Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and disgraphia – These words are important if you are a parent. If you look closely at your child or the environment he studies in, you would be shocked to see how common these disorders are. The four disorders named above are known as learning disabilities and they might be the reason your child is facing difficulty in studying properly and scoring well.
Learning disabilities often go unnoticed as the problems that a child faces during his studies are blamed on them. They are labelled as lazy or scolded for “running away from books”.
The confidence and self-esteem in these kids is often really low as they are looked down upon not just by their well scoring classmates but also scolded or disciplined by their teachers and parents.
Learning disabilities in Children
Dr Amit Gupta, senior consultant paediatrician & neonatologist, Motherhood Hospital, Noida talked about learning disabilities with Hindustan Times and said that a lot of children are suffering from undiagnosed learning disorders that parents ignore, and this affects the child’s motivation and self-esteem. He further explained, “A learning disorder is a difference that occurs in processing any information that prevents a child from learning a skill and making a use of it. Some common learning disorders affect the ability in reading, verbal and non-verbal skills, writing and grasping skills.”
Dr Gupta said that there might be multiple causes of learning disorders such as pre and neonatal risks, physical or psychological trauma, genetic history, or exposure to toxins. He added that while learning disorders are not curable, children with such disabilities can still perform well in school with the help of “timely intervention, support and love”.
Some tips that Dr. Gupta suggested were to take help of a reading specialist (can help the child by teaching new reading techniques), occupational therapies and support groups/special educators.
