Specific Learning Difficulties in Younger School-Aged Children

PurposeThe aim of this study is to understand how social barriers might result in people with specific learning difficulties coming in contact with the criminal justice system in the UK. The study seeks to apply the social model of disability to conceptualise a statistical relationship between socio‐economic status and key life events for people with specific learning difficulties (i.e. diagnosis, educational achievements, and employment).Design/methodology/approachA cluster sample was used to obtain statistical data from a questionnaire based survey. The study collected quantitative and qualitative data on the life experiences of people with specific learning difficulties (n=77). The paper analyses the quantitative data and discovers statistically significant relationships (p≤0.05) concerning socio‐economic status, specific learning difficulties and crime.FindingsWithin the data findings age of diagnosis is significantly (p≤0.00) affected when comparing socio‐economic status with the offender and non‐offender group in the study. Furthermore, the educational achievements (p≤0.00) and employment/unemployment levels (p≤0.00) are dramatically altered by socio‐economic status specifically for offenders with specific learning difficulties. These relationships have been conceptualised using the social model of SpLD in terms of barriers to exclusion.Originality/valueTo date very few studies have used the social model of disability to understand pathways into offending for people with learning difficulties. To the author's knowledge this is the first study to apply a quantitative analysis to the concept of disabling barriers and criminality.

In the definition of specific learning difficulties in the first chapter I emphasized that the delay in learning must be ‘unexplained’. It is, therefore, explicit in the definition that the cause of specific learning difficulties is presently unknown. There are few things more frustrating for a doctor to say, or for a parent to hear, than that the cause of a child’s condition is unknown. There is a natural tendency in such situations to alleviate this discomfort by guessing the cause. This is not necessarily bad, as it is by developing theories and devising experiments to test them that our knowledge advances. But the danger is that in our desire to know the cause with certainty, we may come to believe in a theory so strongly that we think of it as a fact. Theories about specific learning difficulties abound. Most are based on the assumption that there is some impairment of brain function. These theories are not mutually exclusive, since each may explain one step in the chain of events that gives rise to specific learning difficulties, as shown in Figure 3.1. Let us look at these theories one by one. These theories attempt to explain the most fundamental aspect of the condition: its primary cause. It is unlikely that a single factor can be responsible for a specific learning difficulty. Rather, it seems that a number of factors must act together. Such causation is known as ‘multifactorial’. There have been two groups of factors that have been suggested in the causation of specific learning difficulties: genetic factors and environmental factors. There is strong evidence for a genetic factor playing a role in the causation of specific learning difficulties. A number of studies have shown that children with specific learning difficulties are more likely to have a close relative with the same specific learning difficulty. No consistent pattern of inheritance has been described: sometimes it seems to be inherited from the mother, at other times from the father. For all types of such learning difficulty, boys outnumber girls by about three to one.

In many cases it is the teacher who first suspects that a child may have a specific learning difficulty. Teachers are able to compare a child’s work and behaviour to that of his peers, and so can often spot a child who is experiencing difficulties before this is noticed by his parents. Sometimes, however, parents are the first to realize that their child may have a problem. There is no completely reliable way of detecting that your child has a specific learning difficulty, but here are some pointers that may alert you to the need for further evaluation of your child’s difficulties. . . . Pointers to a specific learning difficulty . . . It is quite normal for a child to struggle with skills such as reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic in the first year or two of school, but after this period, he should attain a basic level of competence. If your child continues to struggle beyond this period, he may have a specific learning difficulty. This should be suspected if he seems to be out of his depth and is not showing signs of becoming competent in basic academic skills. It may also be apparent to you that he seems brighter than these difficulties in his academic work would suggest. His reading may be slow and hesitant, with elementary errors. When reading, he may make up the story based on the illustrations to cover his difficulties, or he may guess wildly at words. He may be unable to spell the words in his spelling list, despite trying reasonably hard. His writing may remain very immature or illegible despite his best efforts. Another warning sign is a child who can write neatly, but only if he writes at an extremely slow speed. If his arithmetic skills are affected, he will seem to be lost when asked to do the calculations expected of a child in his class. He may have great difficulties understanding the meaning of arithmetical operations such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Another clue that a child may have a specific learning difficulty is speech delay.

Children with specific learning difficulties are known to show risk indicators during the preschool period. In this sense, it is stated that preschool period is a critical period in early diagnosis and intervention of specific learning disabilities. However, it is seen that there are few studies on early diagnosis and intervention of specific learning disabilities in preschool period. Therefore, the aim of this research is determined as the examination of the risk situations of specific learning difficulties in the preschool period in terms of parent, teacher, and child-specific characteristics. This study is a mixed-methods research conducted on the assessment of the skills of preschool children as indicators of specific learning difficulties through different variables from the perspectives of the child, teacher, and parent. The study group of the research consists of 160 children receiving preschool education in the 2021-2022 academic year in the province of Mersin. In this study, the "Teacher Demographic Information Form," "Parent Demographic Information Form," and "Specific Learning Disability Screening Scale for 60-72-month-old children with specific learning difficulties" developed for this study, along with the "Observation Form," were used as data collection tools. In the research, the "Specific Learning Disability Screening Scale" was applied to 160 children, and these children were observed by the researchers. By comparing the scale and observation results in the research, the indicators of specific learning difficulties in children were evaluated, and it was determined that the children showed signs of a risk of specific learning difficulties. Additionally, in this study, it was found that the characteristics of the child, teacher, and parent have an impact on specific learning difficulties. Since preschool children cannot read and write, it is thought that observation, which is a planned and systematic technique, is important in identifying the risk signs of specific learning disabilities.

