It seems like each day brings more information about how children learn and how to help them overcome obstacles.

As diagnosing learning disabilities becomes more common, many parents are left wondering whether their kids need extra help or are just going through a typical kid phase.

Today, we examine the signs of ADHD and other learning disabilities in children that may cause them to have difficulty paying attention in school.

ADHD

The best-known learning disability affecting attention is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

A contentious topic at times, ADHD symptoms in children have largely been misunderstood by the general public.

ADHD has 3 subtypes: Primarily Inattentive, Primarily Hyperactive/Impulsive, or a combination of both.

If parents see numerous signs of ADHD consistently in their child for 6 months or longer, they should consider getting their child tested. 

Inattentive symptoms (6 or more of the following):

• Often easily distracted
• Often forgetful in daily activities
• Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to complete tasks requiring mental effort over an extended period of time (schoolwork, homework)
• Often fails to pay close attention to details, or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities
• Often has issues completing instructions or tasks (ie, loses focus or gets sidetracked) leaving school work or chores unfinished
• Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities
• Often has trouble holding attention on tasks or activities
• Often loses belongings or items, even if necessary for everyday use (ie glasses, books, keys, wallets)
• Often does not seem to listen, even when spoken to directly

Hyperactivity and Impulsivity symptoms (6 or more of the following):

• Often talks excessively
• Often leaves seat in situations when expected to remain seated
• Often interrupts, “butts into” conversations or activities
• Often “on the go” as if “driven by a motor”
• Often fidgets, taps, and squirms
• Often has difficulty playing or doing fun activities quietly
• Often has trouble waiting their turn
• Often runs or climbs in situations where it is inappropriate, or feels extremely restless
• Often blurts out an answer before the question is complete

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The understanding of autism has increased in recent years, with many people learning more about the diversity of the spectrum.

It is a disorder related to brain development affecting how a person perceives and socializes with others and their environment, and can also influence their attention span at school.

Signs that your child may need to be evaluated:

• Has difficulty with social or communication skills: Seems to prefer being in their own world; only initiates conversation to make requests; has poor eye contact and lacks facial expression
• Struggles to understand others’ thoughts and feelings: Has difficulty recognizing nonverbal cues like facial expressions, body language, or tone; doesn’t express emotion or discuss feelings, and appears unaware of others’ emotions; approaches social interactions inappropriately by being passive, disruptive, or aggressive
• Highly sensitive to sounds or textures: Unusually sensitive to light, sound, or touch, yet may be indifferent to pain or temperature; has specific food preferences, ie, eating only specific foods, or refusing food(s) with particular texture(s)
• Have exact preferences for many different things: Develops specific routines or rituals and is very upset when they are disturbed; fixates on objects or activities with abnormal intensity

Learning Disabilities

Some children may struggle to pay attention in school not because of attention difficulties, but rather due to difficulties in grasping the material.

It should be noted that children with ADHD are more likely to also have other learning disabilities.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a language processing disorder characterized by issues identifying speech sounds and understanding how they relate to letters and words.

Signs your child may have dyslexia include: 

• Reading far below expected levels 
• Inability to sound out the pronunciation of new words 
• Difficulty spelling
• Problems remembering sequences
• Problems processing and understanding what they hear

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a broad term for a range of life-long learning disabilities involving math. Difficulties can be language-processing based, or visual-spatial based.

People with language processing disabilities may struggle to memorize math facts, and be uncertain about how to apply their knowledge to solve problems.

People with weak visual-spatial skills may understand the concept, but be unable to organize the steps on paper. They may also struggle to understand math concepts or facts from what is written on a board or in text.

Symptoms of dyscalculia include: 

• Difficulty with the concept of time, estimating how much time is needed for a task or activity, or being chronically late
• Difficulty playing strategy games like chess, or role-playing video games (RPGs), or trouble keeping score in board and card games
• Good with math concepts, but struggles with specific computation and organization skills
• Poor sense of direction, easily disoriented or confused by changes in routine

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a processing disorder affecting a person’s writing abilities. Far beyond bad handwriting, the disorder can be problems with the physical act of writing, the thought processes necessary to determine what and how to write, or both.

Children who have dysgraphia may display: 

• Strange writing position, or odd/tight pencil grip 
• Tiring quickly while writing
• Unfinished or missing words in sentences
• Large gap between understanding demonstrated in speech vs. writing

The Importance of Evaluations

Getting your child evaluated early means getting them access to the treatment and specialized education they need for academic and life-long success.

The more support children with learning disabilities have, the more successful their long-term outlook will be.

Parents can allow the school district to evaluate their child for a learning disability.

Public school students can be evaluated in school by the school’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team.

Children in private or charter schools, or who are not enrolled in school, can have the school district’s Committee on Special Education (CSE) test their child either in their learning environment or at the school district’s CSE location.

Parents also have the option to get an independent assessment.

Neuropsychological evaluation services, like Neuro-Psych Doc, have the time and resources to dedicate to your child that public education programs already reeling from the pandemic may not have.

Independent evaluators may also be able to test a wider range of abilities at once, eliminating the need for more appointments.