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Types of learning disabilities

There are several different types of learning disabilities. These learning disorders, and the symptoms directly related to them, impacts up to 20% of the population, which it is why understanding these conditions is so important for assisting those who present with any type of learning disability.

One of the most well-known, and misunderstood, types of learning disabilities or disorders is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which is a developmental disability characterised by a pattern of inattention, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity. Inattention is characterised by difficulty focusing on one task, and staying organised, but with no intention of being defiant.

Hyperactivity is understood as constant movement, fidgeting, restlessness, and talking too much. Impulsivity means that there are often no thoughts before an action, indicating difficulties with self-control. This often means acting on the current emotion and not considering the consequences of various actions. People with ADHD also often struggle with executive functioning (a symptom to be explained later). Often, when children with ADHD are left unassisted their growth may lag behind children without ADHD for up to 3 years[1].

 

Dyslexia is a reading disorder, due to problems in identifying speech sounds, and decoding (how speech sounds link to letters and words). Dyslexia occurs due to individual differences in areas of the brain that process language, with 20% of the population living with this condition. This condition has many misunderstood aspects, and it is not simply the inability to read or write, but also impeded upon emotional processing within the brain.

Manifestations of dyslexia are the confusion of similar words (dog and dot), difficulty scanning text, slow reading & writing skills, the need to re-read sentences to understand the context, difficulty with listening and focus, and being easily distracted by external surroundings.

[2]The four types of dyslexia are:

Phonological Dyslexia: This form is dyslexia is also known as “dysphonic” or “auditory” Dyslexia is where the person struggles to process sounds of individual letters, and syllables, and are therefore unable to match them with their written counterparts.

Surface Dyslexia: Surface dyslexia, known as “dyseidetic” or “visual dyslexia “is where the individual struggles to recognise whole words. This also means that memorising and learning is more difficult for people with this condition.

Rapid Naming Deficit: This is a form of dyslexia in which the processing speed in order to name a letter, number, object, or colour.

Double Deficit dyslexia: A person with this condition experiences the difficulties of both phonological dyslexia and surface dyslexia. People who struggle with reading more than other aspects of learning usually fall within this category.

 

Dyscalculia is a lesser-known learning disability, but up to 6% of the population is afflicted with this condition. It is defined as a learning disorder which impedes someone’s ability to understand maths, numbers, and the majority of maths-related concepts.

 

Dysgraphia presents “in written expression”, where a person struggles to translate their thoughts into written word. Dysgraphia may appear in forms such as: poor spatial planning, frequent erasing of work, inconsistency in letter and word spacing, unusual body positions when writing, and frequent hand cramps.

 

Dyspraxia is medically known as “Developmental co-ordination Disorder”, which is a disorder impacting the person’s physical coordination. The reason this is considered a “learning disability’, is because it directly targets the muscles, including muscles used for speech, writing, and any other physical actions that contribute to the learning process[3].

 

Executive functioning is not a diagnosis, but it a symptom of many conditions, including (but not limited to) Autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. It is encompassed by a range of skills sets, especially those of working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. When these skills are remiss (known as executive dysfunction), the individual can focus with basic daily functioning, which, in turn, impedes their ability to learn and communicate effectively and to their full potential.

 

Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) is also one of the types of learning disabilities. It is classified as a learning disorder where a lack of motor, visual-spatial, and social skills that results in verbal communication deficits. This disorder does not mean that people with NVLD care unable to communication, but it does mean that approximately 65% of their communication will be non-verbal. These children have the ability to speak, and they have good writing abilities, but they struggle with social cues and the understanding the abstract concepts of conversation[4].

 

Having an oral or written language disorder is a condition that makes verbal and written expression incredibly difficult, and it is not due to a lack of understanding, but rather difficulties in finding the words to express themselves, understanding that the ordering of the words impacts the meaning of the sentence and having a general understanding of the sentence.

Specific comprehension deficit (also known as hyperlexia), is characterised by deficits in listening, understanding what is being read, as opposed to having difficulty reading the words. The same deficit that presents in comprehension skills across varying learning disorders, presents itself in this condition too.

Learning difficulties are not present due to a lack of intelligence, but rather lie in the differences of the brain. Often, learning disabilities exist alongside others, making learning even more challenging for different people. Everybody deserves to learn in a way that they understand, which is why the understanding of these learning disabilities is crucial in providing the help that those with these conditions deserve.

Article by: A. Pascoe (2023)

 

[1]  Armstrong, T. (2010) Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extraordinary gifts of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other brain differences. ReadHowYouWant.com.

