Specific learning disability is a common condition that affects approximately one in every ten children. With early diagnosis and appropriate support, most of the difficulties associated with learning disabilities can be eliminated. In our country, children with specific learning disabilities are generally diagnosed in the first grade of primary school and later. However, this condition is congenital: It is possible to initiate early intervention programs by noticing the findings in the preschool period. In this article, we presented specific findings of learning disabilities in the preschool period and helpful tips for diagnosis.
What is Specific Learning Disability?
Specific learning disability in an individual with normal or above normal intelligence reading, writing At least one of theormathematical calculation skills is deficient in a way that is not compatible with his/her age, intelligence and level of education.
Are specific learning disabilities and dyslexia different conditions?
Specific learning disability is the general name for learning difficulties. Dyslexia describes reading difficulty, which is the largest subgroup of specific learning disabilities. In speaking practice, these two terms are often used interchangeably.
What causes specific learning disability?
Specific learning disability is a neurological (brain)-based difference and its cause is not fully known. It is thought that various genetic and environmental factors cause disorders in the structure and functions of the brain, causing learning difficulties.
Genetic predisposition is important in the development of specific learning disabilities. Having a family member with a learning disability is a risk factor. A parent with a specific learning disability has a 30-60% chance of transmitting this trait to his or her own child. When both parents have a specific learning disability, their child is much more likely to be born with a specific learning disability. The risk is slightly higher in boys.
Is specific learning disability (dyslexia) a disease or intellectual disability?
Absolutely not. The essential requirement for a specific learning disability diagnosis is that the individual's intelligence level is normal or above normal.
Specific learning disability is an individual learning difference. The ways these people process information (receive, store, use, remember) are different from other people. The difficulty arises from this difference.
What is not a specific learning disability (dyslexia)?
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Specific learning disability is not a disease.
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It is not a mental retardation or intelligence problem.
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It is not a condition caused by impairment in sensory organs such as vision and hearing.
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It is not a situation of not being able to learn or apply due to a physical disability.
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It is not a state of underdevelopment resulting from unfavorable cultural or economic conditions.
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Specific learning disability does not always mean being gifted or having special abilities.
Does specific learning disability occur in the same way in every individual?
The signs and symptoms of specific learning disability are specific to each individual. Depending on the stage affected in the information processing process and the level of influence, findings of different shapes and severity are seen in each individual.
The most frequently affected functions are listening, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, mathematical operations (calculation), perception, reasoning, attention, memory, motor skills, balance, coordination, organization and social adaptation.
Four groups of specific learning disabilities can be divided according to the affected function.
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Reading difficulty (dyslexia)
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Writing. difficulty (dysgraphia)
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Mathematics difficulty (dilcalculia)
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Difficulty in motor skills, balance and adaptation (dyspraxia)
Some individuals have only one of these difficulties, while others have more than one of these difficulties. Additionally, dyslexia can accompany some medical conditions such as attention deficit and hyperactivity.
What are the symptoms of specific learning disability and when do they occur?
Specific learning disability is a congenital condition. Learning disabilities are present from birth and continue throughout life. However, the findings are more pronounced in the school period when academic skills are tested. It becomes interesting. In our country, the majority of cases are diagnosed in the first grade of primary school and later.
With early diagnosis and appropriate support programs, the difficulties of specific learning disabilities can be largely eliminated. The earlier the diagnosis is made and the earlier the support program is started, the higher the chance of academic and social success.
What are the common findings of specific learning difficulties in the preschool period?
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Speech delay, delay in learning letters and sounds compared to peers,
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Expressing feelings and thoughts sequentially difficulty, disorganized speech,
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Overactivity or extreme introversion,
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Lack of attention,
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Absentmindedness, clumsiness, frequent falls and injuries,
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Hard to learn, forgetting quickly,
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Difficulty keeping in mind what he sees and hears, poor memory,
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Difficulty in matching objects, pictures, shapes and establishing part-whole relationships,
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Inability to receive more than one instruction at the same time or to follow more than one warning,
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Difficulty in following the rules, listening to others and waiting for one's turn,
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Weakness in internal control. Acting without thinking, doing the first thing that comes to mind,
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Variability in emotional state. Suddenly becoming unhappy, pessimistic or angry after being happy,
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Having difficulty adapting to innovations and changes,
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Obeying the rules in team games and Difficulty in moving simultaneously with other players,
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Confusing directions, difficulty in learning sequential numbers, times and events,
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Buttoning Not being as successful as their peers in motor and balance-coordination skills such as using scissors, stringing beads, using forks and spoons, putting on and taking off shoes and clothes, catching a ball, jumping rope, going up and down stairs, standing on one leg, swimming,
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Difficulty holding a pencil, failure in line work, inability to draw lines symmetrically and properly,
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Dislike of coloring work, Not being able to maintain boundaries and lines in painting, not having the average skill of their peers in painting,
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Having difficulty in counting rhythmically according to their age, having difficulty in understanding the order of numbers and their meanings (big-small, little-many).
Does every child with some of the findings of specific learning disability have specific learning disability?
No. Just because a person has several of these findings does not mean that he or she has a specific learning disability. One or more of these findings may be present to varying degrees in many people who do not have specific learning disabilities. The diagnosis is made when the findings associated with a specific learning disability are found intensely in a person.
How can I tell if I or my child has dyslexia?
Specific learning disability (dyslexia) is a medical definition. For diagnosis and/or treatment, help should be sought from experts specialized in this field.
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