Learning Disorders - Description

Learning disorders affect about two million children between the ages of six and seventeen, or about one out of every twenty schoolchildren. These children have problems learning new information, remembering that information, and knowing how to use the information. The three main types of learning disorders are reading disorders, mathematics disorders, and writing disorders.

Reading Disorders

Reading disorders are the most common type of learning disorder. Children with reading disorders have difficulty recognizing letters and words and remembering what they mean. They also have trouble understanding the sounds and letter groups that make up words. Because of these problems, children with reading disorders often cannot understand materials they read.

Mathematics Disorders

Children with mathematics disorders often have problems recognizing numbers. For example, they may not remember how to use numbers in counting. They have trouble understanding how numbers can apply to everyday situations. Mathematics disorders are often diagnosed in the first few years of elementary school. It is during this period that children first begin to learn mathematical concepts such as addition and subtraction. Children with mathematics disorders often have reading and writing disorders as well.

Writing Disorders

Children with writing disorders have problems with the basic skills of writing such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar. They often have one other type of learning disorder as well—either a reading disorder or a mathematics disorder.