Many students face additional challenges when it comes to learning. Some of these challenges are labelled as learning disabilities and include things such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, nonverbal learning disabilities, and oral/written language disorders. The Learning Disabilities Association of America (www.ldaameria.org) has several resources and more information on learning disabilities. Here is a quick summary of some of the learning disabilities:
Dyslexia
- A learning disability that affects reading and language-based processing skills.
- Can impact word recognition, spelling, pronouncing written words, associating letters with the sounds they make, understanding syllables, identifying rhymes, and hearing and identifying a spoken word.
Dysgraphia
- A learning disability that affects handwriting and fine motor skills.
- Can impact legibility of handwriting, remembering how to write certain letters or numerals, speed of writing, sequential finger movements needed to write, and executive functioning (planning, organizing).
Dyscalculia
- A learning disability that affects the ability to understand numbers and learn math facts.
- Can impact estimating a quantity without counting, calculation skills, using processes to solve equations, mental math, remembering steps in a sequence, reading graphs or charts, remembering dates and deadlines, counting change, and navigation skills.
Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
- Learning disabilities that affect the understanding of nonverbal cues.
- Can impact understanding facial expressions or body language, coordination, social abilities/using social language, executive functioning (planning, organizing, emotional regulation), and performing new tasks.
Oral/Written Language Disorder
- Affects the ability to understand written or spoken language.
- Can impact understanding and expressing oral or written language, finding words to express themselves, listening comprehension, understanding how the order of words in a sentence changes the meaning, and comprehending words and sentences.
