Learning Disabilities in Children

April 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Hundreds of thousands of children all over the world suffer from some degree of learning disabilities. Such disabilities can affect a child from mild to severe manners. They can sometimes be cured and most often controlled enough to enable the child to lead a reasonably normal life. However, it is important that learning disabilities be diagnosed and treated at an early age for children to be able to cope with them effectively.

There are several types if learning disabilities. Parents need to know at least some basic information about these disabilities to be able to identify their symptoms in time to get their children treated. Here are some of the symptoms that tell you that your child may be suffering from a learning disability:

  1. Late development – There are certain milestones that a child is expected to achieve by a certain age. This includes grasping objects, crawling, walking and talking. While a lot of kids are slow beginners and this is not out of the ordinary, if a child can’t walk by the age two then they may be suffering from a learning disability. This also applies to those children who walk awkwardly and have trouble grasping objects.
  2. Children with learning disabilities are usually not able to carry out simple tasks like tying shoe laces or brushing their teeth. They will also have trouble in identifying colors or shapes or tell the difference between similar looking alphabets like a ‘b’ and ‘d’.
  3. Such children also often have difficulty in interacting with kids their own age or even around adults. They tend to keep to themselves and can behave aggressively when surrounded by a crowd.
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Recognizing the signs of OCD in Children

December 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

OCD is an anxiety disorder that many children and adults suffer from. Many people think of someone with OCD as the person who washes their hands all the time, but it goes much deeper than that. A child with OCD will usually be constantly worrying about something, and try to control this anxiety by behaving a certain way over and over again.

The behaviors associated with OCD can often be so time consuming that it is difficult to function normally in everyday life. Because they are so consuming it is important to learn the early signs so they can get help.

Some of the most common characteristics of a child with OCD are a intense fear of dirt, and a fear of contamination. They may also show a need for symmetry and order. A child with OCD may become anxious if certain tasks are not performed in the same way every time they are done. Other common signs of OCD are rituals. These can pertain to grooming, brushing their teeth, and hand washing. Rituals can also be checking, and rechecking appliances to make sure they are turned off, or checking a door over and over again to make sure that it is locked.

It can sometimes be difficult to see the signs of OCD because suffers tend to become very adept at hiding the behaviors. A parent often needs to recognize certain behaviors as signs of a problem. If a child hands are chapped from to much washing, or papers from school that have holes in them from an eraser they may be suffering from anxiety. Other signs may be a constant fear of illness, or an excessive amount of time spent getting ready for bed, and getting ready for school.

If you see any of these signs it is important to call their doctor and have your child screened for OCD.

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Facts About Learning Disorders

December 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Although they often are lumped is together, there are actually three different types of learning disorders. Those disorders are:

-Mathematics disorder
-Writing disorders
-Reading disorders

Although these disorders are most often associated with children or teens during their school years, learning disorders commonly follow individuals to through their entire lives.

Additionally, there can be other signs directly associated with learning disorders. They can be:

-Lack of focus
-Reduced socialization
-Difficulty concentrating
-Quickly frustrated
-Obvious frustration
-Lack of confidence in abilities

Double Diagnosis

Learning disorders can also be one part of a double diagnoses. It is directly associated as well with such issues as:

-Attention deficit disorder
-Depression
-Conduct disorder
-General anxiety disorder
-Autism

Although learning disabilities and disorders affect females and males, in the U. S., far more males than females are diagnosed.

Diagnosing Learning Disorders

Although standard testing is available in most educational institutions in the United States, generalized group or individual testing is not accurate or thorough enough to diagnose a learning disability properly. Detailed psychological testing should be individually administered to any child who is suspected to have a learning disability.

Most learning disabilities can be treated and managed within the child’s school system through specialized educational methods. Additionally, children and teens who suffer from these disorders seemed to gain great benefit from individual tutoring that can help to focus on their main or most difficult learning problem.

However, children and teens who are given a dual diagnoses may require additional therapies, treatments, educational methods and even medications. Children who are prescribed medications are always required to maintain a close relationship with the prescribing Physician.

If someone you know is seeking treatment the best place to start is a conversation with your general practitioner. They can refer you and your child to the best sources available in your area.

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Children with Anxiety at School

December 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

If a child is suffering from an anxiety disorder school can quite often be very difficult. A refusal to even go to school may be a sign of a common anxiety disorder called separation anxiety. While separation anxiety is fairly common in small children between the ages of six months up to when they are about three years old, it is not as common in older children.

The anxiety about going to school for older children may be attributed to several factors. They could be anxious about their performance in class or the social interaction with the other kids. Children with special needs also many have a hard time understanding what is expected. The anxiety commonly shows up in physical ailments. A child may start complaining of headaches or stomachaches in order to stay home. It is also common for children with school anxiety to go to the nurses office frequently with physical problems with a request to go home.

