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Learning disorders: Know the signs, how to help

Learning disorders can make it hard for a child to read, write or do simple math. Know the symptoms and find out what you can do.

It can be hard to figure out that a child has a learning disorder. Some children have learning disorders for a long time before they are diagnosed. These children can have such a hard time in school that their self-esteem and drive to succeed goes down.

That's why it's a good idea for parents to know the symptoms of learning disorders. The sooner you spot the symptoms, the faster you can help your child succeed.

What is a learning disorder?

A learning disorder is present when the brain takes in and works with information in a way that is not typical. It keeps a person from learning a skill and using it well. People with learning disorders by and large have average or above-average intelligence. So, there's a gap between their expected skills, based on age and intelligence, and how they do in school.

Common learning disorders affect a child's ability to:

• Use or understand language.
• Learn other skills that don't involve words.

Reading is based on understanding speech. Learning disorders with reading often are based on a child's trouble understanding a spoken word as a mix of distinct sounds. This can make it hard to understand how a letter or letters represent a sound and how letters make a word.

Problems with short-term memory, also called working memory, can play a role.

Even when basic reading skills are mastered, children may have trouble with the following skills:

• Reading at a typical pace.
• Understanding what they read.
• Recalling correctly what they read.
• Making conclusions based on their reading.

One of the most common types of learning disorders is a reading disorder called dyslexia. It causes you to have trouble picking out different speech sounds in words and learning how letters relate to those sounds.

Writing requires complex skills that involve vision, movement and the ability to process information. A learning disorder in writing, also called dysgraphia, may cause the following:

• Slow handwriting that takes a lot of work.
• Trouble recalling how to form letters, copy shapes and draw lines.
• Handwriting that's hard to read.
• Trouble putting thoughts into writing.
• Written text that's poorly organized or hard to understand.
• Trouble with spelling, grammar and punctuation.

A learning disorder in math, also called dyscalculia, may cause problems with the following skills:

• Understanding how numbers work and relate to each other.
• Doing math problems.
• Learning basic math rules.
• Using math symbols.
• Understanding word problems.
• Organizing and recording information while solving a math problem.

Speech and Language

Children with speech and language disorders can have trouble using and understanding spoken or written words. They may have trouble:

• Reading and writing.
• Doing math word problems.
• Following directions.
• Answering questions.

A variety of speech and language disorders can affect kids. A few examples are:

• Stuttering — trouble saying words or sentences in a way that flows smoothly.
• Articulation errors — difficulty forming certain words or sounds.
• Childhood apraxia — trouble accurately moving the lips, jaw and tongue to speak.

Children with speech or language disorders often can understand and work well with visual information. They also can use visual cues well in social situations.

Nonverbal skills

Children with nonverbal learning disorders often have good basic language skills. They can excel at memorizing words too. But these children may have trouble with some skills that don't involve speaking, such as:

• Perceiving where objects are.
• Understanding abstract concepts.
• Reading people's emotions through facial expressions and other cues.
• Moving the body, also called physical coordination. This type of trouble is known as dyspraxia.
• Fine motor skills, such as writing. This issue may happen along with other learning disorders.
• Paying attention, planning and organizing, as seen in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD).
• Understanding higher-level reading or writing tasks, often appearing in later grade school.

What causes learning disorders?

Things that might play roles in learning disorders include:

• Family history and genes. Having a blood relative, such as a parent, with a learning disorder raises the risk of a child having a disorder.
• Risks before birth and shortly after. Learning disorders have been linked with poor growth in the uterus and exposure to alcohol or drugs before being born. Learning disorders also have been tied to being born too early and having a very low weight at birth.
• Emotional trauma. This could involve a deeply stressful experience or emotional abuse. If either happens in early childhood, it may affect how the brain develops and raise the risk of learning disorders.
• Physical trauma. Head injuries or nervous system illnesses might play a role in the development of learning disorders.
• Poisonous substances. Exposure to high levels of toxins, such as lead, has been linked to a larger risk of learning disorders.

What are the symptoms of learning disorders?

At times, all children have trouble learning and using academic skills. But when the symptoms last for at least six months and don't get better with help from adults, a child might have a learning disorder.

The symptoms of a learning disorder in a child can include:

• Not being able to master skills in reading, spelling, writing or math at or near the expected age and grade levels.
• Trouble understanding and following instructions.
• Problems remembering what someone just said.
• Lacking coordination while walking, playing sports or doing things that use small muscles, such as holding a pencil.
• Easily losing homework, schoolbooks or other items.
• Trouble completing homework and assignments on time.
• Acting out or having defiant, angry or large emotional reactions at school. Or, acting any of these ways while doing academic tasks such as homework or reading.