[2] Dr Sruthi, M. (2022). What Are the Main 4 Types of Dyslexia? [online]. https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_4_types_of_dyslexia/article.htm

[3] Cunningham, B. (2023) Is Dyspraxia a Learning Disability? Understood.com

[4] Churchill Center & School for Learning Disabilities, National Leader in Learning Disabilities (2017). What is Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

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ADHD

This paper serves to explore the reasons for children in South Africa receiving recommendations to move from mainstream to remedial schools and the current state of affairs in terms of the education system’s ability to accommodate those recommendations.

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Inclusive Education

Some people feel that a label defines the child and should dictate their learning environment. In my experience, there are so many ways to teach a student with a label the skills they missing so that they can cope in the mainstream classroom and to avoid the need for a special needs school. It’s possible to reduce the challenging behaviours that interrupt their learning and success. By identifying the skills missing and focusing on teaching skill acquisition, we can ensure the success of a student with a label of ADHD. It’s extremely important that we adapt the child to the environment and that we don’t adapt the environment to the child especially in the foundation phase this way preventing the need for a move to a special needs school.  If the learning environment of a young child is changed to a  special needs school or remedial school too early on, we have to ask ourselves where are we going with this long term? We risk that they will always need an accommodated learning environment like a special needs school or work environment.  A child will only achieve as high as we set our expectations. In addition, early intervention is key and we should work on addressing a child’s delays and skills deficits as soon as possible in this way preventing them from needing a special needs school. Early intervention sets the stage for best results. Many children with a label, are missing what we call Executive Functioning (EF) Skills. EF is the CEO of the brain. EF skills continue to develop even into the early twenties. If these skills are missing, it will certainly affect academic success. Examples of EF skills includes sustained attention, planning and organising, self-management, problem solving and so one. It’s often recommended that a student repeat a grade. By repeating the grade the student shouldn’t suddenly miraculously learn to sustain or divide their attention or learn those EF skills they’re missing. This needs to be taught and with the right support children can achieve far beyond their initial label. This is just an example, of how to address the challenges of a student who is falling behind their peers. There can be more skills deficits in other developmental domains which require identification and which need to be taught. The point here, is that it’s possible to teach those skills that a student is missing and that’s holding them back and in this way we can keep them in mainstream school without the need for a special needs school.

 

When a child is restricted by a label and there are no expectations or the wrong expectations it will be challenging for that child to have the self-confidence and motivation to succeed. Sadly, students are being defined and boxed by their label. Until Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile in 1954 no one had done it before. As soon as he showed it was possible, scores of people started to run sub 4 minute miles after he proved it possible. The old school of thought, believes that setting the bar too high, will cause unnecessary anxiety and pressure on a student who isn’t able to cope in the mainstream classroom. With the right support in place, it’s possible to teach emotional coping skills and those skills missing so that they can be successful. In the same way the expectation on what a child with a label can achieve should not be cast in stone, so too, we need our teachers to believe in the children and to be willing to work as a team to make the necessary adaptions in the classroom, in order to ensure the success of that individual learner who requires support. As soon as there is a child with a difference, our schools tend to highlight the deficit and refer to a special needs school or remedial school or other therapies. Instead, so much could be achieved if certain accommodations in the mainstream classroom were to be made.  I appreciate that the challenges of including a student with a label may seem daunting. However, if mainstream teachers are paired with the correct special education program and receive the necessary training the student with a label can succeed in the mainstream classroom. A remedial school and special needs school setting has to accommodate for an entire class of children with different strengths, weaknesses, labels and skills deficits. By customizing an Individualised Education Plan for each individual child and including these students in the mainstream classroom best outcomes are much more achievable.

 

There are also students who lose their label and no longer fit the criteria for a diagnosis.  It becomes very difficult for these children to discard the shadow and the judgement. Just because a child has a few areas that requires polishing or support doesn’t equate to a label and the need for a special needs school. What’s required is tolerance, an open mind and the willingness to support these students in the mainstream classroom so that a special needs school is not required.  We need our schools to be willing to consider other perspectives and to be open to learning more about treatment modalities they haven’t yet experienced. If there is an expectation to ‘back the dark horse’ it will go a long way in changing the future of students with special learning needs.

 

Within an inclusive education system, the student with a label or learning difficulty is educated in the least restrictive environment, along with typically developing peers.

 

The South African Schools Act of 1996 states that schools must admit students and serve their educational requirements without unfairly discriminating in any way.

 

The Constitution of South Africa guarantees everyone the right to basic education. Accommodating students with a label through an inclusive education framework is constitutionally mandated.

