If a child is struggling in school, when do you know it’s time for intervention? Parents of children with social, academic or behavioral issues may wonder whether their issues are part of typical childhood development or if they are due to something more serious like dyslexia or other type of learning disorder. While the signs of a learning disorder vary from person to person, knowing common indicators of a learning disability will help determine if intervention is necessary. If these issues persist over time, it may be time to seek outside help for your child from a professional.
Common Indicators of a Learning Disorder
- Lacks motivation especially with regard to school and homework but not for things they enjoy
- Appears to be prepared for test, yet tests poorly
- Needs to hear or see concepts many times in order to learn them
- Has difficulty pronouncing words (poor with phonics)
- Continues to reverse letters and numbers after two years of handwriting instruction
- Has trouble with tasks that require hand-eye coordination (coloring, puzzles, cutting)
- Short attention span and poor memory
Visit “Signs and Symptoms of a Learning Disorder” to learn more about learning disorders, as well as information about the specific types of learning disorders like dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Children With Learning Disorders
The list above is a great way to initially identify a problem, but how does this translate to the daily life of an affected child?
“…moody, socially withdrawn, and having poor self-esteem. …constantly complained about having to go to school and doing homework.…couldn’t read and just didn’t understand math.”
“….experienced academic difficulties in areas such as word reading, spelling, writing and oral expression. ….clearly below grade level in these areas. … not motivated, depressed and found it difficult to pay attention.”
“…easily distracted, had low self-esteem regarding reading and suffered from lack of self-image”
“…often angry due to his constant struggle with reading and keeping up with his peers.”
"…was an extremely slow reader. It was very frustrating for him to read even a short paragraph. Needless to say he would never read for pleasure and it was a fight every time he had to read for school or do homework.“
“…watching him try to read was painful. He would usually give up and cry.”
“…failing almost all of his weekly spelling tests mostly because of a poor foundation in phonics.”
Does any of the above sound familiar? Then it may be time for intervention.
Intervention for Learning Disorders
Getting a diagnosis for your child can be heart wrenching, but there is hope! The quotes above are the "before" from parents who's children attended The Brain Balance Program. Visit our success stories page to hear their "after"!
If you feel your child's school struggles need intervention, we encourage you to contact us for a free consultation and learn more about our comprehensive assessment to better understand what is at the root of your child’s issues.
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