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Children can have difficulties learning academic tasks and gaining skills for a variety of reasons. For example: delayed maturation, social and cultural factors, emotional or behavioural problems, low intelligence, trauma or poor or interrupted teaching. Such children are said to have learning difficulties. These challenges may be short term in nature as circumstances change.
Some learning difficulties arise due to chronic health problems such as diminished hearing due to recurring ear infections where a child is unable to distinguish a range of spoken sounds. Difficulties with eyesight or visual skills to see and process written information.
These can all impact on your child’s ability to learn and if you suspect any of these, it is best to see your child’s paediatrician for an assessment. The doctor may also recommend a visit to a specialist such as an audiologist or optometrist to investigate further.
What are Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs)?
Specific Learning Disorders are characterised by a child showing persistent and unexpected learning problems despite their general intelligence, development in other areas, positive learning attitudes and support received through good teaching.
Sometimes SLDs are referred to as Specific Learning Difficulties, or Disabilities or Differences depending upon the context. See What’s the difference between a Specific Learning Difficulty, Disorder, Disability and Differences? for further information.
In all jurisdictions SLDs refer to impairments in reading, writing and/or math which are likely to endure but none the less can be improved through effective intervention.
What matters is the functional impact a learning difficulty has on a student’s capacity to learn. Intervention and accommodations will enable these students to reach their learning potential. The best outcomes for children are achieved when teachers and parents work on this in partnership.
Reading difficulties and what is Dyslexia?
This refers to difficulties that affect the child’s ability to read accurately or understand what is read. One of the most commonly described reading difficulties is dyslexia.
What is dyslexia?
The term dyslexia originates from “dys” meaning “difficulties with” and “lexia” meaning “words”.
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that is neurological in origin (International Dyslexia Association, 2002). Over time there have been different definitions of dyslexia. However, they all discuss difficulties the child has with accurate and fluent word reading and/or poor spelling leading to problems with vocabulary and reading comprehension.
A primary characteristic of dyslexia is a difficulty with phonological awareness. Phonological awareness includes the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. A person with dyslexia will therefore have trouble with reading, spelling and learning to use written language.
Writing difficulties and what is Dysgraphia?
This refers to difficulties that affect the child’s ability to write. Some children will have motor difficulties which affects their handwriting. Others will struggle with processing and sequencing their ideas when writing. It is important to understand the reason for their writing difficulties to identify effective strategies to support them. One of the most commonly described writing difficulties is dysgraphia.
What is dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that is characterised by persistent and unexpected difficulty with written language – its expression, handwriting and /or spelling. Often left undiagnosed, dysgraphia often co-occurs with dyslexia.
There are two sub-types of dysgraphia: 1) Motor-based dysgraphia which is characterised by slow, laboured and even painful handwriting. A child may have great ideas and be able to verbally express themselves but have real difficulty physically writing anything down. 2) Language-based Dysgraphia which is characterised by written work being well below the standard expected relative to other areas of ability. This student may have no difficulty in telling you their ideas, and there may be no issue with the physical act of writing. However there will be a processing and sequencing issue which makes written expression very difficult.
Math difficulties and what is Dyscalculia?
This refers to difficulties that affect the child’s ability to learn mathematics. These can include difficulties in understanding numbers, manipulating numbers, learning mathematical facts and/or understanding math vocabulary, This can be worsened by a child having ‘maths anxiety’. One of the most commonly described math difficulties is dyscalculia.
What is dyscalculia?
Children with dyscalculia have no intuitive sense of numbers. In particular, dyscalculic students will have difficulty in learning number facts and procedures, as well as manipulating and calculating numbers. Even if they do calculate something correctly, they won’t have an innate understanding of why the result is correct. Characteristically, students with dyscalculia are slow to respond to intervention strategies.
Does my child have a Specific Learning Disability?
If your child has the ability to hear and see proficiently, does not have a cognitive delay, has not been subjected to any kind of trauma, major life change or illness, has had some intervention to address a learning difficulty but response has been less than expected, and they show some of the symptoms listed under age appropriate tabs, it is possible they may have a Specific Learning Disability. Click on the appropriate age group tab at the top of the page to see a list of Indicators to watch out for. (Early Learning Years, Primary School Years, Secondary School Years, and Higher Education)
How to find a Dyslexia and SLD friendly school
Many factors will influence the choice of a school for your child. However research shows that there are some indicators to watch out for that are correlated with strong intervention outcomes.
Look for a school culture that demonstrates:
– Strong leadership
– Positive belief and teacher dedication
– Data utilisation and analysis
– Effective timetabling
– Professional development
– Evidenced based intervention programs; and
– Parent involvement
Teaching All Students to Read: Practices from Reading First Schools with Strong Intervention Outcomes (Crawford, E. and Torgesen, J. (2007). Florida Centre for Reading Research)
Where can I learn more?
