No matter how you look at it, learning differences or disorders are relatively common. Estimates show that they are sufficiently prevalent that most classrooms will have at least one student that experiences learning disorders; many will have 2 or even 3.

With that said, many parents ask medical practitioners and educators about the possibility of their child having more than one of these differences. Even adults who are in the process of getting a late diagnosis will ask these questions. And it’s obvious why: people want to know about the range of possible challenges. In addition, a lot of adults are looking for ways to explain the struggles they had as children. Since those challenges can have an affect on adult life, answers remain valuable into adulthood.

That brings us to the questions behind this article. First, can someone have both dyslexia and dyspraxia. And how can tell the two apart, even if someone has both specific learning differences (SLDs). To that end, I’m going to start out with brief descriptions of both dyslexia and dyspraxia. Then, we’ll talk about the differences. Finally, let’s look at how these challenges can combine in some people.

Dyslexia: a brief description

At its most basic, dyslexia is an SLD that affects people’s ability to read and understand writing. As the dyslexia experts at Yale University define it, dyslexia is a condition that causes difficulties in learning how to read and spell, and which is unexpected considering someone’s intelligence. Most experts also stipulate that, for someone to receive the diagnosis of dyslexia, he or she must have gotten age-appropriate, competent instruction in reading. Most diagnostic instructions have this proviso.

From here, it gets a little bit more complex. The most common manifestation of dyslexia is trouble with “encoding and decoding:” that is, turning linguistic sounds into letters, words, and phrases. Or alternately, turning those letters and words into the sounds of language. Practically applied, this means that someone has trouble spelling and reading words to the level that is expected of them.

In addition, there are a few other problems that can be part of the condition for many people. For instance, there’s the classic reversal or confusion of similar letters when reading or writing. Many people with dyslexia struggle with reading at a normal speed, or in composing written material in an efficient manner. Poor organizational skills and bad handwriting can also occur. Finally, problems with attention are common.

What effects does this have on people with dyslexia? While nobody is the same, many students struggle with reading at a normal speed in their adult lives. And that child in most classrooms that has trouble sounding out words to read in public? There’s a high chance that he is the one with dyslexia. Luckily, proper interventions can significantly alleviate the problems for most people.

Dyspraxia: what you need to know

Although the most common term for this condition nowadays is dyspraxia, there are two other terms that are useful for understanding what it is. The first one is “developmental coordination disorder,” and the other one is “clumsy child syndrome.” What do these terms have in common? An emphasis on coordination.

Dyspraxia is a form of learning difference or disability that affects both fine and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills are the ability to easily regulate smaller muscles to achieve a purpose. For instance, writing, typing, and wiggling your toes require fine motor skills. Gross motor skills pertain to larger muscles, such as walking or kicking a ball. With dyspraxia, these skills are impaired because the brain doesn’t send those signals to muscles properly.

Naturally, not being able to move as easily as someone else has significant disadvantages. For instance, like someone with dyslexia, many students struggle with messy handwriting. They’ll also frequently struggle with sequencing: First A, then B, and so on. Depending on the student, this can make a huge difference in their ability to excel at sports and in physical education classes.

Whether it’s a sequencing issue, poor coordination, or both, people with dyspraxia often appear clumsy. Some of them run into things or lean on objects to keep their balance. More subtly, dyspraxia can cause bad handwriting, abnormal posture, or even trouble with attention. And, like dyslexia, people with dyspraxia perform poorly in these areas in comparison with their peers of comparable intelligence and instruction.

Ways in which dyslexia, dyspraxia are similar

Understanding the way in which dyspraxia and dyslexia are different does require some discussion of the similarities. As I already mentioned, one of the similarities is difficulty with handwriting. This can include messy writing, increased time required to write, and confused or poorly formed letters. Of course, with poorly formed letters you can also have some that appear to be wrong: it’s easy to mistake a cursive lower-case Q, G, and P depending on the script.