Drawing on communities of practice and social cognitive learning theories, this paper explores language teachers’ beliefs, knowledge and practices concerning the provision of high-quality education to learners with specific learning difficulties in various educational settings around the world. The data sample for this paper comprises qualitative data (video-recorded interviews and teaching resources) collected from six teachers working across various educational settings (primary, secondary, college and university) across several geographical areas (Europe, Middle East, and Southeast Asia). Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the data. The findings suggest that teachers continue to experience challenges in educating learners with specific learning difficulties regardless of the educational setting. Limited opportunities for receiving specialised training in this area have been identified by several teachers as one of the key factors affecting the quality of their practice. The change in the mode of instruction from face-to-face to online was not always reported as negatively affecting the quality of educational provision to learners with specific learning difficulties. Technology-assisted online lesson delivery was seen as being advantageous to learners with some types of learning difficulties. Findings from this paper can be useful to teacher-practitioners and teacher-educators who are interested in improving the quality of language education for learners with specific learning difficulties.

The academic journey of students with specific learning difficulties undertaking pre-registration nursing programmes in the UK: A retrospective cohort study

Beliefs about learning and physical difficulties were explored in 50 younger children (M = 5.6, SD = 1.0 years) and 50 older children (M = 9.5, SD = 1.1 years). Participants were asked why they thought some children had learning or physical difficulties and whether children with these difficulties would always have them. The majority of older children were able to generate one or more ideas about the causes of learning and physical difficulties, but 58% of the younger children did not know the causes of learning difficulties and 42% did not know the causes of physical difficulties. Younger and older children thought that learning difficulties could be overcome with increased effort on the part of parents, teachers, and child, whereas physical difficulties were believed to be beyond anyone’s control. Results suggest that some aspects of children’s knowledge about causes and outcomes of learning and physical difficulties are limited. Research is needed to determine whether beliefs and misconceptions about learning and physical difficulties are associated with the quantity and quality of interpersonal interactions, and to determine the sources of children’s information as well as the accuracy of these sources.

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to explore how medical students with Specific Learning Difficulties perceive and understand their Specific Learning Difficulty and how it has impacted on their experience of medical training.MethodA purposive sample of fifteen students from one medical school was interviewed. Framework Analysis was used to identify and organise themes emerging from the data. An interpretation of the data was made capturing the essence of what had been learned. The concept of ‘reframing’ was then used to re-analyse and organise the data.ResultsStudents reported having found ways to cope with their Specific Leaning Difficulty in the past, some of which proved inadequate to deal with the pressures of medical school. Diagnosis was a mixed experience: many felt relieved to understand their difficulties better, but some feared discrimination. Practical support was available in university but not in placement. Students focused on the impact of their Specific Learning Difficulty on their ability to pass undergraduate exams. Most did not contemplate difficulties post-qualification.ConclusionsThe rigours of the undergraduate medical course may reveal undisclosed Specific Learning Difficulties. Students need help to cope with such challenges, psychologically and practically in both classroom and clinical practice. University services for students with Specific Learning Difficulties should become familiar with the challenges of clinical placements, and ensure that academic staff has access to information about the needs of these students and how these can be met.

BackgroundTeaching learners with specific learning difficulties requires competent teachers who can provide learning support. Competencies such as identifying learning difficulties, assessing learners, designing interventions such as curriculum differentiation and facilitating referral systems are crucial. However, Senior Phase teachers in South Africa seem to be challenged when it comes to providing learning support. Consequently, learners do not meet the desired learning outcomes.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to explore Senior Phase teachers’ competencies in supporting learners with specific learning difficulties in four mainstream schools.MethodsA qualitative research approach and phenomenological research design were used. Eighteen teachers who were members of the school-based support teams, including learning support educators, were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through individual and focus group interviews, the analysis of support forms and field notes. A thematic data analysis was used to generate findings.ResultsThe thematic data analysis revealed discrepancies relating to participants’ competencies in identifying language difficulties, short-term memory problems and contextual barriers. Also, participants differed in collaborating with peers, social workers, and the district-based support teams. Furthermore, some participants were able to design intervention programmes and facilitate internal and external referral processes.ConclusionThe study concludes that teachers have different competencies in providing learning support. Therefore, the Department of Basic Education should provide a clear practical learning support strategy in the Senior Phase mainstream schools as well as continuous professional development for teachers couple with monitoring.ContributionIt is envisioned that the study will contribute to understanding teachers’ competences in providing learning support for learners with specific learning difficulties in the senior phase. The study advocates for collaborative continuous professional teacher development focusing on interventions programmes to support learners with specific learning difficulties in the mainstream schools.

