Learning disabilities

We hear about children everyday with learning disabilities, but what happens to those children when they go off to further their education, i.e. college? Did you know that 19% of undergraduates in 2015-2016 reported having a disability, of which 11% was a learning disability. According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, these are due to genetic and/or neuro-biological factors that alter brain functioning in a manner which affects one or more cognitive processes related to learning.

Did you also know that 1 in 5 adults in America has a learning disability? Learning disabilities do not only affect young children but can continue even to adulthood. They interfere with the basic learning skills such as reading, math, and writing. If not detected early, learning disabilities can also interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time planning, abstract reasoning, long or short term memory and attention. Most students in college are either parents, soon-to-be parents, or have younger or older siblings. It is imperative that people be aware of learning disabilities and its effects on growth and attainment of a higher education.

It is always a wonder to see the highlights in media publications of ‘children’ with learning disabilities, but nothing to show the progression of these children as they move to adulthood. I became interested in this topic to show persons not to be quick to judge another who has difficulty understanding something that ‘an average’ person could.

Individuals with learning disabilities find it most difficult to cope with the everyday regular school curriculum depending on the type of disability that he or she has. The most common learning disabilities are, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, auditory processing, visual processing deficit and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

“Dyslexia” can be defined as the difficulty in reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. Common indicator of a person with dyslexia is they are confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.

“Dyscalculia” is associated with difficulties in math. It makes it hard to do maths or anything relating to maths whether basic or abstract problems. Some experts estimate 5 to 10 percent of people might have dyscalculia.

“Dysgraphia” is a nervous system problem that affects the fine motor skills needed to write.

“Auditory Processing” is a hearing problem that makes it hard to hear small sound differences in words, and that often starts in childhood but can be developed later.

“Visual Processing Deficit” is the inability to make sense of information taken in through the eyes, and lastly, “Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder” is classed as a mental health disorder which results in hyperactive or impulsive behaviors. There are various signs which range from problems with reading, writing and or math, problems paying attention, having a hard time listening and poor memory as well as others.

These disabilities can be as a result of poor prenatal care or injury, family history, substance abuse, trauma, and the list continues. We must understand though that not all persons who present these signals are suffering from a learning disability. A trained professional such as, depending on the issue, clinical, school or developmental psychologist, an occupational therapist or a speech and language therapist, can through a series of tests, diagnose whether or not a child or an adult is suffering from a learning disability. 

Now that we are aware of the most common learning disabilities, let’s move to discuss its effect on adulthood. Learning disabilities do not only affect young children but can continue even to adulthood. These children with learning disabilities do in fact grow to become ‘adults’ with learning disabilities. Many of the difficulties experienced in childhood continue into and throughout adulthood.

One does not outgrow their learning disability, however, there are strategies that can help them to improve in the challenging areas. Learning disability as a child versus being an adult. As was said earlier, if not detected early, learning disabilities can also interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time planning, abstract reasoning, long or short term memory and attention. On the one hand, some individuals with these disabilities have become productive members of society, while, on the other hand, others find them-self to gain nothing more than continued failure.

Helping individuals with learning disabilities to become successful can be achieved through:

1. Self-awareness - being aware of the type (s) of learning disabilities that he or she has and the challenges that he or she will face gives a sense of understanding which guides them through life. Don’t hide their disability from them, instead, talk to them about it. As Malala Yousafzai said, the best way to fight problems and to fight against war, is through dialogue.
2. Pro-activity -being made aware of the challenges brings new strength in most cases. Becoming actively involved in community, in school and whatever positive movement around, helps to shape outlook on life. 
3. Perseverance - instead of always ‘I can’t’, develop an ‘I can or I will’ attitude. Always highlighting the negative of your challenges will cause greater failure.It is said that many persons who have learning disabilities succeed because of the hardships that they went through. 
4. Goal-setting - setting goals for specific things in life can help to boost morale and promote perseverance as well. One should be mindful though, that the goals should be set in a way where they are flexible and can be adjusted depending on whatever situation may arise.
5. The presence and use of effective support systems, and Emotional coping strategies can be discussed as one. Everything starts from the home. If during hardships it is difficult to get support from those closest to you, how then will you expect to get it from those in society with whom you are not familiar. Learning starts from home and a child’s self-esteem starts from home.

Persons with learning disabilities look no different from those who do not have a physical disability and for this reason persons with learning disabilities find it useful to be able to blend into society as their illness is not something that you can see. It is thus imperative that we as individuals see the importance of understanding such disabilities and find ways in which we can to help those in need. Learning disabilities do not only affect young children but can continue even to adulthood.

A learning disability is not something to shun or be afraid of. Those living with such disabilities have it more difficult than you most times. They find it difficult to cope with the everyday curriculum and as such grow to become adults with the same disabilities. We should also remember to be thankful to our Government for its action in creating facilities to aid with learning disabilities. We as members of society can also do our part in also helping these individuals. A disability does not define the person. We are all able to overcome our ‘shortcomings’ and become respectable and productive members of society.

Citations:

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  Buckr. (2018, June 12). ACCEL Programs. Retrieved from https://www.accel.org/
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  Disability & Psychoeducational Studies: College of Education - University of Arizona. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.coe.arizona.edu/dps
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  Disability Categories. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.azed.gov/specialeducation/disability-categories/
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  Life Success For Students With Learning Disabilities: A Parent's Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/12836/
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  The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60
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  Types of Learning Disabilities. (2020, March 29). Retrieved April 9, 2020, from https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/
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  What are some signs of learning disabilities? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning/conditioninfo/signs
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  Writers, S. (2018, October 30). Support for College Students With Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/college-planning-with-learning-disabilities/