Disorders

DOES MY CHILD HAVE A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY (SLD)?


A specific learning disorder is a biologically based, neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a person's ability to take in, process, and/or communicate information (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The brain's ability to discern and process information accurately is non-typical. It results in difficulties in learning foundational academic skills, such as reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension, and spelling and written expression. As a result of deficits in foundational academic skills, difficulties arise in learning more complex subjects and cause the student's academic achievement to lag behind what is expected for his and her age and intellectual ability.

However, lagging academic achievement that results from visual or auditory problems or inadequate or inappropriate academic instruction is not indicative of specific learning disorder.

6Specific Learning Disorder DSM-5 315 (ICD-10-CM Multiple .... https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/specific-learning-disorder-dsm--5-315-(icd--10--cm-multiple-codes)

ADD and ADHD:

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are neurological disorders. Both ADD and ADHD are integrated into the medical diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD is the developmental impairment of the brain's executive functions. It is more challenging to diagnose in girls. The findings from clinical research, neuroscience, and brain imaging prove that ADHD is not a behavior disorder; it is a specific learning disability or indicates mental illness; it is a developmental weakening of the brain's executive function system.

Additude.org has a screening test https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-symptoms-test-children/ for parents. From Attidude.com. Medically reviewed by Sharon Saline, Psy.D. 10/02/2019. Test for Diagnosing ADD in Children.

Only a licensed clinician can diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. If you think that your child is displaying ADHD symptoms, take the above self-test, and share the results with your child's doctor when requesting a thorough evaluation.

Typical symptoms of ADD are inattention, poor working memory, and distractibility. ADHD includes added symptoms of impulsivity and hyperactivity. It is a common childhood disorder affecting one in ten children, and symptoms vary for each child.

Children with ADHD may struggle to sit still, follow directions, and complete tasks, inability to focus, organize, often forget home or school obligations, do not think before they act or consider consequences, and have difficulty making and keeping friends. ADHD is often linked to other medical conditions, such as depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and learning disabilities. Children with ADHD particularly prone to dropping out of school.

Locate a doctor who is skilled at diagnosing and treating ADHD. You must have a medical diagnosis for your child to qualify for an Individual Education Plan, commonly known as an IEP.

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Five students sitting in chairs calmly and one student misbehaving
Sad student writing in a notebook with her head on the table

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a processing disorder affecting a child’s ability to write. Symptoms of dysgraphia include difficulty communicating ideas on paper, poor spelling, and limited handwriting skills. Writing involves multiple motor and processing skills.

Children who have a disorder in written expression require explicit accommodations in the classroom and supplemental time to practice the skills needed.

Dysgraphia is often linked to ADHD, as both are neurological processing disorders. Dysgraphia requires a diagnosis by a physician or licensed psychologist who specializes in assessing and diagnosing learning disabilities. You must have a diagnosis for your child to qualify for an Individual Education Plan, commonly known as an IEP. An educational therapist, occupational therapist, school psychologist, or a learning specialist is often involved. Dysgraphia is a processing disorder affecting a child’s ability to write. Symptoms of dysgraphia include difficulty communicating ideas on paper, poor spelling, and limited handwriting skills. Writing involves multiple motor and processing skills.

Children who have a disorder in written expression require explicit accommodations in the classroom and supplemental time to practice the skills needed.

Signs of dysgraphia include
• Tight, awkward, tight pencil grip and body position
• Illegible handwriting
• Avoids writing or drawing tasks
• Quickly becomes tired while writing
• Says words out loud while writing
• Unfinished or omitted words in sentences
• Difficulty organizing thoughts on paper
• Problem with syntax structure and grammar
• A considerable gap between written ideas and understanding expressed through speech.

Provided by the "National Center for Learning Disabilities."
http://www.ldonline.org/article/12770/#:~:text=Dysgraphia%20is%20a%20learning%20disability,has%20dysgraphia%20is%20not%20sufficient.

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Sensory Processing Disorder

Sensory processing issues in children often emerge while the child is a toddler, when parents observe that their child has hypersensitive reactions to light, noise, being hugged. They may also notice ungainliness as their child crashes into things.

Sensory processing problems are now considered a symptom of autism because the majority of children and adults on the autism spectrum also have significant sensory issues. However, many children with sensory issues are not on the spectrum. They can also be found in those with ADHD, OCD and other developmental delays — or with no other diagnosis at all.

Common symptoms of sensory processing issues may include:

  • hyperactivity
  • frequently putting things in their mouth
  • resisting hugs

Unfortunately, not a great deal is known about sensory issues or why some children experience them but not others.

Sensory issues have previously been called a sensory processing disorder. The disorder, however, isn’t officially recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Parents of children with these issues often call it Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD. Psychiatrists, however, are quick to note that SPD is not a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. However, despite not being an official disorder, some research has shed light on which kids are more likely to develop sensory issues and why.

