The lesser known learning disorders teachers are failing to recognise

Australian children are being denied the education they deserve because of a common mistake being made by teachers.

Children are being “let down” by teachers unable to recognise the early signs of learning disorders, experts claim.

Mental health professionals say inadequate university training is leaving educators unaware of the impact of conditions, like dyslexia, on kids’ behaviour.

They want better teacher training and improved classroom conditions so children with learning disorders don’t “slip through the cracks”.

“The university curriculum is often condensed and many of the university lecturers are not in classrooms, they are not seeing what teachers, parents and support staff are presented with,” child psychologist and former teacher, Deirdre Brandner, said.

“Much time is wasted on the theory and origins. Teachers find this tiresome and not practical. “They want to know what to look for and what to do next.”

For children whose learning disorders are lesser known – such as dyspraxia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, language processing disorder (LPD) and auditory processing disorder (APD) – diagnosis can be even more difficult, leaving them at greater risk.

“These children can develop problems with their self-esteem and are at greater risk of

dropping out of school,” Ms Brander said.

Children's psychologist Deirdre Brandner. Picture: Supplied

Melissa Gole and her son, Lachlan, of NSW, who suffered from a learning disorder.

When Melissa Gole’s son Lachlan moved from kindergarten to primary school, his new teachers told her he was a “naughty child”.

In reality, he had recently been diagnosed with dyspraxia, a learning disorder that affects a child’s speech and writing skills.

Lachlan is now 15, and while she says having a child with special needs is like having “one and a half children”, a diagnosis can empower families and their children.

Psychotherapist Dr Karen Phillip said ongoing professional development for teachers would enable them to keep abreast of new diagnostic conditions.

“But, more importantly, how to recognise and manage learning issues, and who to report for support.”

Psychotherapist Dr Karen Phillip. Picture: Supplied

Dr Phillip said children who entered high school with undiagnosed learning disorders were being let down by the education department

“Too many kids slip through the cracks, and become challenging when they feel dismissed or ‘dumb’ compared to their peers,” she said.

“Teachers often feel challenged due to their workload. Ideally, a trained diagnostician in children’s learning disorders should be able to spend time in each school.”

Ms Brandner said evidenced based knowledge or interventions and accommodations would be an “absolute game changer” for teachers, parents and children.

FIVE LEARNING DISORDERS YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF

Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia is a condition that affects the brain’s ability to co-ordinate movement, both fine and gross. It doesn’t impact thinking but is often associated with difficulties in planning, speaking and fine motor skills.

“Depending on the area of impact for the child, in the classroom they will take much longer to write, may struggle to use oral language to communicate clearly, and gross movement activities will be challenging,” said Ms Brandner.

“Treatment offered by occupational therapists, speech pathologists and participation in perceptual motor training can improve outcomes for these children.”

Dyspraxia doesn’t impact thinking but is often associated with difficulties in planning, speaking and fine motor skills.

Dysgraphia

Children with dysgraphia have difficulty expressing themselves in writing.

“Holding pencil and forming letters is challenging,” Ms Brandner said, but this has nothing to do with co-ordination.

“Writing requires a complex set of processes. Those with dysgraphia can find it hard to know where to start writing the letter, what direction to go in.”

These children are often intelligent, but struggle with transferring that knowledge on to paper.

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a neurological condition where children struggle with learning and comprehending maths.

“These children have much difficulty recalling basic number facts. They take a long time to complete maths tasks and end up making many errors,” Ms Brandner said.

It’s important to note the distinction between being bad at maths and having dyscalculia, she said, and it comes down to two words – difficulty and inability.

“Those with dyscalculia are unable to solve maths problems because they are deficient in this area.”

Language Processing Disorder (LPD)

Around six per cent of the population have significant trouble understanding, using and processing language, and this disorder has no relationship with articulating or pronouncing words. To be diagnosed with this, a language assessment by a speech pathologist is conducted.

“For children with this disorder, their non-verbal skills are in the average range and there is a significant difference between this and their verbal comprehension scores,” Ms Brandner said.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

Children with APD may have difficulty understanding speech in noisy evnironments, following directions and discriminating similar-sounding speech sounds. Picture: Kris Reichl

Children with this disorder may have difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, following directions and discriminating similar-sounding speech sounds.

“These problems are not about hearing but difficulty in recognising and interpreting the sounds they hear,” Ms Brandner said.

These children can present with inconsistent or inappropriate responses to spoken requests for information, frequent requests for repetition and listening fatigue.

Some of the skills a child needs to be tested for APD don’t develop until age seven or eight; younger kids can be monitored as “at-risk” for APD.