Many young children experience learning difficulties that improve with time, and most of them are then able to continue learning in a typical environment. However, in some cases, these difficulties do not themselves improve. Between two and four per cent children have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia.
Most cases of learning disabilities are diagnosed only after a child starts going to school.
“When a child goes to school, teachers and parents give them time to adjust but if they aren’t able to read and write simple words even when they reach grade one.. there are hundred magic words in the curriculum which they have to learn by the end of grade one. If they aren’t able to do this, this means they are going behind,” says Paediatrician Dr Raj Khillan.
“The child may say ‘I hate reading’, or if there the child confusing letters, ‘d’ for ‘b’ or reversing them, which is normal when a child starts but if this continues to happen even when they are in grade two, then it’s a sign,” he says.
However, he says these can be identified even before the child starts school.
“When a child goes to the child care or the kinder, they do a lot of stuff like colouring, art, etc. We expect a three-year-old child to know how to draw a circle and four-year-olds to draw a rectangle and square. If a child is struggling with these things before they start school, it may raise a concern,” says Dr Khillan.
He says if these concerns come to the fore, there’s a series of steps to determine whether there’s any other factor that’s distracting the child.
Dr Raj Khillan, Melbourne based paediatrician Source: Supplied
“A paediatrician would be able to check if the fine motor skills, hand and eye co-ordination etc are ok. Another thing to test would be to get the eyesight and hearing assessment done. Because of these things are not ok, the child can’t hear or see properly, how would they learn?”
He says it’s very important to act as soon as such concerns are raised.
“As soon as someone, a carer or a kinder teacher raises any concern, we need to take it seriously. Because longer these problems are left unattended, the worse they get.
“And these problems affect the child’s confidence and self-esteem. The sooner the child is given support, the better it will be for them. There are so many examples, Richard Branson, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and a lot of other well-known people who were dyslexic.
“It’s important that parents don’t let these learning difficulties affect the child’s self-esteem. The child should be encouraged to do what they are good at. Being dyslexic doesn’t mean they can’t be a good businessperson or a good chef or a good athlete.”
