Children with learning disabilities usually have normal intelligence, but they have difficulty expressing their knowledge. The child may know just what he wants – to say or write or do – but conveying that, isn’t possible for him.
Because it is so difficult for children with learning disabilities to master certain tasks, they often experience frustration, anger, low self-esteem, and even depression.

How to know if your child has a learning disability? Some of the red flag signs are:

🚩Delayed speech
🚩Pronunciation problems( Reading/Writing)
🚩Difficulty learning new words
🚩Difficulty learning to read
🚩Trouble learning numbers, the alphabet, days of the week, or colors and shapes
🚩 Inability to remember stuff
🚩Poor concentration
🚩Difficulty following directions
🚩Poor grasp of a crayon or pen
🚩Difficulty with buttoning, zipping, and tying.
🚩 Difficulty staying focused
🚩Speaking like a younger child; using short, simple phrases.

💠DYSCALCULIA
A specific learning disability that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. They may also have poor comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling time, or have trouble with counting.

💠DYSGRAPHIA
A specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills. Illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time are often part and parcel of the disease process.

💠DYSLEXIA
A specific learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills. The severity can differ in each individual but can affect reading fluency, decoding, reading comprehension, recall, writing, spelling, and sometimes speech and can exist along with other related disorders. One of the most common yet most ignored learning disorder.

Other than these learning disorders there are mental disorders that you should know about if you have kids or you are surrounded by kids. They are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism.
These two have a very fine boundary line which requires expertise to make a diagnosis. These children may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention to task at hand. These behaviors not only interfere with school and home life but have a deep impact on every aspect of life. It’s more common in boys than in girls and usually discovered during the early school years, when a child begins to have problems paying attention at school.

Symptoms can vary from moderate to severe:

A person with autism may

🚩Be overly sensitive in sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste (for example, they may refuse to wear “itchy” clothes and become distressed if they are forced to wear the clothes)

🚩Be very distressed when routines are changed

🚩Perform repeated body movements

🚩Show unusual attachments to objects

Communication problems may include:

↗️Cannot start or maintain a social conversation
↗️Communicates with gestures instead of words.
↗️Develops language slowly or not at all
↗️Does not adjust gaze to look at objects that others are looking at
↗️Does not refer to self correctly (for example, says “you want water” when the child means “I want water”
↗️Does not point to direct others’ attention to objects (normally occurs in the first 14 months of life)
↗️Repeats words or memorized passages, such as commercials

Social interaction:

↗️Does not make friends
↗️Does not play interactive games
↗️Is withdrawn
↗️May not respond to eye contact or smiles, or may avoid eye contact
↗️May treat others as if they are objects
↗️Prefers to spend time alone, rather than with others
↗️Shows a lack of empathy

Response to sensory information:

↗️Does not startle at loud noises
↗️Has heightened or low senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste
↗️May find normal noises painful and hold hands over ears
↗️May withdraw from physical contact because it is overstimulating or overwhelming
↗️Rubs surfaces, mouths or licks objects
↗️Seems to have a heightened or low response to pain

Play:

↗️Does not imitate the actions of others
↗️Prefers solitary or ritualistic play
↗️Shows little pretend or imaginative play

Behavior:

↗️Acts up with intense tantrums
↗️Gets stuck on a single topic or task
↗️Has a short attention span
↗️Has very narrow interests
↗️Is overactive or very passive
↗️Shows aggression to others or self
↗️Shows a strong need for sameness
↗️Uses repetitive body movements

🤷 By this time a lot of you must be thinking that you have observed quite a few things in your own child as well. The thing is many of these symptoms happen from time to time in ALL youngsters. But in children with the specific disorder they happen A LOT– at home, at school, or when visiting with friends. These mental disorders also mess with the child’s ability to function like other children who are the same age or developmental level.

💁TREATMENT

💠Therapy: These treatments focus on changing behavior.
💠Special education helps a child learn at school. Having structure and a routine can help children with ADHD a lot.

💠Behavior modification teaches ways to replace bad behaviors with good ones.

💠 Psychotherapy (counseling) can help someone with ADHD learn better ways to handle their emotions and frustration. It can also help improve their self-esteem. Counseling may also help family members better understand the child or adult with ADHD.

💠Social skills training can teach behaviors, such as taking turns and sharing.

💠Support groups of people with similar problems and needs can help with acceptance and support. Groups also can provide a way to learn more about ADHD. These groups are helpful for adults with ADHD or parents of children with ADHD.

🤷How Autism and Learning and Attention Issues Are Different

There’s a lot of overlap in the symptoms of autism and learning and attention issues. ADHD and autism are related and autism and learning disabilities can occur together. But autism is not a learning disability.
For kids with autism, the main struggle involves social understanding, communication and repetitive routines or behaviors—including narrow and obsessive interests.

These symptoms are not typical of kids with learning and attention issues. The narrow interests and repetitive behavior also make autism different from nonverbal learning disabilities, which can otherwise look a lot like autism.

Like kids with autism, kids with learning and attention issues may struggle with social skills and communication. But those struggles are related to their specific learning issues

🤷ANSWER TO FAQS

👍🏼Sugar doesn’t cause ADHD. If some doctor tells you to keep control its because sugar may aggravate hyperactivity of the kid.

👍🏼ADHD also isn’t caused by watching too much TV, a poor home life, poor schools, or food allergies.
👍🏼Some children with ASD appear to respond to a gluten-free or casein-free diet. Gluten is found in foods containing wheat, rye, and barley. Casein is found in milk, cheese, and other dairy products. Not all experts agree that dietary changes will make a difference, and not all studies of this method have shown positive results.

👩‍⚕️Answer to a query:

Query:

Subject: How to deal with Autism.

Dr hala, good day to you. My query is that i have 3 years old daughter who has been diagnosed with Mild Autism. She is glued to me 24/7. Runs around the house in circles, throws everything around. Loves to go outside but doesnt interact with any one. If we do not do as she wants she throws in tantrums. Please guide me how to deal with the situation. I am very worried.

Reply:

Since your baby is hyperactive, inattentive, and impulsive, i am sure it may take a lot of both the parents energy to get her to listen to you, finish a task, or even just to sit still. The pressure of constantly monitoring her must be frustrating and exhausting as well.
But there are steps that you can take to regain control of the situation at the same time helping your child make the most of her abilities.
*She is not dumb. Please understand this. She needs lots of love, support and encouragement to discover herself. It will not be an easy task. But it will be a fruit ful task for sure

*Plan a schedule for her daily routine and be persistent, give her clear instructions, and do not give into her tantrums…explain it to her how her and bad behavior will have rewards and other consequences and do follow that.

* Encourage physical activity because that helps to improve concentration and will promote brain growth as well. Give her art supplies (crayons, water colors, paints)… She may surprise you.

* Make sure she gets a good night sleep. Help her to interact with people. Avoid junks esp sugary food as it may increase hyperactivity.
*Speech therapy classes may help her as well.

*Always remember that the
Lack of awareness about DANGER or SELF SAFETY can be terrifying but with patience and understanding it can be taught.

💓Last but not the least the parents should take good care of each other, stay fit, eat right and follow what the doctor guides.
🤲🏼May Allah ease this situation for you and your family.

👩‍⚕️In a nut shell:

ADHD can’t be prevented or cured. But spotting it early, plus having a good treatment and education plan, can help a child with ADHD manage their symptoms.

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