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Help your child with learning problems
Early intervention key to success

All parents know that learning new skills in math and reading are critical for a child’s success in school. What some parents don’t know is that when learning difficulties appear, it’s important to tackle the problem right away, rather than take a wait-and-see approach.

“Learning and academic problems don’t go just go away, and the child doesn’t simply figure things out,” said Kevin Krull, Ph.D., and head of Texas Children’s Clinical Neuropsychology Program. “If skills aren’t mastered, the effects accumulate, and eventually may affect the child’s cognitive ability, lower his or her I.Q. and lead to behavioral and emotional problems.”

As children learn, they pass through three major stages. These stages are:

Acquire new skills. In reading, for example, the first stage is reached when a child learns to attach sounds to symbols (letters). These skills must be mastered by the first or second grade, but children usually begin to acquire this skill as an adult reads to them when they are much younger.
Skill fluency. By 7 to 9 years old, a child must speed up the process of attaching sounds to symbols. This means that the child begins to read letters and simple words and sentences without hesitation.
Apply skills in complex ways. At this stage, a child masters the ability to comprehend meaning in written text and to express ideas in written form, for instance reading a book or writing a report.

Learning disabilities are different from learning delays, added Krull. A young child who isn’t exposed to books, whose parents do not read to him or her, or who comes from a poor educational system, may need a year or two to catch up with peers. However, children with learning disabilities process information inefficiently and fall further and further behind as they fail to progressively master more complex reading or math skills.

Preschool and kindergarten are the best times to intervene when dealing with learning disabilities, said Krull, and some simple clues may alert a caregiver early to potential problems.

Young children at risk for non-verbal learning problems (such as math) will often have difficulty mastering gross or fine motor skills. These children may be clumsy and avoid exploring the space around them as a toddler. They may also have difficulty playing with Legos^® and blocks, drawing, writing or holding colors, snapping buttons or tying shoes.

Young children at risk for verbal learning problems (reading) may have difficulty understanding spoken words or recognizing rhymes. These children may not manipulate sounds during play or follow spoken directions well. For example, when asked, “What rhymes with bat?” these children have trouble forming the answer “rat,” “mat” or “cat.”

If they don’t get help early, children with learning difficulties often develop behavioral problems specific to a particular activity. For instance, a child with a non-verbal learning disability may act out in math class but not in language class. A child with a reading disability may refuse to do his or her homework when it includes reading or writing.

“By middle childhood and into the teens, children with learning difficulties often develop significant behavioral problems, including low self-esteem and depression,” explained Krull. “They are old enough to understand that they’ve fallen behind their peers and they’re afraid of being seen as stupid.”

Older children can be taught how to work around their disability, but it is significantly harder for them to acquire these skills because their brain development has passed a critical period during which learning such skills occurs easily, added Krull.

If you think your child has a learning problem, check these resources for help.

Preschooler: Consult your pediatrician. Make sure you get hearing and vision tests to make sure your child’s eyes and ears are functioning properly. Find a Texas Children's Pediatric Associates pediatrician near you.
School-age child: Call your school and ask about testing or evaluation services.
All ages: Ask your pediatrician for additional sources of reputable information, such as the Learning Disabilities Association of America and other organizations.