 

Inclusive Education is also discussed in Education White Paper 6. The aim of this Paper was to dismantle separate special education systems and promote access and participation in regular classes for students with labels or other special needs.

 

Children with special learning needs, have a legal right to be included in mainstream school irrespective of any physical or intellectual disability and do have a choice to not attend a special needs school. When a child with a learning challenge is ready for a school placement there should be no hesitation to demand access to a mainstream school and not to a special needs school.

 

Inclusive education, values the unique contribution each student can make to the class. The opportunity for students with a difference to learn along-side their typically-developing peers in general-education classrooms has become more urgent than ever before, especially considering the increase in the incidence of the learner with a label and the learner who is facing a special needs school. Without a real understanding of human differences, how could children become complete adults capable of contributing to a healthy, fair, non-judgemental society? A society that, as its core, has a strong sense of good morals and values, HAS to encourage exposure to children with a difference or learning difficulty.  Religious schools especially, which claim to teach children good morals and values, have to be true to their mission statements.

 

Our South African education system tends to box children in different ‘classes’ with specific labels, such as ‘remedial’, ‘special needs school’ or ‘school-ready’. A future where segregation along such lines is no longer a common practice is something to be encouraged and welcomed. The time has come for change. We need a shift in thinking. Our students with challenges deserve the opportunity to bridge their deficits.  We have to abandon the approach that simply identifies students who can’t keep up with the class and ships them off to various therapists, or to a remedial or special needs school, wing or school. We need to embrace a new mindset of “Look at how I, the teacher of a mainstream class, has addressed the individual needs of each learner with a label”. Some children just need a foot up and could remain in the mainstream classroom without needing to move to a special needs school.

 

Typical learners learn a lot from an inclusive model. They learn patience, kindness, acceptance and tolerance for children who may be different. These lifelong lessons will help the typical child as they grow into adulthood. Parents of typical children need to be reassured that the inclusion model does not mean the ‘watering down’ of the mainstream curriculum. The only way to ensure this, is for the leadership, to set expectation and to provide support and the necessary training.

 

Therefore, inclusive education advocates for inclusion instead of needing to adjust the learning environment as a special needs school does to suit individual learners with a label or learning challenges.

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Inclusive Education in South Africa

Within an inclusive education system, the learner with a diagnosis of ADHD is educated in the least restrictive environment, along with typically developing peers.
The South African Schools Act of 1996 states that schools must admit learners and serve their educational requirements without unfairly discriminating in any way.
The Constitution of South Africa guarantees everyone the right to basic education. Accommodating children with severe disabilities through an inclusive education framework is constitutionally mandated.
Inclusive Education is also discussed in Education White Paper 6. The aim of this paper was to dismantle separate special education systems and promote access and participation in regular classes for children with ADHD, disabilities, or other special needs.
Children with ADHD or special learning needs, have a legal right to be included in mainstream school irrespective of any physical or intellectual disability. When a child with ADHD is ready for a school placement there should be no hesitation to demand access to a mainstream school.
Over the last decade, Catch up Kids has partnered with numerous mainstream schools, to make inclusive education possible and successful. Our trained facilitators, support learners with ADHD in the mainstream classroom, drawing on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis. Giving children with a learning difference access to a typical classroom environment is integral to their long-term success.
All we need is teachers who are open-minded and willing to partner with us to secure true inclusive education.
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Special needs school

For anyone who has children, “big school” can be quite daunting and even more so the words “special needs school”. There are so many negative connotations to those two words but what does special needs actually mean? Special needs refer to the fact that the child has a difficulty in a learning, behaviour or emotional area. It means that the child requires additional support in order for them to grow in those different aspects of life. Let us take a look into the different types of special needs and how a special needs school can benefit your child.

Special needs is a somewhat umbrella term for children who have difficulties within their physical, mental, emotional or behavioural growth. Special needs can be anything from children who have ADHD to Down Syndrome to Autism or even just learning difficulties. Special needs schooling has become widely encouraged and supported in recent times as they are able to provide a personalized support system for your child. Generally, a special needs school will consist of a team of therapists ready to work hands on with your child to ensure they receive the support they require. You may be wondering what it is about a special needs school that differentiates them from a mainstream school. Would it not make more sense for a child to attend a mainstream school and receive their additional support after hours? While this strategy may work for some children, the significance behind a special needs school is their IEP approach. An IEP is an Individualized Educational Program. This means that a very specific program is compiled for the child according to their needs. While some mainstreams schools may not, most special needs schools welcome facilitation.

