Specific Learning Disabilities

Specific Learning Disability is a developmental neurological problem. Simply put, it is a difference in the brain’s functioning system. Individuals with learning disabilities are diagnosed despite having normal or above-normal intellectual capacity, due to difficulties in certain learning areas. The learning process works as a whole through stages such as perceiving, processing, making sense of, organizing, and recalling information from the outside world. A problem in one of these stages causes the emergence of learning difficulties.

Types of Learning Disabilities
Reading Difficulty – Dyslexia
Dyslexia is based on language development problems and occurs when the child has difficulty establishing the sound-symbol relationship and reading written words during school years.

Writing Difficulty – Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia emerges due to difficulties in visual perception and hand-eye coordination, causing problems in forming and writing letters.

Mathematical Difficulty – Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia refers to difficulties in learning basic or complex mathematical concepts and solving arithmetic problems.

Visual–Auditory Perception Difficulties
Even though the individual has normal hearing and vision functions, they experience difficulties in interpreting visual information and understanding complex language systems in the auditory field.

Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD)
NLD refers to difficulties in visual-spatial organization and social communication, caused by problems related to the brain’s right hemisphere functions.

Prevalence
According to research, learning disability is seen in about 6% of the population. In the United States and Europe, this rate is around 15%. This difference shows that learning disabilities are not sufficiently recognized. Teacher awareness is of great importance.

Learning Disabilities in the Preschool Period
Learning difficulties may give signals in early stages. Parents’ recognition of these symptoms is important in reducing the challenges the child may face throughout their education life.

Early Signs

• Delay in walking and different crawling patterns

• Inability to coordinate gross and fine motor skills

• Delay in fine motor skills

• Delay in determining hand preference

• Speech delay and articulation problems

• Difficulty learning concepts such as color, shape, and number

• Difficulty following rules and routines

• Problems in making and maintaining friendships

• Attention deficit and hyperactivity tendencies

Difficulties Encountered During School Period

• Difficulty establishing sound-symbol relationship

• Slow reading and difficulty in comprehension

• Reading backwards (e.g., “çok” as “koç”)

• Problems in understanding syllable, word, and paragraph concepts

• Illegible handwriting

• Failure in spelling rules

• Difficulty learning new concepts

• Inability to grasp the concept of time

• Lack of attention and concentration

Treatment Process
Early detection of learning disabilities plays a decisive role in the treatment process. The child should be comprehensively evaluated, and their strengths should be identified and supported. In this process, both family and teachers should continuously emphasize the child’s strengths and provide support.