Learning disabilities and ADHD in preschool-aged children

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Learning Disabilities

Characteristics

Difficulty pronouncing words.

Trouble learning to do snaps, zippers, buttons, and tying shoes

Difficulty controlling scissors, pencils and crayons, and coloring between two lines

Trouble sticking to routines and following instructions

Trouble rhyming

Difficulty mastering shapes, colors, numbers, and days of the week

This term encompasses a range of learning problems that have little or nothing to do with motivation and intelligence (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2013). Children struggling with learning disabilities could, therefore, be as capable or intelligent as other children, but would usually "see, hear and understand things differently" (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2013). This as the authors further point out makes it quite challenging for such children to process, and put to use, new information (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2013). Learning disabilities range from struggling with reading and spelling, to difficulty in understanding math (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2011).

The main types of learning disorders are "dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dysphasia, auditory processing disorder, and visual processing disorder" (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2011). Among these, only dyslexia is associated with children aged between three and five; the rest mostly affect older, school-going children. The general characteristics of learning disabilities displayed by preschoolers include (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2013);

Difficulty pronouncing words.

Trouble learning to do snaps, zippers, buttons, and tying shoes

Difficulty controlling scissors, pencils and crayons, and coloring between two lines

Trouble sticking to routines and following instructions

Trouble rhyming

Difficulty mastering shapes, colors, numbers, and days of the week

It would be prudent to mention, at this point, that it is quite normal for children of this age to display these difficulties from time to time. Action should only be taken if the child's "ability to master certain skills" is consistently uneven (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2013). Moreover, the aforementioned difficulties could also be as a result of either of the other two disabilities (Kemp, Smith & Segal, 2013).

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ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

Characteristics

Inattentiveness

Hyperactivity

Consistent pre-occupation with objects

This refers to "a pattern of differences in a child's development that affects socialization, communication, play and behavior" (Autism Society of Los Angeles, 2014). The characteristics of autism displayed by children aged between 3 and five are;

Difficulty applying multiple non-verbal behaviors concurrently

Difficulty developing and maintaining relationships with age mates

Lack of interest in sharing achievements and enjoyment with peers

Lack of emotional and social reciprocity

Inadequate speech, with no incentive to improve

Inability to instigate and sustain a conversation with peers

Unwillingness to play

Difficulty adhering to routines

Consistent motor manners, for instance, persistent finger-twisting or flapping

Consistent pre-occupation with objects

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Importance of Family Involvement in Educational Settings for Children With Disabilities

Family instills in a child, the need to achieve more, even from a different setting

Family creates a lasting and direct impact on a child's competence development

Family engagement builds and sustains valuable ECP-family relationships

Family involvement helps in the formulation of guidance strategies that suit a child best

Allows for care provider-family negotiations and the development of shared goals in relation to the education and guidance of a child

A family is the most influential source of support a child can have. It has a tendency to create a lasting and direct impact on a child's "learning and development of social competence," because a child identifies with their family members, and begins to appreciate the similarities therein, as opposed to the differences (Adams & Baronberg, 2010). Family involvement, moreover, instills in a child the need to achieve more, even from a different setting, and makes the child more comfortable in new environments (Adams & Baronberg, 2010).

Family engagement also helps in the building and sustenance of valuable ECP-family relationships, thereby making families more active players at the very onset of their children's education (Adams & Baronberg, 2010). Family involvement significantly helps care providers to formulate a child's guidance strategies, because through it, a provider is able to acquire valuable information regarding a child's background and the goals a family has set for their child, and thereby select that strategy that best incorporates these (Adams & Baronberg, 2010). Finally, family involvement provides platforms, through which care providers and families can negotiate and come up with shared goals in relation to the education and guidance of a child (Adams & Baronberg, 2010).

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Ways Through Which ECPs can Facilitate Family Involvement

Home visitations

Organized wokshops

Parental visits

Maintaining adequate communication through;

Telephone conversations

Newsletters

informal notes

There are a wide range of family engagement-facilitating avenues, from which ECPs can choose. ECPs could, for instance, carry out home visitations and engage with members of the children's families and also allow parents to visit their children as frequently as may be necessary (Adams & Baronberg, 2010). Moreover, ECPs could organize workshops, through which parents get a chance to give their views regarding the guidance program, make suggestions on improvements, and gauge the institution's performance (Adams & Baronberg, 2010). Family involvement can only be sustained through communication. ECPs could use informal notes, regular telephone conversations, and newsletters to keep families informed on new developments, concerns, and decisions reached.

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