Seeking help for learning disorders

Early treatment is key, because the problem can grow. A child who doesn't learn to add numbers in elementary school won't be able to do algebra in high school. Children who have learning disorders also can have:

• Anxiety about their grades.
• Depression.
• Low self-esteem.
• Less motivation.

Some children might act out to distract attention from their challenges at school.

If you suspect your child has trouble learning, you can ask the school to check for a learning disorder. Or you can get a private evaluation outside of the school system. A child's teacher, parents or guardian, and health care provider are some of the people who can request an evaluation. Your child will likely first have a general physical exam that checks for vision, hearing or other medical problems that can make learning harder. Often, a child will have a series of exams done by a team of professionals, including a:

• Psychologist.
• Special education teacher.
• Occupational therapist.
• Social worker or nurse.
• Speech and language specialist.

These professionals work together to decide whether a child's trouble meets the definition of a learning disorder. They also figure out what special-education services are needed if the child has a disorder. The team bases its decisions on:

• The results of tests.
• Teacher feedback.
• Input from the parents or guardians.
• A review of how the child does in school.

A child's health care provider also might do tests to look for mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and ADHD . These mental health conditions can contribute to delays in academic skills.

For example, some children with ADHD struggle to finish classwork and homework. But ADHD might not necessarily cause them to have trouble learning academic skills. Instead, it may cause them to have a hard time performing those skills. Many children have ADHD along with a learning disorder.

Treatment options

If your child has a learning disorder, your child's provider or school might suggest:

• Extra help. A reading specialist, math tutor or other trained professional can teach your child ways to do schoolwork, study and get organized.
• Individualized education program (IEP). This written plan sets learning goals and describes the special-education services your child needs. Public schools develop IEPs for students whose challenges meet the school system's guidelines for a learning disorder. In some countries, IEPs are called individual education plans.
• Changes in the classroom. These are also known as accommodations. For instance, some students with learning disorders get more time to complete work or tests. They may be asked to do fewer math problems in assignments. And they may get seated near their teachers to boost attention. Some students are allowed to use gadgets. These could include calculators to help solve math problems and programs that turn text into speech you can hear. The school also might be willing to provide audiobooks to listen to while reading along with a physical copy.
• Therapy. Different types of therapy may help. Occupational therapy might improve writing problems. A speech-language therapist can help with language skills.
• Medicine. Your child's health care provider might suggest medicine to treat depression or anxiety. Medicines for ADHD may help a child's ability to focus in school.
• Complementary and alternative treatments. More research is needed to find out if these treatments work for learning disorders. They include diet changes, use of vitamins, eye exercises and a treatment that works with brain waves called neurofeedback.

Your child's treatment plan will likely change over time. You always can ask the school for more special-education services or classroom changes. If your child has an IEP , review it with the school at least every year. Your child may need less treatment or fewer learning aids over time. Early treatment can lessen the effects of a learning disorder.

In the meantime, help your child understand in simple terms the need for any other services and how they may help. Also, focus on your child's strengths. Encourage your child to pursue interests that boost confidence. Many kids with learning disorders go on to lead successful lives as adults.

Together, these tactics can boost your child's skills. They also use your child's strengths and help with learning in and outside of school.

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• Kliegman RM, et al. Neurodevelopmental and executive function and dysfunction. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 22, 2022.
• Von Hahn LE. Specific learning disabilities in children: Clinical features. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Dec. 23, 2022.
• Kliegman RM, et al. Dyslexia. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 22, 2022.
• Neurodevelopmental disorders. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5-TR. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2022. https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org. Accessed Dec. 23, 2022.
• Fisher P, et al. Systematic review: Nonverbal learning disability. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2022; doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.04.003.
• Learning disorders. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. https://www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/facts_for_families/fff-guide/Children-With-Learning-Disorders-016.aspx. Accessed Dec. 23, 2022.
• Von Hahn LE. Specific learning disabilities in children: Evaluation. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Dec. 23, 2022.
• Feldman HM, et al., eds. Learning disabilities. In: Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics. 5th ed. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 23, 2022.
• Learning disabilities. Pediatric Patient Education. https://publications.aap.org/patiented. Accessed Dec. 23, 2022.
• Fu W, et al. A social-cultural analysis of the individual education plan practice in special education schools in China. 2020; doi:10.1080/20473869.2018.1482853.
• Patil AU, et al. Neurofeedback for the education of children with ADHD and specific learning disorders: A review. Brain Sciences. 2022; doi:10.3390/brainsci12091238.
• Language and speech disorders in children. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/developmentaldisabilities/language-disorders.html. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• What are the treatments for learning disabilities? National Institutes of Health. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning/conditioninfo/treatment. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• Other concerns and conditions with ADHD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/conditions.html#LearningDisorder. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• Hoecker J (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Jan. 23, 2023.

