Learning disorder

A Learning disorder is a developmental disorder which in children means that they cannot keep up with their peers in school and in other learning. A distinction is made between different types of learning disorder, all of which require appropriate therapy.

What is a learning disorder?

Under one Learning disorder Experts understand a child developmental disorder that relates to school skills. With an otherwise normal intelligence, those affected have difficulty keeping up with other children in school and kindergarten.

The learning disorder can for example relate to reading, writing or arithmetic. This does not always have to be a reduction in the corresponding skills, but can also mean, for example, in the case of hyperlexia, the significantly premature acquisition of reading skills.

Under certain circumstances, a learning disorder can indicate a disease such as Asperger's Syndrome. Affected children should therefore be examined and treated appropriately. Such therapy often enables a significant improvement in the ability to learn and thus social integration into everyday school life and later work.

causes

The causes of a Learning disorder can be diverse. As already mentioned at the beginning, it can be a disease such as autism or Asperger's syndrome, which leads to such a developmental disorder or abnormality.

Often, however, no direct illness or disability can be found in the affected children. In these cases there are usually several factors that lead to the learning disorder. On the one hand, the social environment of the child concerned can result in a change in the ability to learn, for example if there is excessive pressure of expectation and the child cannot learn properly due to fear of failure.

The school itself or the other classmates and the teacher can also encourage a learning disorder, for example if the child does not feel well or is afraid to go to school. Ultimately, the child itself can also be predestined for a learning disorder due to biological or psychological factors.

Typical & common learning disorders

• Dyslexia (weak reading and writing skills, LRS)
• Dyscalculia
• Arithmetic weakness (acalculia)

Symptoms, ailments & signs

A learning disorder shows up with symptoms at the latest in school, but often earlier. It is significant that the children concerned have great problems learning new content. This can refer to learning in general or it can refer to sub-areas. If the learning disorder affects all areas, the children are not able to learn the required content quickly enough.

At times you seem unfocused and forgetful. A normal lesson does not lead to success with them. They cannot create a learning environment for themselves and they also give up learning on their own due to increased failure.

Many learning disorders, however, relate to sub-areas of school education. Dyslexia or dyscalculia should be mentioned here. With these forms of learning disorder, only the learning of one discipline is disturbed. All other content is recorded and learned normally.

Another important learning disability is hyperlexia. Here the children have a high affinity for numbers and letters. You learn the symbols and their functions at a very fast pace. Often, however, they do not understand the importance of the same to a sufficient extent. You learn to write and do arithmetic, but not necessarily how to interpret it correctly. Overall, on average, no reduced intelligence was found in children with learning difficulties.

Diagnosis & course

A Learning disorder is usually noticeable when the affected children have noticeable difficulties in keeping up with school compared to their peers. If the teacher notices such a weakness, he should contact the parents so that they take note and, if necessary, visit a psychologist.

With the help of simple tests, he can find out whether and which learning disorder is involved. The causes should also be researched. If learning disorders remain untreated, they lead to social isolation and dwindling self-confidence among those affected. They may skip school to avoid the pressure.

As a result, entry into a normal professional life is made more difficult due to poor school grades. A vicious circle is created that cannot be broken by itself.

Complications

A learning disorder can occur in isolation or be associated with other learning disorders. For example, dyscalculia and dyslexia often occur together more than average. In addition, they can be accompanied by other mental and behavioral disorders. Children with ADHD are more likely to have a learning disorder that affects reading, writing, or arithmetic than their peers without ADHD.

A learning disorder often results in complications for everyday school life and learning as a whole, although a specific learning disorder such as dyslexia does not have to be associated with reduced intelligence. Children who find it difficult to read often find it difficult to acquire knowledge of other school subjects, to do research or to read readings. To do this, they often need more time than their schoolmates. Without adequate compensation, these children can be disadvantaged in terms of grading.

Complications can arise, however, even with appropriate compensation such as additional time spent on tests and exams. For other children and parents, it is sometimes incomprehensible why a dyslexic child is given more time for tasks. This can lead to resentment and envy, which can affect the child's social relationships at school.

In addition, children with a learning disorder can develop anxiety or depression, which can develop into an anxiety disorder or depression. Aggressive or oppositional behavior is also possible. These complications must also be taken into account during treatment.

When should you go to the doctor?

