The world of LD & dyslexia can, at first, seem frightening and confusing. When you suspect or know your child has “LD” you may feel sad, worried, angry, frustrated, helpless, and most of all uninformed. Those feelings are all very normal and OK. It comes with the territory and shows that you care.
You can stop worrying a little already! We are here to help you sort through those feelings by providing you with the trusted information, guidance, and support you need. As you become informed, you will see that it really is not so bad at all. There are many positive aspects of living with a learning difference as well. Knowledge truly is power!
Like all life tasks, start with little steps. Spend some time on this page, bookmark it now, and come back regularly as you work to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to live with LD. Visit our other pages for more about all aspects of LD. Our Resources page may prove particularly helpful for you & your child.
We highly encourage you to have your son/daughter who lives with LD spend time with you on this site. Children and teens want, need, and deserve to know as much about their LD as you do. Research shows many parents are reluctant to tell their child the facts about LD in an attempt to ‘protect’ them and not make them feel ‘different’. On the contrary, it is supported in research that the more children know about their LD, the better off they are emotionally, socially, and even academically. Make visiting our website a time you share together. Spend time checking out the information on each page. You’ll be glad you did.
The more you learn, the more empowered you and your child will become. Those feelings of uncertainty and helplessness will be replaced with confidence and power!
You will find the following information on this page.
What are the different types of Learning Disabilities or
Learning Differences?
What is the most common type of LD/ Learning Difference?
Most commonly the abbreviation, LD, stands for Learning Disability. At the Learning Brook we use the term Learning Difference. Others may use the term Learning Difficulty. No matter which term is used, the basic definition remains the same.
The term “Learning Disability” describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works differently & is structured differently. The differences interfere with a person’s ability to think & remember. Additionally, the differences can affect a person’s ability to speak, listen, read, write, spell, reason, recall facts, organize information and do mathematics.
Why do some people refer to LD as Learning Disabilities and others use the term, Learning Differences?
Let’s start by stating that the term Learning Disabilities is the most widely known LD term as it is the term used by the schools and the legal system. The term Learning Disabilities is directly linked to significant and vital protections mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and we are fully supportive of those rights & protections. It makes sense that this is the term educators and often parents are most familiar with.
However, in practical, everyday terms we prefer to use the term Learning Differences at The Learning Brook for a few key reasons. First of all, it is truly indicative of the root of the issues faced by a person living with LD… differences in the brain’s wiring. Not only is the brain physically structured differently but it also processes information differently than a person who is not LD. Makes sense.
Secondly, we prefer to focus on all of the wonderful gifts and abilities of the student with LD. Don Winkler*, former CEO of Ford Financial and a very compassionate & brilliant man who happens to live with the most common type of LD, dyslexia, is always reminding us of our shared mission, “to keep the dis- out of dis-abilities!”
Dis- carries such a negative connotation and is NOT generally indicative of the nature of people with LD. Rather, we prefer to celebrate the differences that make each individual unique and gifted in so many different areas. For these reasons, we most often use the term Learning Differences on our website.
Finally, we do not in any way try to minimize or understate the great struggles and obstacles that LD students so often encounter, rather we celebrate each small victory and are triumphant for all that they are able to do.
*Don Winkler is devoted to helping those living with LD, particularly adults in the workplace. To learn more, visit his website: www.cyberwink.com Additionally, he is featured in a wonderful video, Ennis’ Gift, made in honor of Bill & Camille Cosby’s son, Ennis. To find out more, check out: www.hellofriend.com. Ennis’ Gift is part of the LD education collection at The Cuyahoga County Public Library and can be checked out if you live in the Greater Cleveland Area. For details, go to www.cuyahogalibrary.org
What are the different types of Learning Disabilities or Learning Differences?
Type of LD What it affects What you might see … |
||
Dyslexia |
Reading/Spelling/ |
Difficulty learning to read & reading fluently; trouble expressing oneself verbally or in writing; poor spelling |
Dysgraphia |
Handwriting |
Illegible handwriting; difficulty writing within defined space; excessive erasures; mixture of print/cursive; cramped fingers |
Dyscalculia |
Math |
Difficulty with math processes & concepts; calculation errors |
Dyspraxia |
Body coordination |
Problems with muscle control & coordination |
Sensory Processing Disorders or CAPD |
Perception |
Difficulties understanding visual & auditory information despite normal vision & hearing; may be referred to as- Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) |
What is the most common type of LD/ Learning Difference?