SPELD’s advisory services can provide help and guidance on whatever learning challenges your child may be going through in school. See Infoline and Live Chat for more information and hours of operation.
SPELD Victoria also holds workshops and Events for Parents/Carers to support your learning about SLDs.
There are many other resources available that can assist you to support your child or young person on their learning journey. Refer to Books and Assistive Technology (applications and other devices) for further information.
Specific Learning Disorders like Dyslexia are usually not diagnosed until a child is of primary school age. However, as a parent or caregiver, you may have concerns about your child long before there is any professional intervention or diagnosis.
As you interact with your child daily, you are ideally placed to notice aspects about your child’s development. Do talk with someone about any ongoing concerns. Your child’s doctor or preschool professional may be the first person to ask about your concerns. You may also want to speak with your maternal and child health nurse; a paediatrician; or a speech pathologist.
Writing down your observations of your child and recording the frequency of any occurrences will assist a professional to refer you to the most appropriate service or professional if needed.
If you feel that your concerns have not been heard, continue to consult another professional or continue to seek advice or information.
The Early Learning Years are a period of rapid development with much learning being acquired through play. However there are some signs that are worth watching out for.
Indicators to watch out for
-Delayed speech development
-Limited spoken vocabulary and recall of common items
-Difficulty with learning nursery rhymes and oral rhyming activities
-Difficulty with simple oral counting games and tasks
-Confusion between directional words such as: left / right and in / out
-Difficulty with tasks requiring working memory such as following instructions and sequencing; like clapping a simple rhythm
-Difficulty with spatial awareness signalled by regular tripping or bumping into things
-Difficulty with gross motor skills such as unusual gait, difficulty with running, unable to climb stairs
-Difficulty with combination tasks such as catching, throwing and kicking or hopping / skipping
-Difficulty with fine motor activities eg: doing up buttons or gripping a pencil.
ELC Teachers may be undertaking basic screening tests during these years to check things such as first sound fluency; letter naming fluency; phoneme segmentation fluency; and nonsense word fluency.
The most important (and fun) thing you can do to ensure your child’s literacy journey gets off to a solid start, is to regularly read to your child during these early years.
Support for parents
It is also important that you also have support for yourself as you deal with your concerns about your child.
Parentline is a free confidential 7 day a week telephone counselling, information and referral service for parents with children from birth to 18 years. Phone 13 22 89.
Make sure that you also have some time away from parenting if you can every so often, to allow you to be refreshed so you can support your child or children as much as possible.
Visit Parentline Victoria for more information.
Useful websites for Early Learning Years
The first three years of primary school focus on teaching children the literacy and numeracy basics. By the end of year 2, there is an expectation that children will have learnt the foundational skills to read, write, count and calculate. However for children with Specific Learning Difficulties, some of these skills will not have been achieved. This means that the transition from learning to read (Prep-Year 2) to reading to learn (Year 3 and up), will be increasingly difficult, and the academic achievement gap between those with Specific Learning Difficulties and those without, will continue to widen if effective interventions are not put in place in the primary school years.
Most Victorian primary schools will conduct screening tests when children enter school. These tests serve the purpose of checking that developmental milestones are being reached, and raising a red flag if they are not. They do not serve the purpose of a diagnostic assessment.
What should you do if you think your child has Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and/or Dyscalculia?
then you should have a discussion with your child’s teacher.
Check what observations she or he has made, and any screening test results they may have conducted. All Victorian public schools conduct screening tests at school commencement. These tests serve the purpose of raising a red flag where there may be developmental or learning difficulties. They do not serve the purpose of a diagnostic assessment for a Specific Learning Disability.
If the class teacher has been observing some of the indicators mentioned above – then some intervention strategies through small group or individual teaching will be required to see if your child “catches up”.
Close co-operation between parent and teacher is essential to support a child with a learning difficulty.
You have a critical role to play here. You can support any intervention strategies in the home environment.
If these interventions don’t appear to be producing the expected level of progress – then you may wish to consider a full diagnostic assessment which will give you a comprehensive learning profile – both the strengths and challenges. Refer Full and Partial Assessments for more details.
If six months intervention has failed to produce the expected level of progress, then it is certainly time to act. Not doing so is not in your child’s best interests.
Discovering that your child has a Specific Learning Disability can initially be confronting, confounding and confusing. It can feel like you have landed “on the moon without a map”! A full diagnostic assessment will give you a map to navigate a pathway forward.
A diagnostic assessment will also help you to advocate for your child’s learning needs, until such time as they can be their own advocate.
Next steps
Once you have your child’s diagnostic assessment report – ask for a meeting with your class teacher. Find out what services and resources are available within the school to support your child’s learning. Together, make a plan. The assessment can be the basis of cooperative action with your child’s teacher to achieve the best progress for your child. Make sure you are clear what is expected of you, your child and the teacher. Plan for follow-up meetings to check progress. Building a team of informed and committed adults around your child is your goal.