Beyond the possible connection in genes, sensory issues may also occur more frequently in children who were born prematurely or ones who experienced birth complications. Possible abnormal brain activity could change how the brain responds to senses and stimuli.

Sensory processing disorder may affect one sense, like hearing, touch, or taste. Or it may affect multiple senses. And people can be over- or under-responsive to the things they have difficulties with. Like many illnesses, the symptoms of sensory processing disorder exist on a spectrum.

In some children, for example, the sound of a leaf blower outside the window may cause them to vomit or dive under the table. They may scream when touched. They may recoil from the textures of certain foods.

But others seem unresponsive to anything around them. They may fail to respond to extreme heat or cold or even pain.

Many children with sensory processing disorder start out as fussy babies who become anxious as they grow older. These kids often don't handle change well. They may frequently throw tantrums or have meltdowns.

Many children have symptoms like these from time to time. But therapists consider a diagnosis of sensory processing disorder when the symptoms become severe enough to affect normal functioning and disrupt everyday life.

Causes of Sensory Processing Disorder
The exact cause of sensory processing problems has not been identified. But a 2006 study of twins found that hypersensitivity to light and sound may have a strong genetic component.

Other experiments have shown that children with sensory processing problems have abnormal brain activity when they are simultaneously exposed to light and sound.

Still other experiments have shown that children with sensory processing problems will continue to respond strongly to a stroke on the hand or a loud sound, while other children quickly get used to the sensations.

Treatment for Sensory Processing Disorder
Many families with an affected child find that it is hard to get help. That's because sensory processing disorder isn't a recognized medical diagnosis at this time. Despite the lack of widely accepted diagnostic criteria, occupational therapists commonly see and treat children and adults with sensory processing problems.

Visual and Auditory Processing
Visual and auditory processing are the processes of recognizing and interpreting information taken in through the senses of sight and sound. The terms, "visual and auditory processing" and "visual and auditory perception", are often used interchangeably. Although there are many types of perception, the two most common areas of difficulty involved with a learning disability are visual and auditory perception.

Trouble Understanding Speech
Kids with APD are thought to hear normally because they can usually hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). The problem is that they usually don't recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard.

These kinds of problems usually happen when there is background noise, which is often the case in social situations. So, kids with APD can have trouble understanding what is being said to them when they're in noisy places like a playground, sports events, the school cafeteria, and parties.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?
Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, ask yourself:

  • Is my child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
  • Are noisy environments upsetting to my child?
  • Does my child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?
  • Does my child have trouble following directions, whether simple or complicated?
  • Does my child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?
  • Are verbal (word) math problems hard for my child?
  • Is my child disorganized and forgetful?
  • Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

APD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms can happen with other problems, like learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and even depression.

What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?
Often, the cause of a child's APD isn't known. Evidence suggests that head trauma, lead poisoning, and chronic ear infections could play a role. Sometimes, there can be more than one cause.

How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?
If you think your child is having trouble hearing or understanding when people talk, have an audiologist (hearing specialist) examine your child. Only audiologists can diagnose auditory processing disorder.

Visual Processing Disorder
Visual processing disorder can cause issues with the way the brain processes visual information. There are many different types of processing disorder and many different symptoms, which can include trouble drawing or copying, inability to detect differences in shapes or letters, and letter reversals. Visual processing disorders (VPDs) affect many students diagnosed with language-based learning disabilities. There are eight different types of visual processing difficulties, each with its own symptoms. An individual can have more than one type of visual processing difficulty.

  1. Visual Discrimination Issues:
    Trouble seeing the difference between similar letters, shapes, or objects
  2. Visual Figure-Ground Discrimination Issues:
    Struggle to distinguish a shape or letter from its background.
  3. Visual Sequencing Issues:
    Find it difficult to see shapes, letters, or words in the correct order; may skip lines or read the same line over and over.
  4. Visual-Motor Processing Issues:
    Trouble using what they see to coordinate with the way they move; may struggle to write within lines or bump into objects while walking.
  5. Long- or Short-Term Visual Memory Issues:
    Struggle to remember shapes, symbols, or objects they’ve seen, causing issues with reading and spelling.
  6. Visual-Spatial Issues:
    Trouble understanding where objects are in space; unsure how close objects are to one another.
  7. Visual Closure Issues:
    Difficulty identifying an object when only parts of it are showing.
  8. Letter and Symbol Reversal Issues:
    Switch numbers or letters when writing, or may mistake “b” for “d” or “w” for “m”

Poor vision and visual processing disorder are different issues that require different interventions, so it’s important to rule out any vision or eye issues by having your child’s sight checked by a pediatrician or ophthalmologist. If vision proves not to be an issue, talk to your child’s school about getting his or her visual comprehension skills measured.

https://www.webmd.com/children/sensory-processing-disorder#1

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Right Brain Tutor, LLC
Right Brain Tutor, LLC