Many parents know what it’s like to get a concerned note from a teacher at some point in their child’s school years, however, for some parents, concerns become a regular occurrence. If a child is having difficulties at school, most parents know to start with the basics; vision and hearing. It’s vital to ensure that a child is able to see and hear properly in order to manage the social and academic demands of school. Beyond these checks, it’s important to consider if there is a learning disability contributing to a child’s behavior.
If a child is unable to learn and process in a typical way, we often see anxiety, difficulty regulating attention, and / or undesirable behavior. Children who have learning disabilities often score within an average range of intelligence. They are aware of the difficulties they experience compared to their peers. A child whose LD goes undetected will often suffer a lack of self-esteem, experience frustration and a heightened level of anxiety related to going to school and doing homework. Children who experience anxiety function in a state of fight, flight, or freeze.
When a child’s brain interprets threat, the amygdala releases adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone), and we can see distinct behavioral responses using the fight, flight, freeze lens. Ripping up work that’s too frustrating, or not ‘good enough’, throwing work onto the floor and aggressive behavior are examples of the fight response. A child exhibiting these behaviors isn’t necessarily being defiant and uncooperative.
Behaviors such as being silly, distracted, spending too long in the washroom, or the halls can be viewed as avoidant, or ‘flight’ behaviors. Based on what we think about a task, the brain will naturally avoid activities that pose a threat.
We can also observe children who refuse to come inside from recess, hide under their desks, or put their head down on their paper without getting to work. These behaviors can be viewed as a ‘flight’ response, but also a ‘freeze’ response. Not getting started on a task, or a lack of ability to transition into an activity are also the brains way of responding to the perceived threat of an activity.
Assessment for learning disabilities includes a closer look into our ability to process information (hear it, sort it, make sense of it and store it). Processing challenges can relate to information input and output. Assessment of the ability to focus and attend to tasks (regulate attention) is also of great value.
If you would like to explore more about how your child learns and processes information, the more thorough avenue is to access a Psychoeducational Assessment. The assessment can be accessed through a Psychologist (parents with employment benefits often have coverage for psychological services) by contacting them directly. A Psychologist will meet with the child and parents before the assessment and again to discuss findings and recommendations. School boards also have access to Psychoeducational Assessments; however, they can be extremely limited and difficult to access.
If you have concerns about your child’s ability to learn and process, an appointment with a pediatrician, is a great first step. Make note of any questions you might have, and the teacher’s observations to ensure all concerns are addressed and the appropriate options can be reviewed.