It is important to first make sure there is nothing physically wrong with your child. Once you know they are healthy, you need to acknowledge that there is a problem. You then need to get to the root of the anxiety. Find out what they are most worried about. If they can pinpoint what they are anxious about it will be easier to deal with the problem.

Once you have a specific anxiety to work with you can help them by do some role-playing. You can talk about scenarios that might happen at school and then act them out to help the child with appropriate responses and techniques for coping with the events that are causing them anxiety.

It is also extremely important to keep communicating with your child. Make sure they know that they can talk to you about what is going on at school.

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Learning Disabilities

November 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Today’s children have an advantage over children in past decades when it comes to academic challenges. Educators and parents are much more savvy about detecting learning disabilities at a young age, and resources are available to help children diagnosed with a condition that makes learning a challenge.

Many different types of learning disorders exist, and sometimes it can be difficult to get to the right diagnosis because some symptoms are indicative of different disorders. First off, parents need to be aware of what are called in common parlance, developmental milestones. These are the important steps reached by toddlers and children at certain ages, such as crawling, walking and talking. If a child is delayed in reaching any of these milestones, it could be indicative of a learning disorder. The earlier the child is diagnosed correctly, the better. Treatment for the disorder can begin at a young age, and studies have found that the younger a child starts therapy, the more likely the disorder can be corrected.
Early intervention can be key!

Some learning disabilities hinge on difficulties with motor skills, both small motor skills, such as the physical act of writing or drawing, and larger motor skills, such as riding a bike or running.

Other disabilities are math-based. If a child has difficult organizing numbers and number facts, such as the order and sequencing of equations, the child may have a learning math disorder.

Other learning disabilities center around language and understanding speech. These children may have difficulties speaking in general, or may not be able to tell a story. Some children also have trouble with reading comprehension — they can’t comprehend vocabulary or the sequence of events in a story.

Some common learning disorders include dyslexia and dysgraphia. Dyslexia is a disorder with language, and the person may have difficulty reading and writing. Dysgraphia is a disorder with writing, and the person may have difficulty with spelling and writing.

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

November 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Even kids in school today have heard the term ADD or ADHD. If a child can’t focus or follow directions, kids may say that the classmate has ADD. Many professionals have lamented the fact that the learning disability has been overdiagnosed, and kids are put on medications they shouldn’t be taking.

So what exactly is ADD or ADHD? ADD stand for attention deficit disorder, and ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Both conditions are usually diagnosed in childhood, with symptoms that are noticeable before seven years of age.

There are many common misconceptions about the disorder. For instance, not all kids are hyperactive who have the condition, especially girls. Children who do not have the overactive component have ADD and often act dreamy and seem to not be paying attention.

Another common misconception is that the children cannot focus. However, kids — and adults — with the condition can often be hyperfocused on something they are interested in and enjoy. But if they are bored with the task at hand, it won’t get done.

ADD and ADHD are lifelong disabilities that don’t disappear with age. There are various options for treatment. While many parents believe medication is the best option, other therapies to try might be behavior modification, consistent exercise and good nutrition. Sometimes a child can have a strong adverse reaction to medication, or it may help them focus in school, but cause them to be depressed, lose their appetite and have trouble sleeping.

ADD and ADHD surface in varying degrees, from children who are very disruptive because they can’t sit still or focus to those who are dreamy and inattentive or must have trouble switching from task to task.

Three major symptoms of the learning disorders are being impulsive, inability to focus and hyperactivity. If a child exhibits all three symptoms, there is a high probability that the child suffers from the learning disorder.

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Diagnosing Cerebral Palsy

November 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

A diagnosis of cerebral palsy in infants and children is usually made over a period of time. During this time, the development of the infant and child is closely observed so a definitive diagnosis can be made. Cerebral palsy is a medical condition caused by brain damage.

Usually, parents will notice that their infant is not reaching certain milestones in their development. Often, the baby will not suck properly and is not alert. Their little arms and legs may tremble, and sometimes, the whole body may seize up. The infant may seem highly irritable and abnormally fussy compared to others the same age.

As the baby develops, other indications may surface, usually in the muscles and posture. The child may hold his or her hand in tight fists, for example. The child may crawl and walk later than other children, as well as talk.

If a baby is slow to develop, physicians will make sure first that the child does not suffer from some other condition, such as muscular dystrophy or a tumor. Since cerebral palsy does not worsen, physicians will use that to make a determination.

Tests for the condition include computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging – tests that show images of the brain so that the doctor can view damaged areas. Blood tests and an ultrasound of the brain may also be ordered. The child might also take intelligence tests depending on the age. Usually, a definitive diagnosis will not be made until the child is 4 or 5 years old.

