Learning disabilities, or learning disorders, are really umbrella terms for a wide variety of learning problems. Learning disabilities are neurological and can manifest in numerous ways.

Specifically, someone who has a learning disability finds it challenging to acquire knowledge and skills that are on par with their age group.

It is important to note that those with learning disabilities are no less “smart” than their peers, they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information when they are left to themselves to figure things out or when they are taught using standard methods.

They simply see and process things differently than those without learning disabilities.

As mentioned above, learning disabilities are neurological. Although they cannot be cured or fixed, with the right diagnosis and testing, those with learning disabilities can find help. In addition, there is some evidence to suggest that the brain can change and, with the right learning conditions and support, the brain can reorganize itself by forming new neural connections which can help with skills like reading and writing which the old connections made difficult.  With support and intervention, children and adults with learning disabilities can succeed in school and live successful lives.

Common Types of Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia – Difficulty reading

• Problems reading, writing, spelling, speaking

Dyscalculia – Difficulty with math

• Problems doing math problems, understanding time, using money

Dysgraphia – Difficulty with writing

• Problems with handwriting, spelling, organizing ideas

Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder) – Difficulty with fine motor skills

• Problems with hand-eye coordination, balance, manual dexterity

Dysphasia/Aphasia – Difficulty with language

• Problems understanding spoken language, poor reading comprehension

Auditory Processing Disorder – Difficulty hearing differences between sounds

• Problems with reading, comprehension, language

Visual Processing Disorder – Difficulty interpreting visual information

• Problems with reading, math, maps, charts, symbols, pictures

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Learning disabilities can manifest themselves differently child to child. Some may struggle with reading and spelling while others may read voraciously but have difficulty with math. Some may have difficulty processing and understand what people say to them as well as have difficulty communicating out loud. In addition, children may act out in numerous ways because they are struggling.

Because of the wide variations in learning disabilities, the symptoms and additional behavioral issues, it can be challenging to know specifically what to look for when you are trying to determine if your child has a learning disability or disorder. There are some warning signs that can be more common than others at different stages and ages.

The good news is that once you have your child tested for learning disabilities, there is help and with the right support and training, your child can learn how to improve their learning skills.

Below is a list of common signs and symptoms of learning disabilities. If you think your child may be dealing with a learning disability, contact Dr. Peter Meiland to learn more about learning disability testing.

Preschool Learning Disability Signs

• Problems pronouncing words
• Trouble finding the right word
• Difficulty rhyming
• Trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, days of the week
• Difficulty following directions or learning routines
• Difficulty controlling crayons, pencils, and scissors, or coloring within the lines
• Trouble with buttons, zippers, snaps, learning to tie shoes

Ages 5-9 Learning Disability Signs

• Trouble learning the connection between letters and sounds
• Unable to blend sounds to make words
• Confuses basic words when reading
• Slow to learn new skills
• Consistently misspells words and makes frequent reading errors
• Trouble learning basic math concepts
• Difficulty telling time and remembering sequences

Ages 10-13 Learning Disability Signs

• Difficulty with reading comprehension or math skills
• Trouble with open-ended test questions and word problems
• Dislikes reading and writing; avoids reading aloud
• Poor handwriting
• Poor organizational skills (bedroom, homework, desk is messy and disorganized)
• Trouble following classroom discussions and expressing thoughts aloud
• Spells the same word differently in a single document

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Children are usually tested because they are having problems in school. Testing can pinpoint the areas of difficulty children are having. Students are very different from each other in how they process information. When a “processing deficit” or weakness collides with the skills necessary for good classroom success, a child will have difficulty learning feel very frustrated and confused about why they are having trouble.

A psycho-educational evaluation is conducted in order to isolate the particular deficit (or deficits) that are interfering with learning. A prime example of a learning disorder this is found in “dyslexics”, who often have trouble learning to “sound out” or “decode” the letters and groups of letters they see on a page they are reading. This deficit wasn’t always a problem: around the time of the Civil War in America, every town had a teacher who would write letters to mail, and read incoming mail. Most people could not read or write well. In comparison, reading is a primary skill for learning in the modern era. Beyond that, students are expected to be strong readers, as well as to be strong in the (complimentary) skill of written expression.

Often, children can read, but not as strongly as they perform in other subject areas. Every child with a learning disorder will “compensate” for their weakness. Often, dyslexic children will sight-read in the early grades, and work around their learning disorder for a while. By middle school, the difficulty of reading material increases, and sight-reading fails as a strategy.

A child may read with poor accuracy, but good comprehension. They may have to read slowly, perhaps to re-read passages more than the child at the next desk. These are common problems diagnosed through testing, and may require ‘extended-time” accommodations and other strategies to enhance learning and performance.

Yes, testing is a very accurate way to isolate the processing deficits of a student, and to clearly show why this “deficit” makes it hard for children to learn certain types of material. It may help to read parts of the sample report on my website, which demonstrate how testing works, and how the connections between scores and observations in an evaluation lead to a diagnosis and recommendations for parents.

Learning-disabled children usually know that something is hard for them. Typically, they believe they are either “stupid” or they are told they are “not trying”. It’s heartbreaking to talk to a child with a learning disability, who has already acquired this label. Sisters and brothers may not be experiencing the same problem. , Usually, a child has no capacity to tell themselves they have a learning disability, so testing is an intervention that can reassure children that they are not at fault, and should not blame themselves for a problem that is a burden to them on a daily basis. Children benefit from testing because it “de-mystifies” them. They learn the real reasons for their struggle. Testing leads to strategies to “work around” their learning disability, and shows how they have already “compensated” for their learning disability” (often by becoming unusually capable in other subject areas). One typical compensation is found when children who read slowly, or with poor comprehension, have very strong abilities to memorize information they hear in the classroom. Their verbal memory is strengthened because they rely on this process to gain and store information, which is hard to learn through reading.

Children are tested most often at three ages:

1. in pre-school, when they may show delays in the development of certain language, motor (movement) or cognitive skills. Often, these children are provided services through their pre-school, and children under the age of 5 are provided with services free of charge through funding by the federal government;
2. around ages 7 or 8, when children move into the core academic skills (reading, math, speaking about ideas in complex ways) that become the basis for classroom instruction and learning for the rest of their academic careers;
3. from ages 15 to 17, when their ability to compensate for their learning disorder may weaken, and the problems become more noticeable to teachers and parents. Children in this group will often require extended-time accommodations and other interventions that will help them demonstrate their true abilities. Happily, there are now a great number of “assistive technologies” that can be downloaded on a phone, to help children overcome their difficulties to some degree.

Many children are re-evaluated in order to continue to receive the accommodations and specialized instruction that has benefitted them. This may happen every four years. If parents are interested in having testing to gain extended-time accommodations on the A.C.T. or S.A.T., this is best done when the child is in 10th or 11th grade, as their accommodations will be covered through at least the first several years of college (and often throughout college).

Testing requires 7 or 8 hours of time meeting with me. I sit across a table from the student and present them with problems and questions that can be scored objectively, and these scores and my clinical observations become the basis of the evaluation. It takes about a week or 10 days for me to prepare the report, and then I meet with a student and their parents to present findings to them. The meetings can be bundled into two or three separate visits, ranging from 3 to 4 hours each, depending on the age and stamina of the student.

The problem with testing is time and money. I charge $4200 for an evaluation, soup to nuts, although I am sometimes able to offer a lower fee to families who cannot afford my full fee. Insurance companies generally view psycho-educational testing as an “educational” service and do not reimburse for testing for this reason. I do not accept any insurance directly for testing or other services.