Three Common Learning Disabilities (And Clues Your Child Has Been Trying to Work Around Them!)The term “learning disability” can strike a chord of panic in parents. “But my child is smart! How can she have a learning disability?” is a common reaction. And the reality is, they’re right! The majority of kids and teens (and adults!) with learning disabilities are intelligent—even geniuses! Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Walt Disney, and plenty more all had learning disabilities of some kind. How is that possible? Just look at some of the most common learning struggles and how kids try to work around them: Dyslexia What it is: Trouble with words; difficulty reading How kids work around it: Avoiding reading, looking at pictures for clues, memorization, watching videos of required books Things to watch for: Not remembering what was just read (weak comprehension), struggling to pronounce new words, difficulty transferring what is heard to what is seen and vice versa, weak at letter sound discrimination (e.g., pin, pen), poor spelling Common root cause: Weak phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and manipulate the 45 individual phonemes in the English language) ADHD What it is: A broad term used to cover a variety of attention deficit disorders, including inattentive ADHD (i.e., “ADD”), hyperactive ADHD, and combined ADHD How kids work around it: For inattentive ADHD, (which is more common in girls than the hyperactive type), they may ask friends for notes, look up answers online and rely on parental help to stay organized. For hyperactive ADHD, kids may frequently ask for a bathroom pass or make up excuses to leave their seat. Things to watch for: Fidgeting, overactivity, squirming in seat, jumping from one activity to another without completing work, purposeless or non-goal-directed activity Common root cause: Weak attention skills (sustained, divided, selective, and/or a combination of them) Dyscalculia What it is: Trouble with numbers; math struggles How kids work around it: Using calculators, looking things up online, looking up answers in the back of the book Things to watch for: Confusion over math symbols, reversing or transposing numbers, trouble with sequencing, difficulty with mental math, trouble telling time and direction, problems grasping and remembering math concepts Common root cause: Although genetics can play a role, the main cause is generally poor visual processing and memory skills (i.e., working and long-term) About LearningRx® LearningRx, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the largest one-on-one brain training company in the world. Our training programs are administered through more than 100 locations in the U.S. and in 45 countries around the globe (as BrainRx®). LearningRx has helped more than 100,000 individuals and families sharpen their cognitive skills to help them think faster, learn easier, and perform better. In addition to their center-based training programs that partner every client with a personal brain trainer to keep clients engaged, accountable, and on-task—a key advantage over digital brain games—most LearningRx Centers also offer online training through videoconferencing. This expanded delivery method allows clients to work from the comfort of their own home while still receiving the benefits of one-on-one brain training with a personal brain trainer. LearningRx’s pioneering methods have been used in clinical settings for over 35 years and have been subjected to peer-review in more than a dozen scientific journals. To learn more visit https://www.learningrx.com/our-programs/online-brain-training/