Articles

What is Learning disability and how to handle it?

By Mr. Jijin R.S : Psychologist

The term Learning Disability (LD) is defined as “a mixed group of conditions manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and presumed to be due to Central Nervous System Dysfunction. Even though a learning disability may occur parallel with other handicapping conditions (e.g. sensory impairment, mental retardation, social and emotional disturbance) or environmental influences (e.g. cultural differences, insufficient/inappropriate instruction,) it is not the direct result of those conditions or influences." The term referred to a discrepancy between a child’s apparent capacity to learn and his or her level of achievement.

The most common learning disability of all students has deficits in reading; common indicators of reading disability include difficulty with phonemic awareness(dyslexia). Some children have impairments in handwriting, spelling, organization of ideas, and composition (dysgraphia). Many others have difficulty in memorizing math facts, organizing numbers and understanding how problems are organized on the page (dyscalculia). Some of the children are mixed with all these difficulties (reading, writing and numerical ability) and others are seen as variety of difficulty in motor skills (Dyspraxia).

The presence of a learning disability is sometimes suspected by a child's parents long before problems are seen at school. However, the issues typically become visible when a child begins having difficulty at school. Difficulty in reading is often one of the initial signs that a learning disability is present.

Learning disabilities are often identified by school psychologists, clinical psychologists and neurophysiologist through a combination of intelligence testing, academic achievement testing, classroom performance and social interaction and aptitude. Other areas of assessment may include perception, cognition, memory, attention, and language abilities. The resulting information is used to determine whether a child is achieving at his or her potential.

The former U S president Winston Churchill was a learning disabled person. His parents had labelled him as a fool. But, Churchill had good communication skills. His teacher realized and encouraged him to improve on it. Later he became a world famous orator.

Impact on society is an important one. Statistical and demographic studies show that society pays a high cost for untreated learning disabilities because of the disproportionate number of individuals with LD who receive welfare, who commit crimes, who go to juvenile courts, who are held in a juvenile detention facility and who go to prison.
“Children are like flowers if not protected will be destroyed”.