L.D. - Learning Disabilities

L.D. - Learning Disabilities

　　　　　L.D. - Learning Disabilities in an academic area, it is defined as “disabilities in basic psychological process relating to verbal language or writing which are expressed in the defectiveness of hearing, thinking, speaking, reading(dyslexia), writing(dysgraphia), spelling math dyscalculia”.

　　　　　It also covers perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia but not for the group of auditory, visual or movement, intellectual, emotional impairments or economic, cultural and environmental disadvantages.

　　　　　In medical field, it is diagnosed as learning disorder (as per criteria posted by American Association of Psychiatry, DSM-IV) or specific developmental disorder of scholastic skills (as per criteria of WHO, ICD-10). Learning disabilities involve problems with learning, reading, writing or mathematics according to actual age ranges, intelligence and educational levels. No physical and neural abnormalities are involved. Low intelligence, lack of learning opportunities affect academic achievement or activities of daily life which are dependent upon the skills of reading, writing or calculating, low intelligence, lack of learning opportunities, or such specific physical problems as vision or hearing deficits.

Symptoms
Learning disabilities are classified into 3 main groups as follows.
　1. Reading Disorder
　　　There are complete illiteracy or reading deficits, not in accordance with his age, such as wrong spelling, incomplete reading, letter by letter reading without combinations and failure to differentiate similar alphabet (Kor ก, Thorถ, Phorภ), even though he seems to be smart in other aspects. He can learn from storytelling, visual aids and listening but he cannot understand from reading comprehension.

     2. Disorder of Written Expression
　　　　There is a combination of difficulties in the individual’s ability to compose written texts evidenced by grammatical or punctuation errors within sentences, poor paragraph organization, multiple spelling errors, and excessively poor handwriting. So readers cannot understand the intended meaning a writer wants to convey.

     3. Mathematics Disorder
　　         There are inabilities to perform calculations with several forms, for example, confusion with numbers, lack of mathematical operations- addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They are unable to comprehend mathematic symbols from proposition/questions make wrong calculation and have difficulties aligning numbers in order to do calculations.

Causes
　　　      Cybernatic model is used to explain learning processes of children with LD which are categorized into 4 steps below.

                    1. Information transferred from sensory nerves to brain (Input process)
                    2. Data are decoded. (Integration process)
                    3. Retrievable data are encoded. (Memory process)
                    4. Data will be implemented in the form of languages and movements. (Output process)
　　　       Upon reading books, seeing pictures, hearing or sensing something, perceived data will be transferred to brain. Then, data will be interpreted and stored in a memory which can be retrieved, when needed, in the forms of thinking, speaking, reading, writing and moving similarly to computer’s processing. 

                     Normally, when looking at a picture or reading a book, letters or images, direction can be identified and 3D can also be estimated commonly to listening in which voices can be separated from noises or other natural sounds. Eventually, images and voices will be encoded through coding and decoded through decoding accordingly. Children with learning disabilities may have one of 4 steps mentioned above which may arise from various factors or specific causes cannot be identified.

Treatment guidelines

                    1) Make an individualized Educational Program (IEP) to help children learn by integrating multimedia and technologies according to children’s abilities/problems, for the example, computers, recording tape, VDO and calculators, etc.

                     2) Treat associated problems such as short attention (attention deficit), muscle coordination problems, speech and communication problems.

                      3) Reduce severity of the following effects from learning problems, mood problems, behavioral problems, and adaptive problems by early problem screening, encouragement and proper reinforcement.
                      4) Educate families and make them understand children with learning disabilities need help. They should not blame that it is the children’s false or unconcern.

Reference:

Thaweesak Siriratrekha.http://www.happyhomeclinic.com/sp04-adhd.htm