Concentration is frequently affected by both

Another similarity is difficulties with concentration. When someone must work hard to form letters or distinguish them from each other on a page, it’s easy to focus just on that. In turn, other tasks can be easily neglected. In addition, mental fatigue and frustration with a task can set in quickly, especially when someone is surrounded by people that are having fewer challenges. Finally, a lot of people with either condition struggle with directions, like right and left.

Both academic achievement and life skills can be affected

Although most people don’t realize this, both dyslexia and dyspraxia can affect academics and life skills. For instance, reading is critical for learning most academic subjects in schools. In order to learn math, science, and history, most students need to read textbooks and other materials. Dyspraxia makes it more difficult to play sports and perform other tasks, such as making artwork.

In terms of life skills, poor reading abilities can make the world of work more difficult for people with dyslexia. Some adults with dyslexia can also have trouble with organization or timekeeping. With dyspraxia, difficulties with timekeeping are also commonplace. Plus, many people have trouble with tasks such as typing, which is also a frequent requirement in the workplace.

They have a developmental origin

However, these differences are somewhat variable. While differences in motor coordination is a hallmark of dyspraxia and reading difficulties of dyslexia, it’s important to understand that both are brain-based conditions. Both are present at the earliest stages of life, although dyslexia is arguably harder to notice early on. In addition, both represent deficits between achievement and potential, especially when it comes to developmental milestones and intelligence.

Differences between the two learning challenges

Studying the nature of and similarities between dyslexia and dyspraxia brings us to the other side of the coin: how they’re different. The first observation is that dyslexia and dyspraxia are disorders that affect different aspects of human functioning. Dyslexia is primarily related to writing and the perception of words on a page, while dyspraxia primarily affects motor skills. Both are differences in the way that someone’s brain processes information, and in many cases, there are overlaps in how it “looks” or behaves. However, from here there are several key differences.

Dyslexia and dyspraxia involve a different primary type of impairment.

While it’s obvious that dyslexia and dyspraxia have some similar symptoms, the causes of these features are typically different. This is true because the two learning differences have a different core impairment. For dyslexia, this is a deficit in written language skills. Dyspraxia, on the other hand, primarily deals with movement.

Let’s look at this on a practical level. Let’s say that someone has trouble with messy handwriting. For the person with dyslexia, this is likely to be a perceptual or coding problem. In other words, it could be that this person is confusing letters so that they look the same. Or, they might be having trouble recalling what letters go into which words, and so forth.  By contrast, someone with dyspraxia is more likely to be struggling with the mechanical aspect of writing. Those letters are simply difficult to form.

Someone with dyslexia may move much better than someone with dyspraxia

Although there are people who have dyslexia and are clumsy (we’ll get to this soon), this isn’t a feature of the disorder.  People with dyslexia do sometimes have trouble with movement tasks, but their nature and cause are much different. For instance, in dyslexia the problem is typically more focused on differentiating right from left or deciding what should go first or second.

On the other hand, in dyspraxia problems with motor coordination are more comprehensive. Many people struggle with kicking a ball, and also with balance. Here, the reason isn’t keeping the sequences straight. Instead, it’s a problem of the muscles and nerves working together properly. For that reason, clumsiness is typically a much bigger problem with dyspraxia. And, as a rule, people with dyslexia move more efficiently than people with dyspraxia.

Someone with dyspraxia may have an easier time with sounding out words

When it comes to reading, the differences between dyslexia and dyspraxia are also evident, especially out loud. Someone with dyspraxia will likely not have trouble reading the words on a page silently. This means that when they are studying or enjoying a good book, there isn’t much difference between them and the general population. On the other hand, someone with dyslexia will often experience problems with reading in both contexts.

Why is this? Simply put, someone with dyspraxia doesn’t necessarily have trouble decoding words on a page. For this reason, reading may not be a problem. On the other hand, reading out loud may be a challenge if the dyspraxia affects his speech. With classic dyslexia symptoms, however, sounding out words is often more difficult. This is true both in the head and when spoken, since the disconnect is between the eyes and the brain.

It is possible to have both learning differences?

