Learning Difficulties and Dyslexia in Children: A Parent's Complete Guide

If your child works hard but still falls behind in reading, writing, or mathematics despite normal intelligence and good teaching, a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) — commonly called a learning difficulty — may be the explanation. Understanding this is the first step to helping them succeed.

What Are Specific Learning Disorders?

Specific Learning Disorders are neurodevelopmental conditions where a child has significant difficulty in one or more academic skill areas, despite normal intelligence, adequate teaching, and absence of sensory or other conditions that would explain it. The most common types:

• Dyslexia (Reading Disorder): Difficulty reading accurately, fluently, and with comprehension. Children confuse similar letters (b/d, p/q), read slowly, or cannot decode words despite knowing the alphabet. The most common SLD.
• Dysgraphia (Writing Disorder): Difficulty with written expression — poor handwriting, incorrect spelling, difficulty organising written work.
• Dyscalculia (Mathematics Disorder): Difficulty with number sense, arithmetic, and mathematical concepts — not explained by poor teaching or general low intelligence.

Signs a Child May Have a Learning Difficulty

• Reading that is much slower or less accurate than expected for age despite exposure and teaching
• Difficulty remembering sight words they have been taught repeatedly
• Letter reversals persisting past age 7–8 (b/d, p/q, was/saw)
• Slow, painful handwriting with poor spelling despite effort
• Significant difficulty with times tables and number concepts
• Avoidance of reading or writing tasks; frustration or emotional distress around school work
• Often described as "bright in everything but school" — articulate and capable in conversation but struggling in written work

What Is NOT a Learning Difficulty

Learning difficulties should be distinguished from: intellectual disability (where all areas of development are affected), ADHD (which affects attention across all tasks, not just academic), poor teaching, vision or hearing problems, or simply being a late developer.

Assessment and Diagnosis

A formal assessment is done by a psychologist or educational psychologist — using standardised tests of reading, writing, and mathematics, alongside cognitive testing. In India, a diagnosis of SLD is also needed to access school accommodations.

What Helps

• Structured literacy intervention — specifically designed reading programmes using multisensory methods
• Accommodations in school and exams: extra time, typed responses, reader/scribe as needed
• Reading technology: text-to-speech software, audiobooks
• Building on strengths — many children with dyslexia are highly creative, strong in science, arts, or sport

"Dyslexia is not low intelligence — many highly successful people are dyslexic. What a child with dyslexia needs is the right teaching method, not more of the same method that isn't working."

Sri Anand Child and Neuro Center provides neurodevelopmental assessments for learning difficulties and ADHD at Chanda Nagar. Call +91 90633 66983.