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Homework Help for Reluctant Children

• Posted October 15, 2018
• By Heather Miller

It’s hard to fault the child who resists doing homework. After all, she has already put in a long day at school, probably been involved in afterschool activities, and, as the late afternoon spills into evening, now faces a pile of assignments. Parents feel it, too — it’s no one’s favorite time of day.

But despite its bad rap, homework plays an important role in ensuring that students can execute tasks independently. When it’s thoughtfully assigned, homework provides deeper engagement with material introduced in class. And even when it’s “just” worksheets, homework can build the automatic habits and the basic skills required to tackle more interesting endeavors. Finally, homework is a nightly test of grit. Adult life brings its share of tasks that are both compulsory and unenjoyable. Developing the discipline to fulfill our responsibilities, regardless of whether they thrill us, begins in middle childhood.

So how to help the avoidant child embrace the challenge, rather than resist it?

The first step, especially with kids 13 and under, is to have them do their homework at a communal space, like a dining room or kitchen table. If other children are in the home, they can all do their homework at the same table, and the parent can sit nearby to support the work effort. This alleviates some of the loneliness a reluctant child might associate with assignments. The alternative — doing homework at a bedroom desk — can result in the child guiltily avoiding the work for as long as possible. Like all forms of procrastination, this has the effect of making the entire process take much longer than it needs to.  

When parents turn the homework ritual into a series of conversations about what needs to be done, how, and for how long, children feel less “alone” with their nightly work, they relish the company and support of their parent, and they work better and more efficiently.

Many parents are under the impression that they shouldn’t have anything to do with their children's homework. This comes from schools emphasizing that homework is a child's responsibility, not the parents'. While it is absolutely true that parents should not do their children's homework, there is a role for parents — one that's perhaps best described as “homework project manager.” Parents can be monitoring, organizing, motivating, and praising the homework effort as it gets done. And yes, that means sitting with your child to help them stay focused and on task. Your presence sends the message that homework is important business, not to be taken lightly.

Once you’re sitting down with your child, ask him to unload his school bag and talk you through his various assignments. Maybe he has a school planner with all his homework listed, or a printout from school, or perhaps his work is listed on the classroom website. Many children attend an afterschool program where, in theory, they are doing homework. They’ll often claim that they’ve done all their homework, even though they’ve only done some. Together, make a quick and easy “Done/To Do” list. Writing down what she has finished will give her a sense of satisfaction. Identifying what she still needs to do will help her to focus on the remaining assignments. Over time, this practice will help your child build an understanding that large tasks are completed incrementally.

Next, ask your child to put the assignments in the order he’d like to do them. Encourage him to explain his thinking. Doing this helps a child feel in control of the evening’s tasks and prompts him to reflect on his work style. Discuss the first task of the night together. Ask your child to think about the supplies he is likely to need, and ensure they’re at the ready. This “pre-work” work helps a child think through a task, understand it, and prepare to execute it with gusto.

Last but not least, introduce a timer to the evening’s proceedings. Challenge your child to estimate how long the first assignment will take. Then ask, “Do you want me to set the timer for the full amount of time you think you’ll need, or a smaller amount?” Then, set the timer with the understanding that the child must work without interruption until the timer goes off. Even questions are verboten while the timer runs. The goal here is to enable the child to solve problems independently, through concentration. This not only builds concentration powers, it builds creativity, critical thinking, resilience, and resourcefulness. In my experience, the theatricality of being timed helps relax children who would otherwise feel daunted by a mountain of homework.

As each piece of work gets done, parents can add meaningful positive reinforcement. Exclaiming, “Another assignment done! And done well!” helps your child feel like what they are doing matters.

By turning the homework ritual into a series of conversations about what needs to be done, how, and for how long, children feel less “alone” with their nightly work, they relish the company and support of their parent, and they complete the work much more efficiently and at a higher standard than they might otherwise.

Helping the Homework Resisters

• Have children do their work at a communal table. Stay nearby, to alleviate the loneliness that some kids feel — and to prevent procrastination.
• Ask your child to unload her backpack and talk through assignments.
• Help your child make a "Done/To Do" list.
• Ask your child to put the assignments in the order he’d like to do them. Encourage him to explain his thinking — fostering a sense of control.
• Use a timer. Challenge your child to estimate how long an assignment will take, and ask if she wants to set the timer for that full amount of time, or less. 
• Your role: To monitor, organize, motivate, and praise the homework effort as each piece is done. 