Remember you are at the start of a long-term journey. So be purposeful, patient and where appropriate, share any learnings you have along the way with your class teachers. Teachers are busy people too!
Occasionally a school may appear non-responsive and not listening to your concerns. You may have had an assessment but no intervention is being implemented through the school. If you need support to advocate for your child, consider using SPELD Victoria’s Advisory and Advocacy Services.
Question: What changes when a child transitions from primary to secondary school?
Answer: Just about everything!
For young people who have diagnosed Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) there is a whole additional layer of complexity to navigate in their secondary school lives. Having different teachers for each subject means communicating a student’s learning needs becomes more complex and more essential.
The best transition will see an effective handover from the Year 6 teacher to the Year 7 class coordinator. If your child is changing schools at this point, aim to take with you a report from the Year 6 teacher to inform the Year 7 coordinator about your child’s situation.
The parent/guardian and student should take every opportunity given to inform their teachers about the diagnosis and the recommended interventions and accommodations.
If no opportunities are made available, then request a meeting with the year or class coordinator. Failing this, request a meeting with the Vice Principal or Principal.
For young people with unrecognised or undiagnosed SLDs, transitioning to secondary school is about to make life a whole lot tougher. Without intervention, the learning gap that was identified in the Primary Years will continue to widen.
Accommodations that can be provided to students who have diagnosed disabilities may or may not be made available to students without a diagnosis in Years 7-10, and won’t be made available for those undertaking VCE.
To change this situation, read on.
What to do if you think your child has Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and/or Dyscalculia
then you should have a discussion with your teenager’s year coordinator as soon as possible.
Bring to this discussion any screening test results that may have been conducted in prior years, or any observations and reports that previous teachers have made.
Also important for this discussion will be information on any prior intervention strategies through small group or individual teaching, and whether or not these interventions helped your teenager “catch up”.
If these interventions didn’t produce the expected level of progress – then you may wish to consider a full diagnostic assessment which will give you a comprehensive learning profile – both the strengths and challenges. Refer Full and Partial Assessments for more details.
If six months of intervention has failed to produce the expected level of progress, then it is certainly time to act. Not doing so is not in your child’s best interests.
Discovering that your child has a Specific Learning Disability can initially be confronting, confounding and confusing. It can feel like you have landed “on the moon without a map”! A full diagnostic assessment will give you a map to navigate a pathway forward.
Navigating secondary school with a Specific Learning Difficulty
By secondary school, teenagers are gradually becoming their own advocate for their learning needs at school. Parents/guardians can support them in this. The evidence base of a diagnostic assessment will also help them to be able to advocate for their own learning needs, as it will affirm what they are already experiencing.
However close co-operation between parents/guardian and the year coordinator is also essential to support a teenager with a learning difficulty. This will be especially helpful if the nature of the interventions need to change over time. Equally, it is important if your teenager is dealing with any self-esteem issues.
If your teenager has just had a diagnostic assessment report – ask for a joint meeting with the year coordinator. Find out what services and resources are available within the school to support your teenager’s learning. Together, make a plan. The assessment can be the basis of cooperative action with your teenager’s teachers to ensure appropriate accommodations are in place. This will support the best learning progress. Make sure you are clear what is expected of you, your teenager and the teacher/s. Plan for follow-up meetings to check progress. Building a team of informed and committed adults around your teenager is your goal.
Transitioning to secondary school is the start of a new learning journey. So be supportive and patient. Stay engaged and keep informed. Where appropriate, share any learnings you have along the way with the relevant teachers.
Approaching VCE or VET
Secondary school in Victoria leads to one of three accredited senior secondary certificates namely: 1) Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE); 2) Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL); and 3) International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD).
Students with diagnosed Specific Learning Disorders (or Disorders) who are undertaking VCE or VCAL are able to apply for Special Provisions and accommodations. An application for Special Provision should be made well ahead of time.
VCAA (Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority) commenced a Special Provisions Review in 2014. The outcomes of the Review are scheduled to be published by the end of 2017.
You can find more information by clicking links below:
VCAA Special Provisions Review
An adult with Specific Learning Difficulties will continue to need support in their tertiary education or in their transition to work. Indicators of a Specific Learning Difficulty may be that they experience difficulties with:
Young adults who know they have a diagnosed Specific Learning Disorder will need support to establish strategies that they will use to help them with reading, writing or number tasks in their daily life.
Most tertiary settings offer considerable support and advice for students to make learning accessible. A student entering a post-secondary environment whether TAFE or university should contact their accessibility or learning disabilities unit or equivalent, either prior to, or as soon as possible on entering. In this way the TAFE or university will be able to support the necessary accommodations to enable a positive learning outcome for the student.
Links to Victorian TAFE and University Disability Units