Facilitators are individuals who assist children with their IEP, their emotional coping, their social skills and possibly even their physical capabilities within their own schooling environment. Typically, a day in the life of a facilitator is to provide any kind of support the child may require. I actually work closely with a school in Cape Town who consider themselves an “all inclusive”. I remember thinking about the fact that it wouldn’t really work as everyone would be a different pace and this may put pressure on the children with learning difficulties but once I became more involved with the school, I realized just how amazing this kind of environment really is. The mainstream children will continue to learn in a mainstream setting while the special needs children have their IEPs and their facilitators to assist. How wonderful would it be to grow up in an environment that not only accommodates you but also teaches you to be completely tolerant and compassionate to others and their pace.

Our approach at Catch Up Kids is actually not at all different to the above-mentioned all-inclusive school. Catch Up Kids special needs school approaches learning challenges by not only creating a specialized IEP for the child but also the love, support and encouragement any child requires to learn.

How does it work?

Catch Up Kids offers both school facilitation as well as a centre where your child can attend. A qualified team will be put together at the very beginning of your child’s journey with us. A supervisor will then either do a school observation to observe and evaluate where your child is at or alternatively, an intake workshop will be conducted, and their skills evaluated. The supervisor will then formulate a personal IEP for your child that will address all domains to ensure they are able to cope with their school year be it emotionally, socially, academically or even behaviourally. Once the IEP is created, the team sets out to work tirelessly to ensure your child receives the support they need. Monthly workshops will then be conducted to review your child’s IEP and their progress.

There are so many benefits of helping a child reach their full potential. Catch Up Kids will assist your child better understand their schoolwork, boost their confidence and build important learning and coping skills. Your child will receive individualized attention that they may not receive in a classroom setting. Learning with Catch Up Kids becomes fun with our constant support, encouragement, social praise and positive reinforcement. All of this contributes to the child feeling less overwhelmed the setting and workload. When a child is able to learn better it leads to a boost in confidence and self-esteem amongst their peers as they are provided with the correct tools in order to keep up with their class. As much as we provide the 1:1 attention, we at Catch Up Kids also encourage independence as the child realizes their full potential.

What I love most about Catch Up Kids is the fact that it is so personal. I have such a special bond with all the children I have worked with. You tend to take their struggles on as your own, their battles are your battles, which gives us at Catch Up Kids the motivation to push even harder for the child. I could write so many success stories about how not only our IEPs have benefitted children but more so about how our determination, love and support has benefitted our children. Being in a “big school” can be a very scary place for a child, especially a child with learning difficulties as it can be quite an overwhelming overload but knowing there will be a team of people in your corner, fighting for you every day makes the world of a difference.

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Special needs schools

Special needs schools have had a stigma or negative connotation attached to it, like it was something to be ashamed of. In more recent times, special needs schools are much more accepted and understood. Some children cannot cope in mainstream schools, this could be due to a visible disability like blindness or a less apparent disability like ADHD. Many kids need extra help and attention to be able to perform well academically and keep up with the curriculum. Special needs schools provide this extra attention and support that kids with special needs need in order to thrive.

A student with ADHD has differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control. Symptoms of ADHD can range from mild to severe, it depends on the person’s unique genetic make-up and environment. Some people are somewhat inattentive or hyperactive when they perform a task they don’t like, but they have the ability to focus on tasks they do like. Others can experience more severe symptoms during both enjoyable and disliked tasks. These symptoms can affect a student at school, at home and in social situations.

A student with ADHD will struggle in the classroom as the tasks that these students find difficult such as sitting still and concentrating are the ones they are required to implement during class time. These students will also struggle at home when it is time for homework and completing assignments.

These students will also struggle with their confidence in themselves and their capabilities. Special needs schools also play an important role here as the students are in an environment that supports them and gives them the attention they need as well as they are surrounded by other students who also struggle in a similar way to them.

At Catch-up Kids we help students who are falling behind in their classes, whether it be mainstream schooling or a special needs school. A few of these students have ADHD or struggle with similar symptoms as ADHD. These students come to Catch Up Kids in the afternoons after their day at school.

Each catch-up kid will have a supervisor, a team lead as well as a team that is dedicated to helping the student keep up with their school curriculum as well as build the skills that the student is lacking such as memory or attention. The supervisor will develop a program that targets these specific problem areas so that the child can practice and develop those skills at the centre after school.

A typical afternoon for a catch-up kid would include doing homework as well as the lessons recommended by the supervisor. These lessons can be auditory memory, sight words, sustained attention, emotional coping strategies and more.