Absolutely. In fact, we have known that dyslexia and dyspraxia occur together frequently since at least the nineties. This is so common that studies indicate that more than half of people with dyslexia also have dyspraxia. Quite a few also suffer from ADHD, though that is outside our scope.

There’s more to this than the simple overlap of symptoms. Both learning differences involve a disconnect in how the brain relates to the body and outside stimuli. However, as we learned above, there are a lot of things about dyslexia and dyspraxia that are different from each other. Furthermore, the cause of a shared feature is different between the two conditions. Where it gets tricky is during evaluation time, when a psychologist or other professional must decide what is causing the challenges their client is facing.

A careful evaluation and proper interventions are key to success

During a psychoeducational evaluation, it’s easy to think that the professionals involved are simply checking off boxes. However, when done properly the evaluation will identify not just what challenges exist, but which learning difference is causing it. In addition, evaluators are supposed to ensure that the difference isn’t caused by a medical condition that should be treated instead.

As interventions are devised, whether for a child or adult, the object should be to both teach needed skills and address the underlying problem. So, for clumsiness due to dyspraxia, the focus is on neurological challenges and coping skills. If the same problem is caused by dyslexia, then the intervention will usually focus on linguistic and related areas of the brain (for example, by training the difference between right and left).

Dyslexia and dyspraxia, though different, are commonly found together. But that doesn’t mean that we are left with a single, cookie-cutter approach. Rather, professionals have many intervention options that are specific to each condition. Fortunately, with the right help many people with learning differences are able to lead normal adult lives.

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Whether you have a loved one with known or suspected dyslexia, or have an interest in the topic for other reasons, many people ask about the different degrees of dyslexia. After all, dyslexia is a learning challenge that comes with a lot of anxiety or questions. People usually want to know what the overall prognosis is, assuming that the person with dyslexia is given proper interventions.

A major part of this discussion, though, is the severity of someone’s challenges. These difficulties can be mitigated upfront with compensating strengths or a high level of intelligence. So, while there are no official “degrees” of dyslexia, it’s best to think of this question in terms of how difficult it is for someone to learn how to read and write, master foreign languages, or perform everyday tasks.

What is dyslexia, anyway?

In a nutshell, dyslexia is a condition where someone has difficulties with reading and writing-based tasks, even though they have received competent classroom instruction, and don’t struggle as a result of other conditions such as visual impairments. Whether or not someone is having difficulties (or achieving at a lower level than expected) must be measured against their level of overall education and age. This means that someone who’s 16 years old and in secondary education can receive the diagnosis at a much higher level of reading or writing proficiency than a primary school student aged ten.

With that said, the challenges that are associated with dyslexia often carry over into other areas of life beyond school. Or even within the school context, it can affect more than just writing and reading-related subjects. For instance, a student with dyslexia who is very good at mathematics might have difficulty with “story problems,” since these require significant reading comprehension. In addition, if someone has trouble reading then it can be more difficult to pursue a hobby. People that have different degrees of dyslexia can experience challenges in life at different levels, as well.

Types of dyslexia

All that being said, there are different kinds and causes of dyslexia. The neuroscience behind it is still emerging, in that scientists still can’t give someone a medical test and know immediately if they have this condition. Existing theories are beyond the scope of this article, but understanding the “type” that someone has helps determine interventions and gives insight on the ultimate prognosis.

Primary

This is the type that most of us think about when we hear the term “dyslexia.” Recent studies have found that it is the result of the left half of someone’s brain not working correctly, especially in the areas that process language. It isn’t a kind of brain damage, though. Think of it as a different trait that makes certain things more challenging than average, in contrast to other “differences” like having a good sense of color that make something easier.

Why do people develop primary dyslexia? Simply put, it’s genetic. This trait can be passed down from one generation to another, similarly to a predisposition for cancer or heart disease. Fortunately, though, adequate intervention will allow most people with dyslexia to graduate high school. Many people even go on to college, and hold down high-paying jobs. It is only people with the most severe degrees of dyslexia, or who don’t get adequate help in school, that significantly struggle in adulthood.

