1. What is Learning Disability?
The World Health Organization defines
learning disabilities as “A state of
arrested or incomplete development of mind”. Learning disability is not
a disease, nor a physical or mental illness. It is not a problem with intelligence. It is caused by
a difference in the brain that affects how information is received, processed,
or communicated which affects people’s ability to interpret what they see and
hear or to link information from the brain. Learning disabilities is a lifelong
conditions that may affect a person’s life in school or work, daily routine or
family life, Its show in disorder in spoken or written language, coordination,
self control, or attention. According to DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual Disorder), the criteria and characteristics to diagnose Learning
Disabilities can divided into three major categories as follow; Disorders in
developmental of speech and language, Disorder in Academic Skills, Other that
includes Disorder in Coordination.
1a. Possible Causes of Learning Disability.
Mental health
professionals’ stress that no one knows what is the actual reason causes
learning disabilities,there are too many possibilities to pin down the cause.
Each professional have their say, but in often the specific
cause is still unknown. However Scientists do take efforts in study the
possibility of causes to identify ways in preventing learning disabilities. Through
researches, scientist believe that in many cases,the disorder may begins
before birth.
Errors
in Fetal Brain Development
Throughout pregnancy, the fetal brain develops from
all purpose cells into a complex organ made of billions of specialized,
interconnected nerve cells called neurons, which controls basic life functions
and later involved with processing sight, sound, and sense, associated with
attention, thinking and emotion. If the disruption occurs early, the fetus may
die, or the infant may be born with widespread disabilities or possibly mental
retardation, but if the disruption occurs later, this may causes learning disabilities.
Genetic
Factors
Some researches shows that 50% of the learning
disabilities having a genetic link. (Larry, 2009) for example one of the
parents or relatives who has writing disorder may have a child with an
expressive language disorder, or one of the twins who have attention deficit
and the other one having reading
disabilities.
Problems
during Pregnancy or Delivery
Complication during pregnancy is one of the possible
causes of learning disabilities. Some
cases show that the immune system from the mother reacts to the fetus and
attacks it where there is an infection. This will cause newly formed brain cell
to settle in the wrong part of the brain. Or during delivery, the umbilical
cord twisted and temporary cut off the oxygen to the fetus will cause the child
to have learning disability. Research also shows that if the child takes longer
time suffers in pain delivery, where Bilirubin exceed the safety level will
cause them to have learning disabilities too.
Tobacco,
Alcohol and other Drug use
Most of the research shows that a mother’s use of
cigarettes, alcohol or other drugs during pregnancy may cause damage effects to
the unborn child. Scientists found that those mothers who smoke during
pregnancy are likely more to bear a smaller babies. Meanwhile, alcohol and
drugs such as cocaine will affect and damaging the development of the brain,
including neurons and brain receptors which will leads to learning disabilities.
Toxins
in the child’s environment
According to neurological research, Cadmium and lead
may possibly disrupting childhood brain development. Cadmium are used in making
some steel products, which can gets into soil then into the foods we eat, Leads
was common in paint and gasoline and present in some water pipes. National
Institutes of Health has done a study on animals and found out it could lead to
a changes in brainwave and slowing their ability to learn. The affect on the
neurological functions apply in child which causes them to have learning
disabilities.
1b. Early Symptoms of Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia
and Dyslexia
Each child will
have to go through some development stage, and in this milestone time, if any
early signs of development delay can be notices or suspect by the child’s
caregiver, then the early intervention program may help the parents to bring
changes and understanding to the child.
What is Autism?
Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) is known as a complex developmental disability that have been
caused by a brain abnormality. It affect
a person’s social interactions , both
verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and having a difficulties functioning in normal activities such like an
element of play. First three years of a child, it's a critical period of brain
development, so the symptoms can be notices as early as this time. (Kabat,
Masi, & Segal, 2003).
The Early Symptoms of Autism
According to the CSBS DP Infant-Toddler Checklist, the symptoms can be notice
through 7 categories, which is Emotion
and Eye Gaze, Communication, Gestures, Sound, Words, Understanding and Object
Use.
When the child wasn’t
express joyful emotion or smiles, doesn’t show interest to parent’s sound within
the 6 months, no babbling sounds or baby talks like “papa”, “mama”; no imitates
of sounds, no simple gestures as “bye-bye”, “give me”; doesn’t responds to own
name at 12 months; couldn’t understand
or follow simple direction, doesn’t have a spoken word by 18 months; doesn’t
combines 2 words like “mummy come”, “more milk”; doesn’t imitates meaningful
sounds at 24 months; after 2 years old,
if the child still not able to understand or answers simple question and
request, delay in language development or having a parrot talk, poor in eye
contact, doesn’t aware of what is happening surrounding, doesn’t have a pretend
play skill, and usually stick to one toys or interest, they tend
to have limited interests and activities, it shows that they have a desire to
maintain sameness in their routine and surroundings, then they maybe an
autistic child.
The Early Symptoms of ADHD
ADHD means Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. According to
DSM-IV, ADHD diagnose criteria are separated by 3 categories, which is
“Inattention”, “Hyperactivity” and “Impulsive”. If the child is having 6 or
more symptoms from each category from the past 6 months till presents, he will
be diagnosed as ADHD.