In conclusion, special needs schools provide students with the extra attention and support they need to cope with the curriculum. Catch Up Kids also provides this support by helping students with homework and also running lessons that target the deficit areas of the students to not only help them along but give them the tools they need to develop and grow.

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Remedial Schools in South Africa

This paper serves to explore the reasons for children in South Africa receiving recommendations to move from mainstream to remedial schools and the current state of affairs in terms of the education system’s ability to accommodate those recommendations.

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Special needs schooling

Schooling in broad terms refers to “education received at school”, however for a child on the spectrum schooling can be a challenging and overwhelming experience. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulties with socialisation, they are sensitive to bright light, loud noises and busy hallways, they might also need extra time for assignments and homework, and they can sometimes become easily frustrated. Special needs schooling offer children with Autism or any related disorder a chance to excel in an environment that corresponds with their needs. These children obtain one-on-one individual attention and can learn in an environment that is structured according to their immediate capabilities and needs.

Children with Autism often have extensive and long-term educational needs, and this requires that a multidisciplinary team of individuals are involved, along with thorough planning and ongoing monitoring of progress. Therefore, a cooperative team-based approach is necessary to plan, implement and monitor individualised progress. Special needs schooling is therefore significant in order to experience change in children/individuals with certain day-to-day challenges. Children with Autism can progress in their communication skills, social interactions, problem-solving abilities and learn appropriate behaviours once placed in a setting that encourages and fights for the development of these skills. Offering a safe schooling environment can have a major impact on how these children learn and grow.

There is an extreme need for early intervention today in order to support children/individuals with these types of special needs, however the reality is that these institutions are not always readily available, and they often come with a steep price-tag. Special needs schooling is a specialised trade and therefore more resources, such as specialised facilitators and materials, and time is needed for these children to reach their full potential.

I have had the opportunity to experience a child on the spectrum go to a normal mainstream school as well as a special needs school and the differences between these two forms of schooling is surprising. In a mainstream school a child might just be a number, but in a special needs schooling setting the child is the only number. The child and the child’s progress become the number one priority for facilitators at a special needs schooling level. A facilitator in a special needs schooling environment has an obligation towards the child they invest their time into, therefore the child’s needs come first, and their progression is on the top of the list. In a special needs schooling environment, the child has a safe space to experience normal day-to-day understandings and they also have a structured environment and a place where they can learn based on their own individualised capabilities.

Special needs schooling should become a priority for everyone within society, because we all have an obligation to grow the seeds of tomorrow, today!

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Special needs schooling

After completing my studies, I was looking for a career that was evidence based and fool proof. Special needs schools are tough environments but Catch up Kids gives each child their own personal space and freedom for their personality to flourish and to be who they are. A Special needs schooling system is not supposed to brainwash children, they are there to facilitate, guide and nurture their growth. Which is what I have experienced at catch up kids.

Catch up Kids is a special needs school that helps students which struggle in school, amongst their peers and people they know. It is a safe environment where kids can prepare themselves for tasks done at school, to get them ready to do everyday activities, to make kids aware of what is expected of them. It is a place were children can be themselves without being judged. A special needs school environment where they can practice things that are expected of them in everyday scenarios.

Catch up Kids can work with children with communication, attentional and any social interaction issues as well as working with children that have restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviour. They can even work with and facilitate higher functioning kids and even kids with a vast amount of problem behaviours. They are a special needs school that has a consistent team that is responsible to create change within the kid’s life. This team works together to help motivate and build confidence amongst the children.

The special needs schooling system at Catch up Kids is well versed in dealing with disorders like ADHD. They even have instructors that are capable of going to the children’s school to help them participate in their classroom, help out with explaining tasks, and maintaining any problem behaviour so that the entire class is not affected every time by it. This special needs school is equipped to handle any demands/ requirements from the child or their parents/caregivers and work in conjunction with the child’s family to bring about change that is functional.

The Catch up kids special needs schooling centres help facilitate with school readiness, they prepare students that need to prepare for students who can’t be expected to, once they are thrown out, to fend for themselves. The special needs schooling teaches the kids correct handling and coping procedures, mastering the work before its presented at school, making sure lessons are planned out appropriately based on the uniqueness of the child. For all children are Not the same, and the special needs school Catch up kids is more than capable of reacting and teaching different kids, differently. They tailor each child’s program to the child and not one child is forced to be the same as everyone else.

This special needs schooling system is evidence based so, every response, every lesson, and every part of the progress is documented and data is collected on it. There are teams of instructors and supervisors that work very hard in making sure the program a kid is following is worth their benefit and will create impactful change.

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