DYSLEXIA is the most common learning difference in the USA. Of students with specific learning disabilities who receive special education services, 75%-85% have deficits in reading, or would be considered dyslexic. Ironically, schools very rarely use the term dyslexia and seldom even go so far as to call it a reading disability. Unfortunately, they simply say the child has a learning disability. This is similar to going to a doctor and being told you have an illness. Certainly, you would want & NEED more specific information about what type of illness in order to properly plan and quickly begin executing a course of action to effectively treat the illness, or in this case, the LD. A complete explanation of why schools do not/will not use the proper terminology is addressed in another question below.
None-the-less, according to the National Institutes of Health, conservatively, 15% of the population or 1 in 7 Americans live with some degree of dyslexia, although many go undiagnosed. In an average classroom, this translates to 3-4 children who live with dyslexia and will struggle if their learning difference is not addressed early & properly!
Quite simply… children who learn differently need to be taught differently.
Dyslexia is a general term that refers to a learning difference characterized by problems using language in any or all of its forms: listening, reading, writing, spelling, and speaking. Math, particularly recall of basic facts, may also be a problem area. Dyslexia is THE most common learning disability, or as we prefer to say, learning difference.
In simplest terms, someone with dyslexia generally has had difficulty learning to read, likely is a poor speller, and may also have trouble translating thoughts and ideas, to spoken &/or written words.
From a medical/scientific standpoint, dysleixa is a neurobiological disorder in which a person's brain is not only physically structured differently but it also processes information differently. In a sense, it is a problem with the 'wiring' of the brain. Non-dyslexics have quick, direct paths to access information in the brain. Completing a task is like going to a filing cabinet and immediately pulling out just the right file because you've done it so many times before. The brain of a dyslexic individual is more like a pinball machine. When a dyslexic individual attempts a language task (reading, spelling, selecting appropriate word for a piece of writing, etc.) the retrieving information and making connections with words often does not occur easily, readily or in the same way time and again. The file is very often misplaced in a massive filing cabinet and like a pinball, no telling how many spots it may hit before scoring the right thing- or worse yet, not connecting at all. A sort of, “let's hope and wait and see if a connection or the right connection is made”. It often leads to embarrassing and frustrating moments where the individual feels dumb because either a basic fact cannot be quickly recalled or a wrong word is spoken when clearly they fully intended to say something else. Yes, the dyslexic is keenly aware of this problem. You can imagine their frustration at not being able to 'correct' it at will. As one middle-school student put it, "Every day in class is like running through a mine field. You never know when and where the next bomb is going to go off!"
Contrary to popular belief, dyslexia is NOT about seeing things backwards or reversing letters or words; rather, it is about difficulty in breaking words down into parts. More specifically, children (and adults) with dyslexia generally have very poor phonemic awareness skills; that is, the skills/ability needed to identify, remember, and manipulate each sound in a word
For instance, instead of recognizing the word bat is made up of three units of speech, or phonemes- buh, aaahh, tuh- a dyslexic hears only one sound. So when it comes to sounding out words- the first step in learning to read- a dyslexic child faces a tough, uphill battle!
For those who want more details about the phonemic awareness skills, a more complex answer follows. First, we encourage all readers to complete the following simulation noted with a ♥
♥ To experience what it is like to be dyslexic, to have this decoding difficulty, click on the link below. It will go directly to a simulation provided by Mel Levine & all his “All Kinds of Minds” Institute- specifically a part of his “Misunderstood Minds” work; a documentary that aired on PBS. It is incredibly eye-opening and sadly, very real!
♥http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/experiences/readexp1a.html
As you saw in the simulation, reading is all about ‘cracking the code’ and the first step beginning readers take in cracking the code involves spoken language. As mentioned earlier, readers need to develop phonemic awareness- they must discover that the words they hear actually come apart into smaller units of sound. Sally E. Shaywitz and her husband Bennett A. Shaywitz are two of the worlds leading experts in the field of neurological science and reading research. They wrote a fascinating article that appeared in the March 2004 issue of “Educational Leadership.” The article discusses in depth, Reading Disability and the Brain, and we will share some of their comments to best explain, complete with citations of research. We choose to do this because often this is the point where the teachers or parents of kids who struggle with reading tend to suggest that the issue isn’t “real”- that a child simply isn’t reading because he isn’t trying hard enough, or he ‘has a late birthday’, etc.. This is so wrong!