The symptoms shows that the child will have difficulty in keeping
attention on task and play activities, they will easily get distracted, often
forgetful in daily activities, poor in social skill and organizational skills,
unable to follow instruction well and having difficulties in paying attention
to listen when talk to them. They always loses things needed such like pencils,
book, tools or toys, they tends to avoids doing things which required a lot of
mental effort or long period of time. That is why they are always fail to
finished their school works or duty. They
often fidgets with hands or feet, unable to sit still, always remain hyper in
action such like, running, jumping, climbing, they maybe talkative or making a
lot of noise, they always blurts out
answer before questions finished, unable to wait for one’s turn, always
interrupts others in conversation or games times. They are always “On the Go”
or “Driven by a motor”.
Some symptoms that cause impairment were present before age of 7, but
most of these symptoms being notice when the child enters into the age of 3-4.
The Early Symptoms of Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is a development
disorder showing impairment of praxis, disorder in sensory integration and
motor function. It is also known as Development Coordination Disorder (DCD).
The early symptoms of Dyspraxia can be notified as early as in infant and
toddler, which show poor in feeding and development delay in motor milestone,
for example poor in crawling, sitting, walking, squatting, jumping or skipping.
It shows delay in language after 2 to 3 years old and delay in gross motor
skills, like late riding tricycle or cannot ride bicycle. They often show clumsiness like dropping
things, unable to estimate the distance and position between things will cause
them having difficulty to catch the ball or bumping into things. They often have
difficulty in balancing and always fall down from seats, stair case or walking.
The child has difficulty not only in gross motor but also fine motor, some
simple daily activities such like eating, buttoning shirt, tie shoe lace or
unpacking food will seen tough for them. The child typically shows poor
performance in sport and poor handwriting. They are also having difficulties in
pronouns of some phonic sounds like “f”, “h”, “v”, “z”. The child has short attention span, poor
organizing of language and deficits in language comprehension. They having difficulty
to understand the comprehension or carrying out instruction, having low
self-esteem which shows in their immature behavior and cause them socially
withdraw.
The Early Symptoms of Dyslexia.
Learning
disabilities occur in very young children, but they are usually not recognized
until the child reaches school age. If a child complains that they are having dizziness, headaches or seeing
non-existent movement while reading, writing or copying, then they might be
dyslexic. The early symptoms can be notice in a child’s writing and reading, showing
repetitions, additions, transposition, missing, reversals or inversions in
writing, numbers or words, for example b wrote as d; p wrote as q;
6 become 9; 14 become 41;
u wrote
as n;
cat wrote as cta; cake wrote as cak;
difficulty in differentia between letters or words look similar such like there
and three,
they will have difficulties in copying letters or words especially from board
or book to paper, often leaves sentences incomplete; having difficulty in
identifying the beginning, middle and ending sounds in spoken words, being
confused by direction left and right, difficulty in
time concept such like before and after, 6am
or 9am, confused with math symbols such as + / -
; difficulty in learning math multiplication, having difficulty in reading, slow in word
retrieval, and may rereads with little comprehension, having difficulty putting their thoughts into
words, stuttering under stress, difficulties in gross motor and fine motor
skills tasks like hopping, using scissors and pencil grip. Having difficulties
in attention and most of them are daydreamer.
1c. Treatment Approaches
Many
people find efforts to study the new
formula and treatments in order to help people with autism to adapt to the
society needs. Although some may be useful but believing that everyone is
different, there is no specific one approach which is effective for all the
people of Autism. The parents, teachers
and therapies may have different opinions and technique helping the
autistic child, where there are some common approaches includes Treatment
and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH), Applied
Behavior Analysis (ABA), Picture
Exchange Communication System (PECS), Sensory Integration (SI), Play Therapy,
Sand Tray Therapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Food and Nutritionals Control. One of the intervention programs that widely
known in Hong Kong and been use is “Louise
Program”, the founder Yolanda Wong (Hong Kong) is a woman successfully
helping her autistic child to adapt various skill and education learning. Louise program is an intervention program for
Autistic and Learning Disorder child, it is a combination concepts and skills
that being modified from TEACCH, ABA, Sensory Integration, Occupational Therapy
and Montessori Program which commonly use by most of the peoples, and now being
use in these program as a teaching methods and training program. Louise program
emphasis the holistic training on the child, it includes cognitive learning, attentive
and behavior. Which trained the child independently in self help, helping the
child to have Receptive and Expressive communication, using Visual, Audio, Kinetics
materials for teaching and play in the child’s learning. Some skills design in building
the child’s attention and some skills design for the purpose of modification in
the child’s behavior. This program is easy to understand and it is design for
the parents to teach their own child in every situation and anytime. Although
it may not suit every child, but there are many parents testify that Louise
Program has successfully helps their autistic child to cope with his or her
ability.
Conclusion
Learning Disorders
are not disease;
it cannot fully cure, but to overcome the difficulties through different ways. It is important that the parents, teacher,
child caregiver or those who work with the children could identify the symptoms
in earlier stage, and bring intervention to the child, because it may lead to a
serious behavior problem if the child is not being understand or mistreated by
the parents, teachers and their peers which it will affect their self-esteem
and cause them socially withdraw.
