What are the signs of specific learning difficulties?

Specific learning difficulties are neurological disorders or disabilities that may run in families. People often have multiple diagnoses, such as dyslexia and ADHD.

They can be diagnosed by a psychologist after a child or adult has had at least six months of targeted intervention. It's also important to check hearing and eyesight before pursuing an assessment for a specific learning difficulty.

Here are the main types of learning difficulties.

Dyslexia is the most common learning difficulty which impacts on accurate and fluent word recognition. People with dyslexia have trouble working with the sounds in language and the written form of language.

According to SPELD NSW, between 5-10 per cent of the population have dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a neurological disorder or disability. It is not related to a person's intelligence or their eyesight.

With explicit and structured instruction in phonemic awareness and other essential skills for reading students can improve their reading skills. They often need tutoring with a systematic synthetic phonics program and decodable reading books to learn to read.

People with dysgraphia have difficulties with handwriting, spelling, grammar, punctuation and organisation of written tasks. Some of the signs include a poor pencil grip, slow, laborious and illegible handwriting, poor working memory and inaccurate spelling.

Students with dysgraphia also benefit from systematic synthetic phonics and structured, explicit instruction in spelling, grammar and written expression. They may need extra time to complete tasks and may need scaffolded writing tasks. word processor predictive spelling and speech to text technology can also help.

Occupational therapists can also diagnose difficulties with hand writing and fine motor skills.

People with dyscalculia have difficulty with manipulating numbers and learning mathematical facts. They have difficulty recognising numbers and doing basic maths skills such as counting, sequencing and operations.

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Explicit and structured instruction in mathematics can improve a person's mathematical skills. Early intervention is key so a student doesn't fall behind. Dyscalculia can be a source of anxiety for students, especially as they get older and the maths problems get more complicated.

Students with dyscalculia may need software, apps or calculators to assist them. Breaking problems into step and providing memory aids can help students do their school work.