12 December 2023
Recognizing learning disabilities
Reading time: 1,5′
No, it’s not fashion. It is neither the easy solution, nor is it the classic answer to all problems, nor did it come to justify “lazy” students.
I’ve heard it all and it’s all wrong. Learning difficulties are indeed difficulties and involve children who have severe problems with spelling, reading and/or mathematics.
Specifically, according to the Ministry of Health, children with learning disabilities can display the following characteristics:
They read slowly with hesitation, without flow and spell
They omit, add or replace letters in words (eg xichula – crumb)
They do mirror reading (em instead of me)
They have difficulty understanding text
They have difficulty expressing their thoughts in an organized manner
They make a lot of spelling mistakes, smears, don’t put punctuation marks etc
They don’t make good letters
They have difficulty with forms of representational memory (eg tables, series of names, days of the week, etc.)
They have poor vocabulary
They have problems with orientation in space and time
We used to label these kids the bad student and condemn them to the back desks forever. We were rejecting them before they were even old enough to stand a chance. They instinctively closed their doors and hid in their own world where they felt comfortable and convenient.They either became lonely children or tried in other ways to make us pay attention to them and became “annoying” children. But at some point school ended and we the good students… we wondered how our classmate John managed to become a famous actor or an excellent craftsman or a wonderful father while he was one of the “bad” kids in the class.
Children with learning disabilities have a rich emotional world, diverse interests and strong opinions, but it often seems impossible to express them all. A visit to a child development specialist combined with understanding and encouragement from school and family immediately solves the problem.Children gain self-confidence, understand that they are not responsible for their school performance and manage to stand on their own two feet and in their classroom.
Therefore, dear teachers and parents, before you rush to “move” a child to the back desks, observe his behavior and give him the opportunity he deserves!