Secondary

Secondary dyslexia happens when something goes wrong in a developing fetal brain that makes the child not process language quite right. It’s similar to a birth defect in this sense, though we don’t know why it happens. Luckily, secondary dyslexia is like a minor developmental delay: with proper intervention, the impairment can completely disappear. From a layman’s standpoint, it can look like someone just took longer to “get the hang of” reading or writing.

Acquired

Finally, there’s acquired dyslexia. This is the result of a brain injury or other illness, and it can occur at any point in life. While the other kinds of dyslexia discussed here make it difficult for children to learn how to read and spell, this one results in some loss of reading ability. It’s similar to the way in which people can have trouble speaking after a stroke or lose memory due to dementia. Fortunately, people can sometimes “relearn” to read at some degree.

Different types of impairments that result from dyslexia

For most people who ask about the “degrees” of dyslexia, they are referring to the type and severity of actual impairment rather than the cause. In other words, what tasks does this person find most challenging, and how severe is the challenge. Here are the major areas where people with dyslexia struggle, along with their technical terms.

Phonological dyslexia

If you’ve ever seen a child trying to “sound out” a word but having more trouble than the other members of the class, then you’ve seen phonological dyslexia. This is a difficulty with “coding,” or associating letters and words with their sound and therefore, linguistic meaning. For example, let’s say the student has trouble decoding the word “cat.” C-A-T is the spelling, and the sounds are  “k”, soft “a”, and “t.” Like the furry animal that loves to chase mice. Someone without dyslexia will soon learn that the “c” makes the same sound as “k” in many situations. But if someone has dyslexia, it’s much harder to learn this basic principle.

Conversely, if someone with dyslexia is learning to spell “cat,” they might want to spell it as “kat” because they associate “k” with the first sound in the word. Luckily, although this student will get the item wrong on a spelling test, someone reading “kat” will know that the writer means “cat.” That’s because the sound is correct.

Surface dyslexia

Surface dyslexia describes a difficulty where someone finds it harder to master “sight words.” These are words for which the spelling isn’t obvious from a phonetic standpoint. In English, examples can include “February,” “Wednesday” and (for UK English) “labour” or “favour.” Often, these sight words have silent letters or include exceptions to the typical spelling rules, which makes them harder to know anyway.

To learn sight words, the average person simply memorizes the spelling. This is also a common approach to reading in foreign language instruction. They’ll teach grammar, but vocabulary is often built using sight words. Surface dyslexia is much less common in general, and usually is a feature of acquired dyslexia. However, it does develop in children occasionally.

Deep dyslexia

Finally, there’s deep dyslexia. This is always caused by brain damage on some level. When someone has deep dyslexia, they do two major things: make semantic errors (“house” becomes “shed”) or they “misread” the word by thinking it’s something else (“bread” could become “lead”). This is in contrast, though, to more typical reading errors. Someone who mistakes “to, two, and too” is dealing with a typical reading and grammar mistake.

In many cases, someone with deep dyslexia doesn’t see the word properly. This would be a perceptual error (think about when you say that your eyes are “playing tricks” on you). It can also manifest because the person doesn’t recall previously learned words, substituting what they “think” the word is supposed to be. Ironically, some of the common stereotypes of people with dyslexia, such as the idea that they see things backwards, are based on the errors people with deep dyslexia make.

Any combination of the above

Keep in mind, it’s possible for someone to suffer from more than one type of dyslexia. A rare, but possible, combination is phonological and surface dyslexia. This can happen when a child has dyslexia because of genetics or abnormal fetal formation. Then, they later suffer a head injury or illness, causing surface dyslexia. Or, for that matter, suffer a brain injury during labor and delivery.

So how does this determine a “degree” of dyslexia?

When parents find out that their child has dyslexia, a common question is, “how bad is it?” What they often mean is, “how hard is it going to be for my kid to learn how to read,” or alternatively, “can my child graduate from high school.” The fact is that everyone with dyslexia has a different mosaic of gifts and challenges, each of which can affect their prognosis. Let’s look at this in more detail.

