LEARNING DISORDER MANAGEMENT

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.