Dyslexia, dysorthographia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD: these words often worry parents. Yet a learning disorder can be spotted, diagnosed and supported. Here is what you need to know to understand what it is and to help your child stay confident.
What is a learning disorder?
A learning disorder is a lasting difficulty in acquiring a specific skill: reading, writing, calculating or coordinating movements. It affects children of normal intelligence, who have had normal schooling and whose difficulties are not explained by a sight or hearing problem.
They are also called “dys” disorders or specific learning disorders. The word “specific” matters: the disorder affects one area, not all of the child’s abilities. A dyslexic pupil can be very comfortable in maths or when speaking.
These disorders do not go away with time. With suitable therapy and understanding people around them, however, children learn to compensate and can do well at school.
Where do these disorders come from?
Learning disorders are neurodevelopmental: they are linked to the way the brain organises itself to process certain information. Other family members are often affected too, which points to a hereditary component.
So they are not caused by a lack of effort, a lack of intelligence or poor parenting. Saying this clearly to your child often takes a great weight off their shoulders.
What are the main learning disorders?
Here is an overview of the most common ones. Each deserves an article of its own; the aim here is to help you find your way.
- Dyslexia: a reading disorder. The child reads slowly, confuses or reverses sounds, and tires quickly. Reading comprehension often suffers as well.
- Dysorthographia: a spelling disorder, which often goes hand in hand with dyslexia. Mistakes persist despite practice.
- Dyscalculia: a disorder affecting calculation and number sense. The child struggles to estimate quantities, memorise times tables or set out a sum.
- Dyspraxia: a disorder of movement coordination (also called DCD). Writing, cutting, using a ruler or a compass takes a lot of effort. It often comes with dysgraphia, slow and hard-to-read handwriting.
- ADHD (attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity): strictly speaking it is not a learning disorder, but it weighs heavily on schooling. The child finds it hard to stay focused, to get organised and sometimes to sit still.
These disorders often occur together: the same child may be both dyslexic and dysorthographic, or have ADHD alongside a “dys” disorder. All the more reason to have a full assessment.
Temporary difficulty or disorder: the warning signs
Every child learns at their own pace, and a struggling pupil does not necessarily have a learning disorder. Falling motivation, a change of school or accumulated gaps can also explain poor results.
Stay alert, without jumping to conclusions, if you notice that your child:
- has been stuck on the same difficulty for a long time, despite help and genuine effort;
- does well orally but fails as soon as reading or writing is involved;
- takes much longer than others over homework and comes out exhausted;
- shows a marked gap between their abilities in one area and their results in another;
- is losing confidence, says they are “useless” or refuses to go to school.
This last sign matters a lot. If your child drags their feet in the morning, our article “My child doesn’t like school” can help you understand why.
Who to see in Belgium?
Start by talking to your child’s teacher or form teacher, and to the school’s PMS centre (psycho-medical-social centre). They know your child in class and can point you in the right direction.
The diagnosis then relies on an assessment by professionals, depending on the suspected disorder:
- a speech and language therapist (logopède) for reading, spelling and maths;
- a neuropsychologist for attention and cognitive functioning;
- a paediatric neurologist or child psychiatrist, especially for ADHD;
- an occupational therapist or psychomotor therapist for movement and handwriting.
This assessment also rules out other causes, such as a sight or hearing problem. Above all, it gives concrete leads for therapy and for school.
What the school can put in place
In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French-speaking education), a decree of 7 December 2017, in force since the 2018 school year, allows pupils with specific needs in mainstream primary and secondary schools to receive reasonable accommodations.
In practice, this may mean extra time for tests, instructions read aloud, enlarged and well-spaced documents, or the use of a calculator or a computer. The request is made to the head teacher, based on a diagnosis by a professional.
How to help your child day to day
You do not need to be a specialist to support a child with a learning disorder. The most important thing is to remember that their difficulties have often made them fragile: they are very sensitive to criticism and failure.
A few attitudes that make a real difference:
- reassure your child and praise their efforts and progress, however small;
- give clear, short explanations, starting from the way they learn;
- give them time to complete a task, without rushing them;
- check what they have understood by asking them to explain it, without turning it into a test;
- help them organise their school bag, school diary and schedule;
- link learning to their interests so it makes sense to them;
- build on their strengths, which often lie elsewhere than where they get stuck.
On that last point, our article on the 8 types of intelligence helps you spot how your child learns best.
Homework is often the most tense moment of the day. Keeping it shorter, splitting it into small steps and planning breaks helps protect the relationship between you and your child.
One-to-one support, alongside therapy
Therapy with a speech therapist or occupational therapist addresses the disorder itself. Alongside it, one-to-one academic support helps your child keep up with the curriculum, revisit the subjects they find hard and regain confidence.
At My Sherpa, an educational advisor chooses a coach for your child who takes their needs and pace into account. Lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online. Depending on the need, this may behomework help in primary school or study skills lessons to learn how to get organised.
Questions about how we work? See our frequently asked questions, or tell us about your child.