From the Bennetts’ article, noted above: “On the basis of highly reliable scientific evidence, investigators in the field have now reached a strong consensus: Reading reflects language, and reading disability (dyslexia) reflects a deficit within the language system. Results from large and well-studied populations with reading disability confirm that in young school-age children (Fletcher et al., 1994; Stanovich & Siegel, 1994) and in adolescents (Shaywitz et al., 1999) a weakness in accessing the sounds of spoken language represents the most robust and specific correlate of reading disability (Morris et al.,1998). Such findings form the foundation for the most successful, evidence-based interventions designed to improve reading (National Reading Panel, 2000*).
BOOKS & FACT SHEETS to READ and/or DOWNLOAD PRINTED COPIES :
*Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read- An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction, ( pictured) is available FREE by contacting the following:
National Institute for Literacy at ED Pubs
P.O. Box 1398
Jessup, MD 20794-1398
When ordering this book, reference publication # EXR 0002P
You can call to order: 1-800-228-8813 or Fax a request: 301-430-1244
Contact by e-mail: EdPubOrders@aspensys.com
A copy of this publication can also be DOWNLOADED online at:
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrppubskey.cfm
On the topic of Phonemic Awareness: Some of the best information available for parents & teachers on Phonemic Awareness Instruction can be found in a FREE BOOK, “ Put Reading First : The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read”. ( pictured) To order a copy of this book, please contact:
National Institute for Literacy at ED Pubs
P.O. Box 1398
Jessup, MD 20794-1398
You can call to order: 1-800-228-8813 or Fax a request: 301-430-1244
Contact by e-mail: EdPubOrders@aspensys.com
Finally, to download this book (which is 58 pages), go to the National Institute for Literacy website at www.nifl.gov
What are the clues or indicators of dyslexia?
There are several tell-tale signs that a person may be/is dyslexic. One of the strongest indicators is an immediate family member with dyslexia. Research tells us that one-fourth to one-half of all children who have a parent with dyslexia will also have dyslexia ( Scarborough ,1990), and if dyslexia affects one child in a family, it is likely to affect half of his/her siblings. Recent studies have identified a number of genes involved in dyslexia (Fisher & DeFries, 2002).
Below is a list of characteristics that may accompany dyslexia. Clearly, very few people with dyslexia display all of the signs just as it is quite natural for everyone to exhibit one or more of the characteristics. If you, your child, or someone you know exhibits many of the signs on a consistent basis, you may want to dig deeper. For a child, the sooner you act on any suspicion the better off your child will be. EARLY IDENTIFICATION is CRITICAL! If you suspect your child may be dyslexic, it is a good idea to talk to your child's teacher and/or pediatrician immediately to discuss having a formal evaluation done. CLICK HERE for more information on TESTING.
Warning Signs of Dyslexia
Preschool Indicators of Dyslexia |
|
delayed speech; may talk later than most children |
difficulty controlling pencil, crayons, scissors |
mixing up the sounds or syllables in long words |
chronic ear infections |
constant confusion of left versus right |
late establishing a dominant hand |
difficulty learning to tie shoes, button and zip |
trouble memorizing his/her address, phone number, or the alphabet |
difficulty creating words that rhyme |
may have difficulty pronouncing words, i.e. busgetti instead of spaghetti |
may be slow to learn new words or uses the wrong word |
may have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes and how to spell and write his/her name |
may have trouble interacting with peers |
has difficulty pronouncing words, may reverse or substitute parts of words |
has difficulty carrying out a sequence of directions |
doesn't hear fine differences in words, i.e. "pin" for "pen" |
| Elementary and Middle School Indicators of Dyslexia | |
has problems stating thoughts in an organized way |
confuses order of letters in words (soiled-solid; felt-left; sing-sign; b-d; 23-32; u-n) |
spells a word in several different ways in the same composition and doesn't recognize the correct version |
confusion about directions in space and time (right v. left, up & down, yesterday v. tomorrow, months and days, etc.) |
has poor reading comprehension |
has difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation) |
difficult time reading words beginning with wh- |
may confuse small words- at - to, said - and, does - goes |
may transpose number sequences and confuse arithmetic signs (+,-,x,/,=) |
may have word retrieval problems when asked a question, can't produce quick answer |
may substitute a word that either sounds like another or has a similar meaning |
dreads going to school; complains of stomach aches or headaches |
may be slow to learn new skills; relies heavily on memorizing without understanding |
