A few days ago I told you about «Learning Disabilities: Dyslalia and Dyslexia in Children«, Where I delved into you about these learning problems so that you could get to know them a little better and also know some strategies to be able to help children in their development. But there are more common learning problems in school age and that is why today I want to talk to you about different ones, but no less important, I mean: dyscalculia and dysgraphia.
Thus, from now on you will be able to assess whether your child has any of these characteristics and that in this way you could be able to offer them the necessary help and support so that they would be able to improve their results. Do not lose detail because dyscalculia and dysgraphia are less well known than dyslexia and dyslalia but they are no less important and they are also quite common.
What is dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a learning disability that causes serious problems with math. This difficulty is not as well known as dyslexia, but it can be even as common, but fortunately there are ways to help children with dyscalculia, either by improving their math skills or by strengthening their self-esteem. But first you need to know what it is exactly.
Dyscalculia is a brain condition that affects the ability to understand and work with numbers and mathematical concepts. Some children with dysalculia cannot understand basic concepts even if they work hard to learn and memorize numbers. They may understand what to do in math class, but they don't understand why they are doing it. That is, they do not understand the logic of the process. It can also happen that children understand the logic of mathematics but are not sure how and when to apply the knowledge to solve problems.
Normallye these children do not usually have problems in other subjects that have nothing to do with mathematics. This can cause anxiety and low self-esteem, but it is the parents who have the power to change this so that the children feel capable and in no case, incapable. You need to find the tools that work best with your child, because remember that dyscalculia lasts a lifetime, but that doesn't mean that your child can't be happy and successful.
How to help a child with dyscalculia
In helping a child with dyscalculia, it will be very important that both parents and educational professionals join forces to achieve good results. Once a professional has diagnosed a child with dyscalculia, it will be the moment to be able to look for the best solutions so that you feel capable of being able to face mathematical problems although they have greater understanding difficulties than other boys and girls with the same level of maturity.
From school it is likely that they should make informal adaptations in order to guarantee mathematical learning and taking into account the needs of the child. Even if your child has dyscalculia, it does not mean that he needs the same attention as another child with the same learning disability, each child is different and it is necessary to know how he should be cared for in a specific way in order to develop his potential to the full.
From home it will be necessary trust the child's possibilities and do not pressure him to do more than he is capable of. Learning must be felt as a game and not as a punishment, so the help at home should be focused on mathematical games and daily life. It may also be a good idea to contact an educational psychologist so that they can help you in the improvement process.
What is dysgraphia
If your child has trouble expressing himself in writing, you may want to know more about dysgraphia. Writing difficulties are common in children and can sometimes stem from attention or learning problems. Parents need to know why their children may have writing problems in order to seek the necessary help. Dysgraphia can last a lifetime, But there are strategies and therapies that from a professional help can help the child to improve his writing, this can make him improve in school and can express himself in writing.
Therefore, dysgraphia is a condition that causes problems in written expression due to problems in brain development, so it has nothing to do with the child being lazy. For a child with dysgraphia, it can be very difficult to write with a pencil and organize the letters, so writing can be somewhat uncomfortable for them. Most physicians and psychologists will speak of "impaired written expression" or "specific learning disorder" to refer to dysgraphia. It is necessary to understand that slow or sloppy writing is not a sign of disguise, nor is it that the child is not trying hard enough. Writing requires a complex set of fine motor skills and language processing. For children with dysgraphia the writing process is more difficult and slower, without the necessary help children with dysgraphia may have difficulties in school.
How to help a child with dysgraphia
From school, children with dysgraphia should be helped to improve their learning and development in writing with specific attention and informal adaptations. In this way the child will be able to receive the necessary help to be able to work on learning problems. But for the school to value this additional help, it will be necessary for the child to be diagnosed by a professional and for the dysgraphia to be recognized.
From home, you can also work on dysgraphia. The main thing is to contact a psychopedagogue to provide you with strategies and to work with the child on a regular basis and follow-up. And of course, work done at home should be playful and fun so that the child feels that writing is not only necessary, but also fun.