Often we tend to believe that our children lack interest in certain subjects due to which they are facing difficulties to cope up in their academic growth. But, many times, it's not the way we perceive and the child needs our attention and intervention to address the issue.
Before diving into today’s topic, let me narrate a story to you. There was a boy, who had a hard time understanding the basic concepts of mathematics like place values. Now he was mocked at, laughed at and was pressurised repetitively to correct this concept. He was given heavy homework to practice. Other than this particular difficulty, he is excellent and now he is a working professional in the corporate sector but still, I can see his lower confidence while interacting with us.
Generally lack of knowledge that there is a condition called academic difficulties which has to be identified and addressed at an early stage for smoother growth in the child.
Nowadays, we all are evolving and getting updated but still, there is a stigma, because one of the parents I know was adamant to accept that their child has difficulty in learning due to the tagline of mental health taboo. What we have to educate ourselves is that these are mere conditions which get evolve over time and come out of the trend of labelling the child permanently with certain conditions.
Early identification of academic difficulties can help kids with disabilities to receive the appropriate education, therapy and other services before they fall behind. It is important to know the signs of academic difficulties in order to identify them early on. One of the most important things to be noted is that these difficulties are not due to the lack of interest in academics of your child. In contrast, proper intervention is needed as soon as you identify.
There are many ways in which we can identify the early signs of learning disabilities.
The problems in understanding the basic concept like addition and subtraction.
Problem to hold the attention for a long time.
Problems in the identification of certain letters in the alphabet.
Difficulties in pronouncing certain words and struggling to write the correct spellings.
Difficulty in pronouncing certain words, letters or reading comprehension.
Poor handwriting etc.
Academic difficulties can be categorized into four types: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Dyspraxia. These difficulties affect a person's ability to learn in a traditional classroom setting and early intervention is a must. If you find your child facing these difficulties, feel free to contact me for further consultation.