Specific learning difficulties: a retrospective study of their co morbidity and continuity as early indicators of mental disorders.

This research investigated the expository language skills of young school-age children with the ultimate aim of obtaining normative data for clinical practice. Specifically, this study examined (a) the level of expository language performance of 6- and 7-year-old children with typical development and (b) age-related differences between young and older school-age children. Expository discourse was elicited from two groups of children using the favorite game or sport (FGS) task. Performance of the younger age group (n=61), age 6;0 (years;months) to 7;11, was compared to that of a group of twenty 11-year-old children from an earlier study. Samples were analyzed on measures of verbal productivity, syntactic complexity, grammatical accuracy, and verbal fluency. The FGS task was effective in eliciting text-level discourse from young school-age children. These children produced discourse that resulted in a fairly normal distribution across some of the language production measures. Age-related differences were observed on measures of verbal productivity, grammatical accuracy, and verbal fluency, but not on syntactic complexity. The findings suggest that expository discourse sampling may be a useful addition to a language assessment protocol, even for very young school-age children.

A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effects of supplementation with highly unsaturated fatty acids on ADHD-related symptoms in children with specific learning difficulties

This article presents a need analysis survey result on improving reading skills using interactive multimedia. 46 participants were involved in this study and they were chosen using random sampling. Result shows that there is no significant difference between interactive multimedia and gender by t = -.839, p = .830 (p> .05). Result also shows that there was no significant difference between interactive multimedia and school locations with the value of t = 1.05, p = .885 (p> .05). This finding shows that teachers in urban and rural areas have similar views on developing interactive multimedia learning tools for students with specific learning difficulties. The result of the Pearson correlation test shows a significant r = .321* value (p <.005). These results show that students with specific learning difficulties and needs for developing interactive multimedia tools are positive variables and it also shows a strong influence on the teaching and learning process. Thus, interactive multimedia tools will lead to a significant increase in reading skills among students with specific learning difficulties. Recommendations are made related to the needs of developing interactive multimedia learning tools for intervention program. By using interactive multimedia as instructional tools, students with specific learning difficulties will be able to learn independently in more fun environment. As conclusion, teachers need to move together towards evolution in education and implement a more enjoyable and meaningful learning in their instruction using interactive multimedia tools.

Background: It is a challenging task to teach students who get diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty. Given that they can easily get distracted, they need more support than students without any disability. Accordingly, the use of any instructional technology that could attract their attention might have a positive impact on their learning process. Therefore, it is important to investigate the effects of augmented reality technology which combines real and virtual elements that might attract students’ attention and interest in the learning process of students diagnosed with specific learning difficulties to offer them an effective educational environment. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of augmented reality technology on the learning of science concepts by students with a specific learning difficulty. Methods: A multiple-probe design was implemented for all of the participants. The sample of the study consisted of four sixth-grade students who were diagnosed with specific learning difficulties by general hospitals. One of these students was included in the pilot study and the other three in the main study. Results: The general results of the study showed that augmented reality technology was effective in supporting the learning of students with a specific learning difficulty and these students were willing to use augmented reality technology, finding it attractive. Conclusion: Further studies should investigate the impacts of augmented reality technology on students’ emotional processes. Additionally, the design processes of augmented reality-supported instructional materials can be examined.

This is a book about children like Angela and Michael: intelligent children who have a significant and unexplained difficulty in learning. Each child with such difficulties is unique, but they have enough in common with one another for their condition to be summarized by one collective term. I shall use the term ‘specific learning difficulties’ as an umbrella term for this whole group of disorders. A specific learning difficulty can be defined as: . . . an unexpected and unexplained condition, occurring in a child of average or above average intelligence, characterized by a significant delay in one or more areas of learning. . . . In order to understand this definition fully, a number of important questions must be answered. Which areas of learning are involved? What is a ‘significant delay’? Which other causes of difficulty must be excluded? Let us look at these questions one by one. . . . Which areas of learning are involved? . . . The areas of learning involved in specific learning difficulties can be divided into two groups. The first group consists of the basic academic skills: reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, and language (both comprehension and expression). These are relatively easy skills to measure, and are of central importance to success at school. The second group contains areas of learning that are also vitally important, but are far less well understood. These involve the learning of skills such as persistence, organization, impulse control, social competence, and the coordination of movements. I shall use the term specific learning difficulty to cover significant delay in any of these areas. Children may have only one area involved, or a number of areas. I am, therefore, using the term ‘learning’ in a broad sense, to include all areas of learning, not only academic areas. There are good reasons for grouping all these difficulties together. It has been well established that difficulties in these different areas of learning are closely related. They often coexist in the same child, they are all more common in boys, they all share the same theories of causation, and they all share the same general principles of management.