difficulty telling time on a clock with hands |
may be impulsive and prone to accidents |
is usually reading below grade level |
may be slow to discern and learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other reading and spelling strategies |
extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk/locker |
may avoid reading aloud and may also avoid writing |
may have trouble with word problems in math |
may write with difficulty with illegible handwriting; pencil grip is awkward, fist-like or tight |
is unable to tell important information from unimportant details |
significant difficulty learning cursive |
may have trouble with non-literal language (idioms, jokes, proverbs, slang) |
has difficulty remembering what he/she just read |
may have difficulty with planning and time management |
High School and Adult Indicators of Dyslexia |
|
limited vocabulary |
often avoids any tasks that require reading, writing or math |
unable to master a foreign language |
difficulty reading printed music |
poor grades in many classes |
slow reader or misreads information |
may have to read a page two or three times to understand it |
difficulty putting thoughts onto paper; dreads writing memos or letters |
still has difficulty with right versus left |
often gets lost, even in a familiar city |
sometimes confuses b and d, especially when tired or sick |
has difficulty organizing and completing written projects |
often transposes numbers; difficulty tracking checkbook |
pays too much or too little attention to details |
Please remember, there is a range of difficulties, or warning signs, that may be associated with dyslexia. If a number of these indicators are present in a child or adult AND if they are unexpected for the individual's age, educational level, or cognitive abilities, then that individual may be dyslexic. To verify that an individual is dyslexic, it is important that he/she be tested by a qualified diagnostician. Formal testing is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of suspected dyslexia.
Dyslexia IS a lifelong condition that is not 'outgrown.' It cannot be cured or fixed; living with dyslexia is a lifelong challenge. However, its impact may vary at different stages of a person's life. Rest assured, however, that with appropriate ACCOMMODATIONS and REMEDIATION, it can be successfully managed!
It seems children with dyslexia vary in their ability & effort. They can do things (read words, remember facts) one day, and not the next. Why the inconsistency?
INCONSISTENCY is one of the tell-tale signs of dyslexia and one that parents and teachers become most frustrated with. Unfortunately, it is this trait that is most responsible for the false notion that people with dyslexia are ‘lazy’, ‘don’t try hard enough’, or simply ‘don’t care’. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Take the case of the child who just read the word ‘dog’ and ‘tree’ on a page and then turns the page of the book and acts like he never saw the word before in his life; or the case of the child who writes the word ‘house’ in a paragraph at school, yet misspells it 3 times (with 3 different spellings) all on the same page! This is not a careless child who “isn’t trying hard enough”- on the contrary each time he encounters a word in print or goes to write it, it truly is like seeing it for the first time. Given your frustration at situations like this, IMAGINE how frustrating it is for the child to deal with the situation and the repercussions of ‘forgetting’ or ‘not knowing”…It is excruciatingly awful and invokes feelings of pain, shamefulness, and stupidity in the innocent child (or adult). This just emphasizes the need for proper intervention and remediation so that the child can overcome these hurdles. CLICK HERE for more on REMEDIATION.
Additionally, it is known that other factors can also contribute to the inconsistencies. If a child is particularly tired or under stress, the connections/processing may be even slower and what a child appeared to know & understand one day may escape him the next if he is feeling under the weather.
It is also important to note that this fundamental breakdown at the most basic level of language that can vary in severity from person to person. So learning to read, write, and spell can range from somewhat difficult to nearly impossible, depending on where the person falls on the continuum. No two dyslexics are alike.
It is important to note and EMPHASIZE that people with dyslexia are NOT dumb, stupid, lazy, or lacking in motivation. On the contrary, individuals with dyslexia are of at least average and very often, well above average in intelligence! They also have incredible drive, perseverance, and creativity. CLICK HERE to learn more about the GIFTS of DYSLEXIA. The truth is, many of the individuals who have had, and continue to have, the greatest impact on society were/are dyslexic. Individuals such as Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Charles Schwab, Ted Turner, William Hewlett, Steven Spielberg and Mozart all live(d) with dyslexia. CLICK HERE to see a fascinating list of other FAMOUS PEOPLE who are dyslexic.