LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Disorders: DYSGRAPHIA DYSLEXIA DYSCALCULIA

Dysgraphia It is a learning disability that affects handwriting and fine motor skills. It interferes with spelling, word spacing, and the general ability to put thoughts on paper. It makes the process of writing laboriously slow, with a product that is often impossible to read. When the act of forming letters requires so much effort that a child forgets what he wanted to say in the first place, it’s not surprising that children with dysgraphia often hate to write, and resist doing so.

Dysgraphia - symptoms Trouble forming letters or spacing words consistently Awkward or painful grip on a pencil Difficulty following a line or staying within margins Trouble with sentence structure or following rules of grammar when writing, but not when speaking Difficulty organizing or articulating thoughts on paper Pronounced difference between spoken and written understanding of a topic

Dysgraphia - solutions 1) Feel the letters. A child can close his eyes while you trace a letter on his palm and ask him to reproduce it on paper 2) Write big. Having kids write in ways that use large motor movements and multisensory materials 3) Dig into clay. 4) Practice pinching. A child can strengthen his fingers and improve his “pencil grip” using “pinching” tools found around the house. 5) Start cross-body training. Any activity that encourages coordinated movement on both sides of the body provides good reinforcement. 6) Build strength and stability. All activities that condition these areas can help. 7) Practice “organized” storytelling. E.g. at bedtime, ask a child to tell you about his day. 8) Speak it first. Encourage your child to record himself while he talks through his thoughts or the story he’d like to tell. He can then play the recording back when he sits down to write.   Based on: Peg Rosen

Dyslexia Dyslexia is a condition that makes it hard to learn to read and learn. It happens when there is a problem with the way the brain processes graphic symbols. In a person with dyslexia, the brain processes written material differently. This makes it hard to recognize, spell, and decode words. People with dyslexia have problems understanding what they read. Dyslexia is a neurological and often genetic condition, and not the result of poor teaching, instruction, or upbringing.

Dyslexia - symptoms Difficulty in learning to read Milestones reached later - Children with dyslexia may learn to crawl, walk, talk, and ride a bicycle later than the majority of others. Delayed speech development Slow at learning sets of data Coordination - The child may seem clumsier than their peers. Left and right - The child may confuse "left" and "right." Reversal - They may reverse numbers and letters without realizing. Spelling Speech problems Concentration problems Sequencing ideas - When a person with dyslexia expresses a sequence of ideas, they may seem illogical or unconnected. Autoimmune conditions - People with dyslexia are more likely to develop immunological problems

Dyslexia - solutions 1) Figure out how much time he/she needs to study. Talk to your child about how much time he thinks he needs to prepare for the test. Then work together to create a realistic study schedule. 2) Bring in visual elements. Adding a visual element to the study process can help. 3) Add images to flashcards. 4) Prepare for short-answer tests in advance. 5) Have the child read or play notes aloud. 6) Try software to help organize study notes. 7) Encourage him/her to join a study group. 8) Remind him/her to ask about the directions.   Based on: Kate Kelly

Dyscalculia It is a specific learning disability in math. Kids with dyscalculia may have difficulty understanding number-related concepts or using symbols or functions needed for success in mathematics. Some schools refer to it as a mathematics learning disability. Doctors sometimes call it a mathematics disorder. You may even hear kids and parents call it math dyslexia.

Dyscalculia – symptoms (1) Dyscalculia often looks different at different ages. Preschool: *Have troubles learning to count and skips over numbers *Struggles to recognize patterns, such as smallest to largest or tallest to shortest. *Has trouble recognizing number symbols (knowing that “7” means seven). *Doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of counting Grade School: *Has difficulty learning and recalling basic math facts, such as 2 + 4 = 6. *Struggles to identify +, ‒ and other signs, and to use them correctly. *May still use fingers to count instead of using more advanced strategies, *Struggles to understand words related to math, such as greater than and less than.

Dyscalculia – symptoms (2) Middle School: *Has trouble writing numerals clearly or putting them in the correct column. *Has trouble with fractions and with measuring things, like ingredients in a simple recipe. *Struggles to keep score in sports games. High School: *Struggles to apply math concepts to money, including estimating the total cost, making exact change and figuring out a tip. *Has a hard time grasping information shown on graphs or charts. *Has difficulty measuring things like ingredients in a simple recipe or liquids in a bottle. *Has trouble finding different approaches to the same math problem.

Dyscalculia - solutions 1) Visualizing With Beads or Cereal 2) Building With Colored Cubes and Tiles 3) Drawing Math Problems 4) Tapping Out Numbers 5) Making Musical Connections 6) Putting Movement Into Math 7) Bundling Sticks 8) Building With Base Ten Blocks 9) Creating a Hundreds Chart 10)Using Pizza Slices   Based on: Brendan R. Hodnett, M.A.T.

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