If you suspect your child may have cerebral palsy, discuss the issue with the pediatrician. The pediatrician can discuss the diagnostic process and will ask the appropriate questions. The mother will probably need to think carefully about her pregnancy because cerebral palsy usually occurs while the baby is in the womb.

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Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

October 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Childhood disintegrative disorder is also known as Heller’s syndrome, and it is an autistic spectrum disorder. With this particular autistic spectrum disorder, a child will develop on schedule until they are two to four years old, and then suffer a severe regression in social skills, communication skills, and some other faculties. In contrast to autism, childhood disintegrative disorder tends to present itself later than autism and involve a more dramatic regression in development. It’s also less common than autism. Treatment can involve medication and a variety of behavioral therapies.

When children have childhood disintegrative disorder, they loose skills in at least two major arenas. Potential areas of skill loss include language skills, ability to play, motor skills, social skills, and bowel control. This traveling backwards through development can happen in as little as a few days, or can take months. Any loss of established development is cause to worry about a child’s health, and you should consult your doctor about it if you see any of these symptoms in your child. If you go to the doctor to ask about symptoms of childhood disintegrative disorder, try to make sure you have a clear record with you of all the symptoms and regressions you have witnessed. The records of developmental screenings from at well-child visits will be invaluable here.

The cause of childhood disintegrative disorder is unknown. There is likely a genetic factor, and some speculate that the disintegration is caused by an autoimmune response, in which the body attacks itself. The disorder may be caused by a gene that must be triggered by exposure to something in the environment, like a toxin. Childhood disintegrative disorder is often found alongside several other conditions, including lipid storage diseases and tuberous sclerosis, in which benign brain tumors grow. However, the causative relationship between these disorders is unknown.

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On Teaching Your Children to Eat

September 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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With both obesity and eating disorders as major health problems in our society, it’s possible that there’s never been a more stressful time to teach your children how to feed themselves. While research clearly shows that people with a moderate BMI tend to be healthier, attempts to force bodies into that moderate BMI range have met with remarkably poor long term success. If you’ve struggled to find balance in your eating habits, but don’t want to pass those struggles down to your children, the work of Ellyn Satter might be for you.

Satter is little known among the public at large, but among nutritionists she’s considered an expert on eating habits and feeding patterns, which she has written several books about. She advocates for “normal eating” and “eating competence.” She says that in raising children, we should mostly be trying to create competent eaters. Eating competence has four parts. First, advocate positive attitudes towards food, rather than emphasizing deprivation. Second, make sure you make time for rewarding, reliably scheduled meals and snacks. Third, enjoy eating, and feel free to relax about eating foods that really bring you pleasure to eat. Lastly, allow your body to tell you how much to eat with its natural signals of hunger and fullness. Doesn’t that sound better than any diet you have ever been on? Satter has touched on something many of us seem to have completely forgotten. Maybe feeding yourself doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful to be healthy.

Satter doesn’t ask us to abandon discipline in how we eat, but she does ask that discipline be funneled into keeping a regular schedule, rather than creating an exclusive lists of foods we may or may not eat. She’s also very clear about what responsibilities belong to a parent, and which belong to a child. Parents decide what, where, and when to feed; kids are in charge of whether and how much. For more ways to help your kids have a healthy relationship with food, check out Satter’s book Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family.

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When Your Child is Diagnosed With Hearing Loss

September 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Learning that a child has hearing loss can be an incredibly intense and difficult time for parents. Many parents describe feeling horribly overwhelmed. Rachel Coleman, the mother of a child with hearing impairment, wrote on her blog about receiving her daughter’s diagnosis: “When we did hear her diagnosis. . . we mourned. We cried. We felt silly. We couldn’t believe it. We thought there was a mistake. We hoped it would go away. We felt all of that and more at once!”

But, like the Colemans and many parents have come to realize, in the long run mourning isn’t the best response. After all, the child may have been hearing poorly for months or years; now that you know what’s going on, she’ll be able to hear and communicate that much better. And now, we have the inspiring examples of many parents who have chosen not to reduce their expectations for their children’s quality of life simply because those children are less able to hear.

Advocating for a child who has hearing loss can be an uphill fight. Some parents immediately encounter support. Depending on the resources where you live, you may immediately have access to parents of other children with hearing impairment, an audiologist, a pediatric otolaryngologist, a speech pathologist, a social worker, or other professionals who can help you on your way–but not everyone has a team assembled for them. Unfortunately, support resources are nowhere near this bountiful. Many parents report that, in coming through this emotionally difficult experience, other parents who have been through the same thing are incredibly helpful.

Children who have hearing loss, like any other children, are capable of wonderful things. There’s nothing about not being able to hear as well that makes someone less emotionally sensitive, or less physically or intellectually capable. Parents who fight for their child who has hearing loss–fight for education, social opportunities, and the child’s sense of his or her own competence–will definitely see the benefits as time goes by.

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