If a child is performing significantly worse than their classmates, the cause should be investigated. A learning disorder isn't the only possible explanation. However, if the child has not missed any class and there is no other explanation for the deficits, a learning disorder must be considered.

Parents can turn to various contacts if they suspect a learning disorder. Specialized counseling centers that are educational or psychological are well suited. Independent child and youth therapists can also be considered as contact persons, as are paediatricians. However, a pediatrician often only issues a referral because learning disorders are not treated medically. The focus is on psychological and possibly linguistic therapy.

However, a clarification by the pediatrician can be useful to rule out medical causes for the performance deficits. In addition, a pediatrician can, for example, prescribe speech therapy for dyslexia (reading weakness). If speech therapy is prescribed as a remedy, the statutory health insurance usually bears the costs.

Treatment & Therapy

Became a Learning disorder When diagnosed, it is particularly important to know the exact cause. If, for example, there is an illness or a disability, it is possible that the affected child is not able to display normal learning behavior and may have to attend a specially designed school.

If the learning disorder is due to social and similar factors, appropriate therapy can in many cases lead to normal learning behavior and thus also a regular school and professional career.The child's self-confidence must be strengthened, because only if he believes in his own abilities can he make progress. A slow and cautious approach by parents, teachers and therapists is therefore imperative.

Special tutoring that is tailored to the needs of the child can help to cope with the subject matter and also ensure that the child develops fun in learning.

Outlook & forecast

A learning disorder is one of the diseases that is normally noticed in the early development process of humans. If various measures to promote learning are taken in childhood, cognitive possibilities often improve. However, this depends on the underlying disease and cannot be generally determined. Numerous early intervention programs have been developed that can be used individually and are well researched. However, full recovery is very rarely achieved over a lifetime. The prognosis therefore depends on the cause and the start of therapy.

The existing disorder can also be improved if, in addition to the application of medical therapies, self-help measures are also used. The environment and thus the influence of relatives and people from the social environment can significantly contribute to a better prospect of success for the patient. If the learning disorder sets in after an accident or a brain disease in the course of life, the prognosis is usually worse.

At an advanced age, improving the performance of the memory can only be achieved under difficult conditions. In addition, some diseases prevent the build-up of new memory contents. Nevertheless, in most cases, existing symptoms can be alleviated in cooperation with a therapist.

prevention

One Learning disorder cannot be prevented directly. Parents should give their child confidence and fun in learning and support them without pressure, even if problems arise. If the first signs of a learning disorder appear, the pediatrician should be consulted so that appropriate treatment can be started in good time.

Aftercare

The measures and options for follow-up care depend heavily on the type of learning disorder. First and foremost, it aims at individual support in order to contain the suffering and to remedy it in the long term. Those affected are therefore dependent on a comprehensive examination, which should be carried out at an early stage. Only through the early diagnosis of the learning disorder can further complaints or disorders in child development be prevented. Appropriate therapeutic approaches aimed at improving the child's ability to learn are important. The more intensively these are applied, the better the chances of an improvement in the restriction.

Parents can also do therapy exercises with the child at home and thereby reduce the symptoms. Often, intensive therapy and care by the parents or other relatives is necessary. Intensive and loving conversations with the child are also very useful. Parents can also seek contact with other affected persons with a learning disorder, as this often leads to an exchange of information. As a rule, this disease does not reduce the child's life expectancy.

You can do that yourself

Self-help groups that deal with the topic of learning disorders are often aimed at the parents of the children concerned. The self-help groups can have different orientations: some focus on mutual emotional support or discuss general educational issues, while others focus on specific measures to promote the children.

In many cases, the learning disorder leads to the child feeling inferior and having no confidence in their own performance. Some children are bullied at school. Bad school grades, which are a result of the learning disorder, are often wrongly attributed to a lack of intelligence. Successful experiences in everyday life can strengthen self-confidence again. In addition, there are activities that bring joy to the child and that they can safely master. Sports as well as creative activities, music and other leisure activities are suitable for this. Time-outs and phases without any pressure to perform are also important. In no case should the child be reduced to their learning disorder.

Anxiety disorders and depression can easily thrive if the child believes they are failing. Here, too, self-help measures and changes in everyday life can have positive effects - however, a possible depression, anxiety disorder or other mental disorder should also be treated by a trained specialist, for example a teacher or child and youth therapist.