Overcome the inability to learn
RADHIKA SOUNDAR
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Learning disability is a neurological disorder, but early intervention can help a great deal.
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IDENTIFY: Take remedial measures. Photo: Reuters
"Raja is not interested in writing. His handwriting is very untidy. He can answer all the questions well, orally."
"Shailaja cannot read even simple words. But when I read aloud she understands."
"Kevin misses the steps when doing Math. He understands the basic operations, but gets confused with the place orders."
Parents and teachers are often perplexed with this kind of behaviour. The children are labelled lazy, attention seeking, or even arrogant. But what is unknown is the confusion and conflict in the mind of the child. The child is frustrated as he/she is not able to perform although he/she wants to.
However, very soon the child begins to think he is lazy and uncaring. And begins to attract negative attention sometimes even resorting to aggression.
Many intelligent children are unable to honour their academic commitments. This is an extremely frustrating experience for parents, teachers and the children themselves..
This dichotomy between capability and its expression can be explained as a Learning disability.
What is it?
A learning disability (LD) is a neurological disorder wherein the brain's ability to receive, process, store and respond to information is affected. The child struggles to keep up with people of the same age in learning and acquiring basic academic skills as well as regular functioning.
Learning disabilities are real. Learning disabilities can affect a person's ability in the areas of: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Spelling, Writing, Mathematics and Socio-emotional skills and behaviour. These difficulties can occur either in isolation or in a cluster.
Learning Disability may be due to: Heredity - it is not uncommon to find LD running in families; Problems during pregnancy and birth — illness or injury during or before birth, drug and alcohol use during pregnancy, low birth weight, lack of oxygen and premature or prolonged labour; Incidents after birth — head injuries, nutritional deprivation and exposure to toxic substances (i.e. lead)
Learning disabilities are life long, but they don't have to stop a person from achieving goals. Help is available.
LD is not a disease, so there is no cure but there are ways to overcome the challenges it poses.
Early identification is crucial. One should observe the child's language development, motor coordination and social skills. Remember even pre-schoolers can show signs of risk for LD. Early intervention with specialised teaching strategies, support from parents and co-operation of teachers can help.
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