Recognising the Signs of a Learning Disability: What Should Parents be Looking For?

​A learning disability is a severe problem that can push a child towards anxiety and depression for the rest of their lives, unless it is recognised at an early stage. It is the job of the parents and the teachers to recognise the signs of a learning disability early on and take adequate measures necessary for securing the future of the child.

​As we go through the following signs of learning disabilities, it is advised that you take an unbiased approach, because it is common for parents to live in denial and jeopardise the future of their children in the process.
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​Impulsive Actions and Inability to Judge Outcomes

Is the child repetitively acting in a way that causes distress to himself/herself or others? Do you feel that he/she doesn’t really understand the outcome of the action, even though it should be fairly obvious by now?
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If the answers are yes, then your child is having trouble with impulse control that is not letting him/her think before taking an action.

Inability to Focus

A child older than five should be able to focus on something for at least some amount of time. If that is not happening, and you find the child getting distracted easily and often, it is a sign of a learning disability. ADD or ADHD are the common disorders in such cases.
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Inability to Read or Write

There are a number of learning disabilities that keep children from learning to read or write, but that isn’t necessarily a sign of low intelligence. In fact, Keanu Reeves, Jamie Oliver, Christopher Knight, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are just some of the many famous personalities across all spheres of life who were born with learning disabilities but showed tremendous potential and intelligence once they were given the guidance necessary.
Speaking of guidance, the Arrowsmith Program at the Plenty Valley Christian College is specially designed to guide and educate children with learning disabilities, so that they can overcome the oddities in their neurological development and unleash the true potentials within them.

If you can identify your child with any of the symptoms we are discussing, the Arrowsmith Program could very well hold the key to their future success.
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Problems with Numbers and Telling the Time

It may not always be the case, but people who have learning disabilities might find it especially difficult to solve maths problems and tell the time, even after being taught repeatedly.
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Problem with Organised Activities and Following Instructions

A lot of antisocial behaviour in teens results from undiagnosed and/or untreated learning disabilities, because an inability to follow instructions often gives way to anxiety, anger and other negative emotions.

If you find a child of any age to be particularly unable or unwilling to stay organised or even follow simple instructions, a learning disability might very well be the culprit here.

Do remember that almost all the symptoms we just discussed are common to small children everywhere and therefore, there is no reason to worry, unless your child is at least five-years old.

​If on the other hand, your six or seven-year old son or daughter is displaying any one or possibly multiple of the symptoms we just discussed, it is definitely time to consult with a therapist for a proper diagnosis.