We probably heard about developmental learning difficulties and especially for the children in their early ages, and how it affects them in the long run.

However, we may lack the understanding of what are these difficulties and what are the effects that they may cause. That’s why we will be introduced to developmental learning difficulties, their reasons, symptoms, and how to deal with them in the best way.

What are developmental learning difficulties?

The developmental learning difficulties are some kind of mental growth disorder that affect the children from a young age, and in some cases, it may last throughout their life.

However, in some cases, it can be cured or improved with some treatments, whether it was a medical treatment or being trained by a specialist to do some activities or exercises to help decrease their intensity.

So basically the developmental learning difficulties are considered a disability or the lack of the ability to acquire the main skills for children at a young age, like focusing skills and the realisation or even analysing the language.  These skills are the main skills that most people have, and it has a direct effect or relation to almost everything in their life, whether their academic career or social life.

Developmental learning difficulties’ symptoms 

So as we mentioned that developmental learning difficulties have an effect on the main skills of children and as a result, it affects their academic life, so what are the symptoms of this disorder:  

The developmental learning difficulties are divided into two types which are:

• The developmental learning difficulties.
• The academic learning difficulties.

Firstly: the developmental learning difficulties, have two parts:

• The primary learning difficulties:

Which is responsible for the main functions of the brain, like the ability to focus, realise, and memory.

• The secondary learning difficulties:

Which is responsible for the linguistic part, which is focusing on the ability to think, understand, and analyse the words that have been received.

Secondly: the academic learning difficulties:

As a result of the previously mentioned difficulties, children will normally suffer from academic issues.

This kind of difficulties will lead to linguistic issues, which can cause:

• Reading problems as the child finds it hard to link between the letter’s symbols and its sounds, which results in difficulty in reading.
• Writing problems also, and that’s naturally like the previous one, it’s hard for them to identify which letter can result in the sounds.
• Besides having difficulty in doing two things together like reading and analysing or writing and thinking about what he is writing or reading.
• Also, having difficulty in spelling or writing to express themselves, using logical order for writing any piece, or committing to the grammatical rules of the language used.

This can have results on the general speech also, not just academic like:

• Not having the ability to express themselves clearly.
• It’s hard for them to analyse and understand the words that are addressed to them.
• So, their responses are not related to the situation most of the time.
• They simply can’t have the awareness or the realization of what happens around them.
• Focusing problems and easily distracted.
• Forgetting a lot.
• Sometimes they may have extra physical activity that can lead to some aggressiveness.
• They hardly can make friends, because they can’t merge with society easily.
• Over sensitivity.
•  Slow in learning any skill.

And then we have mathematical issues:

• Hard to understand the numbers, and how to link them with a value.
• As a result, it causes developmental learning difficulties in understanding basic mathematical problems and applying them.

The degrees of the developmental learning difficulties differ from one to another and from one age to another, but it depends on the environment that the child lives in.

The reasons that may result in having them 

There is no strict reason that can definitely result in having these difficulties, but there are some factors that may cause it like:

• Inherited factors:

Some bad habits the parents may have can negatively affect the children negatively.

• Genetic factors:

there are some problems that can affect the foetal since pregnancy or when giving birth, like the lack of oxygen, or having some kind of medicines that can affect the foetal and its growth.

• Environmental factors:

As a consequence of some diseases or viruses that may result in an infection, the mother or the child can have a high temperature that can directly result in affecting the neuro system of the child.

• Accidental factors:

Any accidental incident that may affect the child’s brain like getting a hard hit in the head at a young age, or having any kind of mental disorders due to genetic or inherited reasons.

• Psychological factors:

Sometimes the psychological state can lead to some kind of disorders in the functions of the brain as a result, for instance depression, anxiety, or PTSD, which can lead to distraction and not being able to think clearly.

Some kinds of medicines also can affect how the brain can work and will probably affect it also.

The best way to deal with children who have these difficulties

Although all that we mentioned above of how it is hard to link their brains with the academic subjects or how the main brain skills got affected, the developmental learning difficulties can be healed, with some tips:

• The children need to practice daily to master any skill or to get accustomed to how to use it.
• Make them indulge with society so they can learn the main conversational skill and how to speak properly, besides enhancing the skills of analysing words and dealing with situations.
• Do not treat them differently from the others so that they don’t feel like they are less or not like the other children.
• Trying to find the best routine for the child according to their own preferences.
• Replacing the bad habits with good ones, like exercising and good nutrition.
• Doing some mental practices also.
• Developing an educational system with the help of educational experts.
• Encouraging them over and over and supporting them.
• The parents should read carefully and study these cases so they know about what are the best ways to deal with their children
• Sometimes it is hard to start with behavioural treatment and it sometimes needs medical treatment under the supervision of a specialist.
• Following up with a specialist whether behavioural or educational.

That’s why we recommend that you try the educational and behavioural consultancies from Elmadrasah.com:

• It has the best group of teachers and adjustment specialists that can help you to analyse your child carefully.
• Putting the best plan for each child individually, according to their case and preferences.
• These plans are applied by using games and materials that will entertain the child at the same time they are learning.
• Away from the traditional way of learning the session’s system is more interactive and flexible so the child can express themselves freely.
• Helping and guiding the parents to know more about their children and what are the best ways to deal with them.
• Complete following up with the parents and the children, anytime anywhere, as both the educational and the behavioural consultancies are from home.
• And all that with a price that suits you.