Learning Disability: Dyslexia
What it is: Trouble with words; difficulty reading
How kids work around it: Avoiding reading, looking at pictures for clues, memorization, watching videos of required books
Things to watch for: Not remembering what was just read (weak comprehension), struggling to pronounce new words, difficulty transferring what is heard to what is seen and vice versa, weak at letter sound discrimination (e.g., pin, pen), poor spelling
Common root cause: Weak phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and manipulate the 45 individual phonemes in the
English language)
Learning Disability: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
What it is: A broad term used to cover a variety of attention deficit disorders, including inattentive ADHD (i.e.,
"ADD"), hyperactive ADHD, and combined ADHD
How kids work around it: For inattentive ADHD, (which is more common in girls than the hyperactive type), they may ask
friends for notes, look up answers online and rely on parental help to stay organized. For hyperactive ADHD, kids may
frequently ask for a bathroom pass or make up excuses to leave their seat.
Things to watch for: Fidgeting, over-activity, squirming in seat, jumping from one activity to another without
completing work, purposeless or non-goal-directed activity
Common root cause: Weak attention skills (sustained, divided, selective, and/or a combination of them)
Disability: Dyscalculia
What it is: Trouble with numbers; math struggles
How kids work around it: Using calculators, looking things up online, looking up answers in the back of the
book
Things to watch for: Confusion over math symbols, reversing or transposing numbers, trouble with sequencing,
difficulty with mental math, trouble telling time and direction, problems grasping and remembering math concepts
Common root cause: Although genetics can play a role, the main cause is generally poor visual processing and memory
skills (i.e., working and long-term)
You'll probably notice that all three of these learning disabilities have a similar root cause: weak cognitive skills.
Also known as brain skills, cognitive skills are an integral part of learning, reading, memorizing and performing, and
they work together to take incoming information and move it into your bank of knowledge.
If you suspect your child has one of these three learning disabilities, consider taking them to a one-on-one brain training
center for a cognitive skills assessment. Once you know which skills are weakest, you can look into one-on-one brain training programs to target and train those weak skills.
LearningRx Charlottesville is a brain training center offering personalized programs that help transform your weaknesses into
strengths. Based on more than 35 years of research and over 20 completed and ongoing studies, LearningRx focuses on seven
underlying skills for essential learning. www.learningrx.com/charlottesville
Disclaimer: Internet Special Education Resources (ISER)
provides this information in an effort to help parents find local special
education professionals and resources. ISER does not recommend or endorse
any particular special education referral source, special educational methodological bias, type of special
education professional, or specific special education professional.