, using visual dictations, fill-in-the-blank exercises, and working with compensatory aids (grammar charts, dictionaries) can be helpful. More focus should be placed on theoretical knowledge, allowing the child to answer orally, and written work should be graded mainly based on content.

In mathematics, it's helpful to work more with visual aids and imagination, focus on understanding mathematical concepts (e.g., more/less, before/after, times more) and symbols (numbers, mathematical signs, inequality signs), and develop logical thinking.

What educational toys are best for children with learning and attention disorders?

Various publishers, associations, private counselling centres, and individual experts specialise in working with children with learning disorders. Thanks to their efforts, various educational tools and materials designed for children with special educational needs are now available on the market.

One great example of versatile play for children with learning challenges is magnetic tile sets like COLORMAG. They can enhance spatial awareness, attention, and creativity and are fun for both individual and group play. They also encourage problem-solving and imaginative construction activities.

How can play and fun contribute to children's education and improve their school performance?

Play and fun are ideal ways to educate children, especially those with learning difficulties. These children often struggle with the learning process due to various challenges that hinder their progress. As a result, they may develop a negative attitude toward learning and intellectual activities. They frequently experience failure, face criticism and ridicule, and are compared to other children, leading to frustration when they are unable to meet the expectations of others.

Playful activities, however, can shift their focus away from these problems, motivate them to engage, and allow them to learn in ways that are comfortable and paced appropriately for them. These activities can be designed to have achievable goals, providing the children with opportunities to succeed, earn praise, and receive positive reinforcement for their efforts.

Is there anything you would like to tell parents who are concerned about the future of their children with learning disorders?

Today, we have access to a wealth of information (through scientific literature, media, and social networks) about the causes and symptoms of learning disorders. Numerous diagnostic tests for early detection and accurate diagnosis are available, as are programs aimed at addressing specific deficits and proven methods to reduce the impact of learning difficulties.

Legislation also covers the education of students with learning disorders, ensuring that their special educational needs are considered during primary and secondary school. Moreover, if students with learning disorders have good academic potential, are motivated, and persevere, they can pursue higher education just like their peers without such challenges.

Therefore, parents should quickly seek early collaboration with teachers, school specialists, or professionals from educational counselling centres. They can also seek support from experts outside the education sector, such as speech therapists, neurologists, or child psychiatrists.

Understanding the causes and symptoms of learning disorders, setting appropriate support measures based on the child’s special educational needs, and providing timely professional care and advice to everyone involved (parents, child, teacher) can help develop the child’s strengths. It, in turn, supports their self-confidence, prevents the development of possible psychosomatic issues (such as headaches, stomach pain, vomiting, or weakened immunity), emotional problems (such as feelings of helplessness, despair, anxiety, or depression), and enhances their ability to socialise, form friendships, integrate into a group, and gain a sense of belonging in society.