Child Assessment & Testing - Learning Difficulties and Disabilities in Children
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Behavioural Disorders
- Developmental Delay
- Dyslexia
- Emotional Disorders and Trauma
- Intellectual Disability
- Learning Difficulty/Disability
Learning Difficulties and Disabilities in Children
Expert learning difficulty assessment with child and developmental psychologists
A learning difficulty or learning disability for children refers to a child's poor school performance that is not attributable to intellectual ability, physical disability, emotional disturbance or severe economic hardship. The prevalence of children with learning disabilities in Australian classrooms is relatively high with about 5-10% of students being affected. While some learning disability subtypes run in families (e.g., Dyslexia), suggesting the presence of a genetic component, the exact causes are unknown.
Our approach to helping children with learning difficulties is based on accurate recognition of their problem areas and evaluation of the extent of their difficulties through clinical/diagnostic assessments. We believe in prevention, that the earlier learning difficulties are recognised the more parents and teachers can help children to reach their full potential.
WHAT WE OFFER
At CPAC our psychologists provide reliable diagnoses of learning difficulties and disabilities in children. When possible, we try to identify psychosocial areas in children's lives that can reduce their difficulties and will make specific recommendations to overcome such difficulties. Upon request we will also liaise with teachers and schools and we will help to design a suitable program for your child to reach his/her potential.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
Learning disability can result from disruption to any stages of the learning process. Specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the learning processes associated with language use (written or spoken) that affects listening, reading, writing, speaking and spelling skills, or mathematical abilities.
Children with learning difficulties can also be susceptible to hyperactivity, impairments in perceptual-motor coordination, disorders of attention (ADHD), impulsivity, disorders of memory and language problems. Specific learning disabilities are Dyslexia or problems with reading, Discalculia or problems with mathematical calculations and Dysgraphia or problems with spelling and writing.
READING DISABILITY
Reading disability (or Dyslexia) is associated with problems acquiring reading skills. The most common representation of reading disability is poor letter-sound awareness. Children with reading disability often cannot "hear" written language and fail to associate letters and words with sounds. This leads to significant difficulty learning to read, as words and sentences are just symbols on a page. Another form of reading disability is understanding text and deriving meaning from written information. Children might be able to learn how to read fluently, but only understand small parts of the text.
DISABILITY OF WRITTEN EXPRESSION
The most common form of disability of written expression is poor spelling. Children who struggle to learn and understand the rules behind spelling often try to spell phonetically. This approach leads to poor writing and poor school performance. Another form of written language disability is the difficulty of putting thoughts into a written format. Children might be able to express their ideas verbally, but struggle to write them down. Again, this leads to poor school performance. When writing is influenced by poor fine motor skills, we are talking about "Motor Dysgraphia".
MATHEMATICS DISORDER
Apart from problems with mathematical calculations, mathematics disorder is also associated with general difficuty thinking about numerical concepts. Timetables, dates, and activities involving counting can be difficut for children with mathematics disorder.
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