Learn about the types of learning difficulties

Learning difficulties sometimes may not be what you want - there is no doubt that every family wants their children to achieve academic excellence as well as progress in personal and professional life. From the first moments of knowing that a child is coming into the family’s life

Parents start to make wishes for children’s education, upbringing, etc. Learning difficulties may come as a temporary obstacle that affects academic achievement in some subjects such as mathematics, reading, writing, etc.

But with the right care and methods to treat learning difficulties, students, whether children or adults, will be on the right path for them.

Definition of learning difficulties

Learning disabilities are a variety of problems or disorders that, if treated properly, a person can overcome. People who suffer from learning disabilities are not lacking intelligence or motivation , or are lazy or stupid. 

People with learning difficulties have normal intelligence, but their brains receive information differently than normal people. This difference affects the reception, processing, speed of remembering and dealing with information, which affects problems in learning new skills. Learning difficulties are problems that accompany the person not only during the school years, but they accompany the person throughout life.

Learning difficulties do not only affect the person in terms of study and academics, but also affect the daily activities of the individual’s life and forming friendships. Therefore, helping people with learning difficulties is not just about organizing study programs. They need real and continuous support from their family on an ongoing basis.

Read more about: What are learning difficulties in children and how can mothers deal with them?

Types of learning difficulties and their symptoms

Types of learning difficulties are summarized as follows:

Section One: Developmental Learning Difficulties

Section Two: Academic Learning Difficulties

First, we would like to know what is meant by developmental learning difficulties.

Developmental learning difficulties

It refers to the growth of a set of abilities, which are represented by mental abilities - and the processes responsible for academic, personal, social and professional adjustment. The types of developmental learning difficulties are represented.

Types of developmental learning difficulties

Developmental learning difficulties are represented in - Basic developmental learning difficulties are represented in

• Attention difficulties 
• Difficulties perception
• thinking difficulties
• Difficulty remembering
• Problem solving difficulties

Developmental learning difficulties were arranged according to the previous order because attention is the first step in the learning process. Without attention, perception does not occur, etc., which results in a decline in the students’ level in the academic subjects of reading, writing, etc.

Developmental learning difficulties sections

It is worth noting that developmental learning difficulties have been divided into two sections:

• Basic or primary learning difficulties include (attention - memory - perception)

• Secondary learning difficulties include (thinking and oral language)

It is worth noting that developmental learning difficulties appear at the stage of Early childhood and later stages. Developmental learning difficulties are represented in the performance or scientific application of certain activities. This may occur due to a deficiency in some cognitive processes. What is meant by cognitive processes are: the processes that help people analyze and simplify matters, which affects the process of comprehension and understanding in the child in performing the basic skills required of him. We must understand well that physical disabilities or speech problems - hearing - visual problems - mental disabilities - movement problems are not considered developmental learning difficulties. 

Primary learning difficulties

A quick review can be done by defining the types of developmental learning difficulties previously mentioned in the article above, and detailed articles will be provided to you about each type of learning difficulties and the proposed treatment for it later. We will start with the basic or primary learning difficulties, which include:

Attention difficulties

It is related to focusing attention so that the child can learn. He must have attention, but attention difficulties appear when the child is exposed to distributing attention among several things, which exposes the child to distraction and thus difficulty learning attention, and it is difficult for the child to focus his attention on a specific task.

Symptoms:

• Distraction: Difficulty staying focused on a task for long periods of time, where attention is quickly distracted.

• Poor listening and following: Difficulty listening to instructions or following activities on a regular basis.
• Rapid forgetting: Difficulty remembering information and details for long periods, even if the information is important.
• Hyperactivity: Periods of excessive activity or movement, especially in children.
• Slow response: Difficulty responding immediately to stimuli or changes in the environment.

• Attention to detail: Difficulty paying attention to fine details or performing tasks that require intense attention.

Memory difficulties

It is related to the child's inability to remember information well - Memory is the storage of information and experiences and retrieving them when needed. Developmental learning difficulties related to memory affect this ability, which also affects the child's ability to comprehend and perform tasks - Children who suffer from memory learning difficulties have difficulty remembering the sounds of letters and visual memory - difficulty retrieving images or shapes of letters

Symptoms:

• Losing things: Having difficulty remembering where things are or losing things regularly.

• Mental fatigue: A feeling of extreme tiredness after trying to use memory for long periods.
• Frequent forgetfulness: Difficulty remembering everyday information or recent events.
• Difficulty concentrating: Memory difficulties can cause you to lose focus and attention while trying to remember information.
• Poor short-term memory: Difficulty storing information for short periods and retrieving it effectively.

