Hey, good afternoon! ,
I thought it would be a good idea to explore A parents guide to SpLD…. Dyslexia and Dyscalculia
SpLD rarely occur one difference at a time.
A child may have other SpLD mixed into the pot, such as Dyspraxia - rather undiplomatically nicknamed ' clumsy child syndrome, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD a behavioural disorder that includes symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness), Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia (this effects handwriting and fine motor skills involved with writing)
A combination of these SpLD will affect a child's learning to a lesser or greater degree.
Dyslexia is one of the more well known SpLD, people seem sort of familiar and perhaps a little comfortable with Dyslexia. Its been around for quite a while but not recognised until recently as a learning 'difficulty'.
When I was at school, children who couldn't read well were considered 'behind' or 'slow'. It's good to know times have moved on and we now realise that these children are neither but require more time and good specialist teaching.
Dyslexia seems to be understood better - maybe this is because famous successful people, Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson and Tom Cruise to name a few are 'coming out ' as Dyslexic.
Dyscalculia research isn't quite so far in its recognition journey . It's often referred to a ' like Dyslexia but with numbers,' which to most people is sufficient description.
Your child with dyscalculia may demonstrate
There are challenges in common with Dyslexia and of course EVERY child is different so their combination will be individual to that child.
And children develop different strategies for themselves to cope with their learning style.
It's not a case of one size fits all!!
As with Dyslexia a specialist Dyscalculia assessor will be able to pin point your child's differences. There are screeners online which may signpost Dyscalculia difficulties but a thorough individualised assessment will be invaluable.
Next blog ..…… Dyslexia and the other SpLD
Enjoy your week!!