According to Learning Disabilities Online (www.ldonline.com), some of they signs of a learning disability in preschool children include:
- Delayed language development
- Difficulty with pronunciation
- Limited vocabulary, problems finding the correct word to use
- Problems with rhyming
- Delays in learning ABCs, numbers, colors, and shapes
- Easily distracted, hard time focusing, restless
- Difficulty interacting with other children
- Problems following directions
- Delays in fine motor skills
Although not all children with these difficulties have a learning disability, parents will do well to talk with a professional if they are seeing signs of a learning disability or developmental delays.
Learning Styles and Learning Disabilities
More and more research is being completed in the area of learning disabilities and so much more is known and understood today than even just ten or twenty years ago. Teachers are more aware that children learn differently and that by teaching in a variety of styles, with more interactive and multi-sensory lessons, they are reaching more children.
Modifications in teaching styles, by both teachers and parents can immensely help a child learn. All children have a specific learning style. Three main types of learning styles are: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. Many of the adjustments and modifications for children with learning disabilities will take the child’s specific learning style into consideration and create a learning program that incorporates more lessons in that style.
Learning Disabilities in School
Today, there are laws that require schools to take a learning disability into account and to provide children with learning disabilities a better chance of success in school. Both the Individuals with Disabilities Act and No Child Left Behind provide specific regulations for schools and create protections for children struggling with any type of learning disability.
Parents can request evaluations to be completed by the school to determine if a child has a learning disability. If it is found that any type of learning disability is present, accommodations and modifications can be implemented in the classroom to help a child succeed.