• Delayed learning: Poor memory can affect the ability to understand and absorb academic material effectively.

Perceptual difficulties

Perceptual learning difficulties are represented by difficulty in perceiving the directions or instructions that guide children’s behavior and help develop it, which limits the development of children’s behavior, as the child with perceptual difficulties loses the ability to understand and interpret the things around him.

On the other hand, secondary developmental learning difficulties are represented by disorders of thinking and problem-solving, represented in arithmetic operations, verification, evaluation, reasoning, thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making, which are caused by a lack of information or a lack of self-confidence and dependence on others.

Symptoms:

• Slow information processing: Difficulty absorbing and processing information effectively, leading to a delay in understanding ideas and concepts.

• Difficulty distinguishing details: Difficulty distinguishing subtle differences between information, whether in reading or interacting with the environment.

• Problems with logical thinking: Difficulty understanding causal relationships and thinking logically.

• Mental organization challenges: Difficulty organizing thoughts and mentally organizing daily tasks.

• Challenges in mathematical learning: Difficulty understanding and performing mathematical and arithmetic operations.

Academic learning difficulties

Show Academic learning difficulties in students' school performance, so they are called academic learning difficulties. Academic learning difficulties appear in some academic subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics.

Academic learning difficulties are considered a result of developmental learning difficulties. Most children who face academic learning difficulties suffer from developmental learning difficulties such as mental processes related to attention, concentration, and memory.

Types of academic learning difficulties

Academic learning difficulties affect the student’s ability to learn academic subjects and acquire educational skills in some subjects. The types of academic learning difficulties are as follows:

Reading difficulties

Reading difficulties are known as dyslexia and are represented by a decrease in the student's ability to read, accompanied by slowness and difficulty in spelling and understanding words and phrases, which affects the acquisition of reading skills and thus writing. Often, children who suffer from these difficulties tend to avoid reading and writing and trying to learn.

Symptoms:

• Poor word discrimination
• decline in reading comprehension
• slow reading rate
• Quick fatigue while reading
• distraction while reading

writing difficulties

Writing difficulties are known as dysgraphia and are represented by a decrease in the student’s ability to write correctly and also affect the student’s ability to think while writing.

Symptoms:

• Difficulties with spelling and dictation.
• Slow writing process.
• Difficulty constructing sentences correctly according to grammar rules.
• Feeling nervous and hesitant when trying to write.
• Difficulty in arranging ideas and sentences in a logical and sequential manner.

Math difficulties

Math difficulties are known as dyscalculia and are represented by the student’s decreased ability to deal with arithmetic operations and numbers and to comprehend their value and affect learning facts related to numbers and arithmetic operations and dealing with numbers easily.

Symptoms:

• Difficulty performing basic arithmetic operations accurately and quickly.
• Difficulty remembering mathematical laws and formulas.
• Hesitation in solving mathematical problems.
• Decline in academic performance and comprehension abilities.

Difficulties with spelling and written expression

Difficulties with spelling and written expression are known as dysgraphia and are represented by the student’s decreased ability to remember the motor sequence of writing letters - words - lack of proficiency in using writing rules such as spelling, morphology and grammar.

Symptoms:

• Difficulty choosing and using appropriate words to express ideas.
• Difficulty expressing ideas clearly and attractively.
• Difficulty developing stories or articles in a creative way.
• Difficulty writing words correctly and spelling them accurately.

Difficulty moving - hyperactivity and inattention

Difficulty in movement, known as dyspraxia, is represented by lack of balance and lack of coordination and coordination of body and hand movements. They suffer from sensory integration disorder, which includes simple and complex movements.

Symptoms:

• Emotional behaviors such as unexplained mood swings or lack of emotional control.
• Poor time management.
• Quickly distracted with or without external stimuli.
• Constant need for movement and difficulty staying still for long periods.
• Poor planning, daily organization, and adherence to a specific schedule.

dysarthria

Difficulty in speaking, known as dysphasia, is represented by difficulty in pronouncing and speaking - understanding the speech of others - poor reading

Symptoms:

• Repeating words or sentences unexpectedly.
• Stuttering and slurred speech.
• Social avoidance.
• Difficulty expressing thoughts or feelings clearly.
• Delayed development of speech skills.

It is important to know the type of learning difficulty your child suffers from and the symptoms of each type in order to consult a specialist doctor, so that you can deal with your child effectively. It is also important to know the level of difficulty your child suffers from, because not all children have the same type or level of these difficulties. Parents and teachers must work with experts to develop an individual educational plan that suits the student's needs and helps him achieve his potential.
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