Additional Resource

• More about Heather Miller's work to help parents create healthy routines on weeknights

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Battles Over Homework: Advice For Parents

Guidelines for helping children develop self-discipline with their homework..

Posted September 5, 2012 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

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I would like to offer some advice about one of the most frequent problems presented to me in over 30 years of clinical practice: battles over homework. I have half-jokingly told many parents that if the schools of New York State no longer required homework, our children’s education would suffer (slightly). But, as a child psychologist, I would be out of business.

Many parents accept this conflict with their children as an unavoidable consequence of responsible parenting . These battles, however, rarely result in improved learning or performance in school. More often than not, battles over homework lead to vicious cycles of nagging by parents and avoidance or refusal by children, with no improvement in a child’s school performance. And certainly no progress toward what should be our ultimate goals : helping children enjoy learning and develop age-appropriate discipline and independence with respect to their schoolwork.

Before I present a plan for reducing battles over homework, it is important to begin with this essential reminder:

The solution to the problem of homework always begins with an accurate diagnosis and a recognition of the demands placed on your child. Parents should never assume that a child who resists doing homework is “lazy.”

Every child whose parents or teachers report ongoing resistance to completing schoolwork or homework; every child whose performance in school is below expectations based on his parents’ or teachers’ intuitive assessment of his intellectual potential; and every child who, over an extended period of time, complains that he “hates school” or “hates reading,” should be evaluated for the presence of an attention or learning disorder.

These children are not lazy. Your child may be anxious, frustrated, discouraged, distracted, or angry—but this is not laziness. I frequently explain to parents that, as a psychologist, the word lazy is not in my dictionary. Lazy, at best, is a description, not an explanation.

For children with learning difficulties, doing their homework is like running with a sprained ankle: It is possible, although painful, and he will look for ways to avoid or postpone this painful and discouraging task.

A Homework Plan

Homework, like any constructive activity, involves moments of frustration, discouragement, and anxiety . If you begin with some appreciation of your child’s frustration and discouragement, you will be better able to put in place a structure that helps him learn to work through his frustration—to develop increments of frustration tolerance and self-discipline.

I offer families who struggle with this problem a Homework Plan:

• Set aside a specified, and limited, time for homework. Establish, early in the evening, a homework hour.
• For most children, immediately after school is not the best time for homework. This is a time for sports, for music and drama, and free play.
• During the homework hour, all electronics are turned off—for the entire family.
• Work is done in a communal place, at the kitchen or dining room table. Contrary to older conventional wisdom , most elementary school children are able to work more much effectively in a common area, with an adult and even other children present, than in the “quiet” of their rooms.
• Parents may do their own ”homework” during this time, but they are present and continually available to help, to offer encouragement, and to answer children’s questions. Your goal is to create, to the extent possible, a library atmosphere in your home, again, for a specified and limited period of time. Ideally, therefore, parents should not make or receive telephone calls during this hour. And when homework is done, there is time for play.
• Begin with a reasonable, a doable, amount of time set aside for homework. If your child is unable to work for 20 minutes, begin with 10 minutes. Then try 15 minutes in the next week. Acknowledge every increment of effort, however small.
• Be positive and give frequent encouragement. Make note of every improvement, not every mistake.
• Be generous with your praise. Praise their effort, not their innate ability. But do not be afraid of praise.
• Anticipate setbacks. After a difficult day, reset for the following day.
• Give them time. A child’s difficulty completing homework begins as a problem of frustration and discouragement, but it is then complicated by defiant attitudes and feelings of unfairness. A homework plan will begin to reduce these defiant attitudes, but this will not happen overnight.

Most families have found these suggestions helpful, especially for elementary school children. Establishing a homework hour allows parents to move away from a language of threats (“If you don’t__ you won’t be able to__”) to a language of opportunities (“When” or “As soon as” you have finished__ we’ll have a chance to__”).

Of course, for many hurried families, there are complications and potential glitches in implementing any homework plan. It is often difficult, with children’s many activities, to find a consistent time for homework. Some flexibility, some amendments to the plan, may be required. But we should not use the complications of scheduling or other competing demands as an excuse, a reason not to establish the structure of a reasonable homework routine.

Copyright Ken Barish, Ph.D.

See Pride and Joy: A Guide to Understanding Your Child’s Emotions and Solving Family Problems .

Kenneth Barish, Ph.D. , is a clinical associate professor of Psychology at Weill Medical College, Cornell University.

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