Different Types of Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia: a language and reading disability

• Reads slowly and painfully
• Experiences decoding errors, especially with the order of letters
• Shows wide disparity between listening comprehension and reading comprehension of some text
• Has trouble with spelling
• May have difficulty with handwriting
• Exhibits difficulty recalling known words
• Has difficulty with written language
• May experience difficulty with math computations
• Decoding real words is better than nonsense words
• Substitutes one small sight word for another: a, I, he, the, there, was


Dyscalculia: problems with arithmetic and math concepts

• Shows difficulty understanding concepts of place value, and quantity, number lines, positive and negative value, carrying and borrowing
• Has difficulty understanding and doing word problems
• Has difficulty sequencing information or events
• Exhibits difficulty using steps involved in math operations
• Shows difficulty understanding fractions
• Is challenged making change and handling money
• Displays difficulty recognizing patterns when adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing
• Has difficulty putting language to math processes
• Has difficulty understanding concepts related to time such as days, weeks, months, seasons, quarters, etc.
• Exhibits difficulty organizing problems on the page, keeping numbers lined up, following through on long division problems


Dysgraphia: writing or fine motor skills deficit

• May have illegible printing and cursive writing (despite appropriate time and attention given the task)
• Shows inconsistencies: mixtures of print and cursive, upper and lower case, or irregular sizes, shapes or slant of letters
• Has unfinished words or letters, omitted words
• Inconsistent spacing between words and letters
• Exhibits strange wrist, body or paper position
• Has difficulty pre-visualizing letter formation
• Copying or writing is slow or labored
• Shows poor spatial planning on paper
• Has cramped or unusual grip/may complain of sore hand
• Has great difficulty thinking and writing at the same time (taking notes, creative writing.)


Dyspraxia: problems with motor coordination

• Exhibits poor balance; may appear clumsy; may frequently stumble
• Shows difficulty with motor planning
• Demonstrates inability to coordinate both sides of the body
• Has poor hand-eye coordination
• Exhibits weakness in the ability to organize self and belongings
• Shows possible sensitivity to touch
• May be distressed by loud noises or constant noises like the ticking of a clock or someone tapping a pencil
• May break things or choose toys that do not require skilled manipulation
• Has difficulty with fine motor tasks such as coloring between the lines, putting puzzles together; cutting accurately or pasting neatly
• Irritated by scratchy, rough, tight or heavy clothing


Central Auditory Processing Disorder: difficulty processing and remembering language related tasks.

• Has difficulty processing and remembering language-related tasks but may have no trouble interpreting or recalling non-verbal environmental sounds, music, etc.
• May process thoughts and ideas slowly and have difficulty explaining them
• Misspells and mispronounces similar-sounding words or omits syllables; confuses similar-sounding words (celery/salary; belt/built; three/free; jab/job; bash/batch)
• May be confused by figurative language (metaphor, similes) or misunderstand puns and jokes; interprets words too literally
• Often is distracted by background sounds/noises
• Finds it difficult to stay focused on or remember a verbal presentation or lecture
• May misinterpret or have difficulty remembering oral directions; difficulty following directions in a series
• Has difficulty comprehending complex sentence structure or rapid speech
• “Ignores” people, especially if engrossed
• Says “What?” a lot, even when has heard much of what was said


Non Verbal LD: trouble with nonverbal cues

• Has trouble recognizing nonverbal cues such as facial expression or body language
• Shows poor psycho-motor coordination; clumsy; seems to be constantly “getting in the way,” bumping into people and objects
• Using fine motor skills a challenge: tying shoes, writing, using scissors
• Needs to verbally label everything that happens to comprehend circumstances, spatial orientation, directional concepts and coordination; often lost or tardy
• Has difficulty coping with changes in routing and transitions
• Has difficulty generalizing previously learned information
• Has difficulty following multi-step instructions
• Make very literal translations
• Asks too many questions, may be repetitive and inappropriately interrupt the flow of a lesson
• Imparts the “illusion of competence” because of the student’s strong verbal skills


Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit: Reverses letters; cannot copy accurately; eyes hurt and itch; loses place; struggles with cutting

• May have reversals: b for d, p for q or inversions: u for n, w for m
• Has difficulty negotiating around campus
• Complains eyes hurt and itch, rubs eyes, complains print blurs while reading
• Turns head when reading across page or holds paper at odd angles
• Closes one eye while working, may yawn while reading
• Cannot copy accurately
• Loses place frequently
• Does not recognize an object/word if only part of it is shown
• Holds pencil too tightly; often breaks pencil point/crayons
• Struggles to cut or paste
• Misaligns letters; may have messy papers, which can include letters colliding, irregular spacing, letters not on line


Language Disorders: Aphasia, Dysphasia or Global Aphasia: Trouble understanding spoken language; poor reading comprehension

• Has difficulty gaining meaning from spoken language
• Demonstrates poor written output
• Exhibits poor reading comprehension
• Shows difficulty expressing thoughts in verbal form
• Has difficulty labeling objects or recognizing labels
• Is often frustrated by having a lot to say and no way to say it
• Feels that words are “right on the tip of my tongue”
• Can describe an object and draw it, but can’t think of the word for it
• May be depressed or having feelings of sadness
• Has difficulty getting jokes

Symptons Commonly Related to LD

• poor performance on group tests
• difficulty discriminating size, shape, color
• difficulty with temporal (time) concepts
• distorted concept of body image
• reversals in writing and reading
• general awkwardness
• poor visual-motor coordination
• hyperactivity
• difficulty copying accurately from a model
• slowness in completing work
• poor organizational skills
• easily confused by instructions
• difficulty with abstract reasoning and/or problem solving
• disorganized thinking
• often obsesses on one topic or idea
• poor short-term or long-term memory
• impulsive behavior; lack of reflective thought prior to action
• low tolerance for frustration
• excessive movement during sleep
• poor peer relationships
• overly excitable during group play
• poor social judgment
• inappropriate, unselective, and often excessive display of affection
• lags in developmental milestones (e.g. motor, language)
• behavior often inappropriate for situation
• failure to see consequences for his actions
• overly gullible; easily led by peers
• excessive variation in mood and responsiveness
• poor adjustment to environmental changes
• overly distractible; difficulty concentrating
• difficulty making decisions
• lack of hand preference or mixed dominance
• difficulty with tasks requiring sequencing

Early Warning Signs of Learning Disabilities

Children with learning disabilities exhibit a wide range of symptoms. These include problems with reading, mathematics, comprehension, writing, spoken language, or reasoning abilities. Hyperactivity, inattention and perceptual coordination may also be associated with learning disabilities but are not learning disabilities themselves. The primary characteristic of a learning disability is a significant difference between a child's achievement in some areas and his or her overall intelligence.

Learning disabilities typically affect five general areas:

1. Spoken language: delays, disorders, and deviations in listening and speaking.
2. Written language: difficulties with reading, writing and spelling.
3. Arithmetic: difficulty in performing arithmetic operations or in understanding basic concepts.
4. Reasoning: difficulty in organizing and integrating thoughts.
5. Memory: difficulty in remembering information and instructions.

Causes of Learning Disabilities

Little is currently known about the causes of learning disabilities. However, some general observations can be made:

• Some children develop and mature at a slower rate than others in the same age group. As a result, they may not be able to do the expected school work. This kind of learning disability is called "maturational lag."
• Some children with normal vision and hearing may misinterpret everyday sights and sounds because of some unexplained disorder of the nervous system.
• Injuries before birth or in early childhood probably account for some later learning problems.
• Children born prematurely and children who had medical problems soon after birth sometimes have learning disabilities.
• Learning disabilities tend to run in families, so some learning disabilities may be inherited.
Learning disabilities are more common in boys than girls, possibly because boys tend to mature more slowly.
• Some learning disabilities appear to be linked to the irregular spelling, pronunciation, and structure of the English language. The incidence of learning disabilities is lower in Spanish or Italian speaking countries.