Are you wondering if your child's skills are reaching typical guideposts?
Here is a list of some of the first signs of learning disabilities.  What to look for:
 

	Preschool - Kindergarten	Grades 1-3 Lower grades	Grades 4-5 Middle grades	Grades 6-8 Upper grades
Language (To view: milestones in children age 3 & 4) or view  Developmental Disabilities listed at end of this page.	Pronunciation problems.  Slow vocabulary growth.  Lack of interesting in story telling.	Delayed decoding abilities for reading.  Trouble following directions.  Poor spelling.	Poor reading comprehension.  Lack of verbal participation in class.  Trouble with word problems.	Weak grasp of explanations.  Foreign language problems.  Poor written expression.  Trouble summarizing.
Memory	Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of week, etc.  Poor memory for routines.	Slow recall of  facts.  Organizational problems.  Slow acquisition of new skills.  Poor spelling.	Slow or poor recall of math facts.  Failure of automatic recall.	Trouble studying for tests.  Weak cumulative memory.  Slow work pace.
Attention	Trouble sitting still.  Extreme restlessness.  Lack of persistence at tasks.	Impulsivity, lack of planning.  Careless errors. Distractibility.	Inconsistency.  Poor self monitoring.  Poor ability to discern relevant detail.	Memory problems due to weak attention.  Mental fatigue.
Fine Motor Skills	Trouble self-help skills (e.g.. tying shoe laces).  Clumsiness.  Reluctance to draw or trace.	Unstable pencil grip.  Trouble with letter formation.	Fist like or tight pencil grip.  Illegible, slow or inconsistent writing.  Reluctance to write.	Lessening relevance of fine motor skills.
Other	Trouble learning left from right. Possible visual spatial confusion.  Trouble interacting.  Weak social skills.	Trouble learning about time. Temporal sequential disorganization.  Poor grasp of math concepts.	Poor learning strategies. Disorganization in time or space. Peer rejection.	Poor grasp of abstract concepts. Failure to elaborate.  Trouble taking tests, multiple choice.

Adapted from Melvine Levine, M.D. F.A.A.P. - Their World, 1990.  This table are guideposts for parents and teachers.  They should not be used in isolation, but may lead you to seek further evaluations.

Does my child have a Learning Disabilities?

Does the student have the following:

• Has an average to above average intelligence.
• Exhibits unexpected discrepancy between potential and actual achievement.
• Performs poorly because of difficulty in one or more of the following areas:
  • •     Listening
    •     Speaking
    •     Reading
    •     Written expression
    •     Mathematics
    •     Reasoning
• Difficulties in concentration and attention, memory and  social skills may also be seen in profiles of students with learning disabilities.   (From the National Center for Learning Disabilities.)

Developmental Disabilities

Are still poorly understood, from the cause to cure. However, there is one widely-accepted fact:

Early and intensive intervention can have a profound impact on the quality of life for both children at risk and their families.
The key is early detection, recognizing the first signs of a developmental delay or disorder.

Developmental Milestones:
Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving "bye bye" are called developmental milestones.
Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (crawling, walking, etc.) for
Ages 2 months to 5 years

Download the  complete set of milestones checklists (ages 2 months to 5 years)  
 

	One of our original web pages, created July 2001, by Melody Orfei Webpage last modified on April 7, 2016 - V7, by Melody Orfei
mel3sons@gmail.com