Dr Priyanka Parikh
Appointment/Online Video Consultation : (+91) 98696 65615
I have worked as a Consultant at the Learning Disability Clinic at Sion Hospital, the first clinic for the certification of learning disability in Maharashtra. With a vast referral from the Mumbai as well as Maharashtra state, I got valuable experience in the neurological assessment of children with Learning Disability and have been a part of the team involved in their certification.
Learning Disability Overview
What is Learning Disability?
A Learning Disability is a developmental condition that interferes with an individual’s ability to learn, store, process, or produce information. This can cause difficulties in one or more areas such as reading, spelling, writing and math. It is estimated that about 1 in 10 children have some form of a learning disability; in spite of having normal or even above average intelligence. This affects school performance and the academic achievement is much lower than expected.
Learning disabilities are often called specific learning disabilities or specific learning disorder. This is a broad “umbrella” term and the difficulties fall into three broad categories.
- Impairment in reading (often referred to as Dyslexia)
- Impairment in written expression (often referred to as Dysgraphia)
- Impairment in Mathematics (often referred to as Dyscalculia)
What are the signs for Learning Disabilities to look for in children?
If your child has a learning disability, your child might:
- dislike reading and/or find reading hard
- have lots of trouble spelling common words
- find it hard to spot the sounds and syllables in words
- tell you lots of interesting ideas but find writing them down slow and difficult
- have very messy handwriting
- confuse mathematical signs
- have difficulty doing word problems
- find it hard to understand what he/she has read
- not feel very confident about schoolwork
Learning Disabilities - Signs to Look for children in Preschool age group
- Delays in learning to speak
- Difficulty recognizing alphabet letters
- Difficulty with sounds of letters
- Often unable to find the right word
- Mispronounces words
- Trouble with rhyming words
- Difficulty following directions
- Confuses left and right
- Delays in fine motor skills
Learning Disabilities - Signs to Look out for children in standard 1-4 (Primary School)
- Difficulty reading single words
- Slow speed of reading
- Difficulty copying from board or books
- Poor spelling abilities
- Letter and word reversals or mirror imaging (b/d, m/w, was/saw), substitutes similar looking words (beard/bread, horse/house)
- Reversal of numbers, confuses arithmetic signs (+, -, x, /, =)
- Slow to remember facts and learn new skills
- Grasps pencil awkwardly
- Has trouble with buttons, tying shoe laces, poor coordination
- Trouble learning about time
- Restless and easily distracted
Learning Disabilities - Signs to look out for children in Middle and Secondary School - Standard 5 to 10
- Trouble with comprehension of reading passages
- Avoids reading and writing assignments
- Trouble with word problems and other math skills
- Messy handwriting
- Frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing
- Trouble summarizing
- Difficulty understanding abstract concepts
- Weak memory skills
When should a child get evaluated for Learning Disability/How do you diagnose your child for learning disability
If you’re worried that your child is having trouble at school and might have a learning disability, you can seek a detailed evaluation by a Developmental Pediatrician
All the research in the field emphasizes that if these children are identified early and given the right kind of help and support, it gives them a good chance to learn the skills for academic success and lead a productive life. This also helps with or avoids many of the behavioural problems that arise secondary to learning difficulties like feelings of sadness, anxiety and lack of confidence.