Each impairment type can have different degrees of severity

Most educators will tell you that dyslexia is a spectrum condition, with all impairments ranging from mild to severe (or nonexistent). No two people with dyslexia are the same in terms of strengths and weaknesses, any more than their personalities or physical traits match. Although there are key features of dyslexia in general, it’s important to map out the specific challenges each person faces. Then, interventions focus on addressing the individual’s needs.

It’s more complicated, though, than just what difficulties someone does or does not have. Rather, both the combination and severity of impairments must be taken into account. For instance, one child might have trouble distinguishing “P” and “b,” which is common, while another might do OK distinguishing letters while struggling to string them together properly. At the same time, the person who has trouble putting letters together might only struggle with longer words, or words that have specific letter combinations. Or, he might struggle with a bit of everything and need more support. We’d say that the latter impairment is more severe than the former.

The presence or absence of one impairment type influences the degree of dyslexia

Because phonological dyslexia is the most common form, educators and psychologists have more experience with interventions. In many cases, we can address mild to moderate phonological dyslexia with multi-sensory teaching methods. These can be used both for the child’s primary language of instruction and for foreign languages. In practice, this means that many children, especially those with milder degrees of dyslexia, can still meet foreign language requirements in high school or college.

Here’s the even better news: in many cases, learners with dyslexia can master reading with relatively minor adjustments to instruction. In addition, there are supports such as audiobooks and note taking assistance, that can help level the playing field. These are especially useful later in a student’s academic career when schoolwork requires more and more reading and writing.

With that said, if a student has more different types of deficit, or if a single deficit is more severe, one can say they have a higher level of dyslexia. Each deficit must be addressed individually to maximize success. At the same time, milder deficit levels are easier to teach around or accommodate than severe ones. The goal of instruction and modifications is always to maximize someone’s ability to read, write, or achieve on an academic level. In addition, schools must prepare students to be successful in adult life.

Sometimes, dyslexia goes unnoticed

With the milder degrees of dyslexia, and in cases of high intelligence, the condition can sometimes go unnoticed. There are several reasons for this, such as schools mistaking dyslexia for other challenges, such as ADHD. Another common cause of a student falling through the cracks is a high level of intelligence. In this case, the student will find a way to compensate in other areas, thereby successfully learning to read and write. With a very minor level of impairment, the intelligence required to “compensate” is lower. However, either way the child needs significant motivation to succeed.

The sad thing about a mild degree of dyslexia which goes unnoticed is that the result is often very frustrated students. After all, they work harder for the same results as “typical” students. A lot of kids also give up on school because they just can’t cope with the work. In addition, having trouble pronouncing words can make a child feel “stupid” and experience bullying. This is why diagnosis and intervention are so important, even for those with milder impairments.

Dyslexia is a spectrum condition where symptoms range from almost unnoticeable to very challenging. Fortunately, with proper diagnosis and intervention there’s a high probability that someone can live a normal life with a regular job. With that said, the most important thing is that the adults in a child with dyslexia’s life are supportive. Parents, in particular, can help children learn resilience and determination. Combined with the right instruction, determination helps ensure that even more severe degrees of dyslexia aren’t the end of the world.

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If you are reading this article, there’s a high chance that you or someone you love is having difficulties with learning or everyday activities. In a nutshell, when children or adults struggle to learn things at a pace that would be expected for their age or grade level, they might need a psycho educational assessment. This is a thorough evaluation to determine why an individual is struggling and help select supports or interventions that assist the person in achieving to their full potential.

Within this broad stroke, however, there is a wide range of procedures and testing that may be administered. Typically, they are selected based on the areas of concern and suspected learning challenges. In addition, a psycho educational assessment can identify strengths, including intellectual giftedness. While they can be administered to adults, a psycho educational assessment is more likely to be given in childhood. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the why and how of this evaluation.

Why might someone have a psycho educational assessment?

There are several situations when people might want or need a psycho educational assessment. For most people that have learning differences, the symptoms are manifested relatively early in childhood. On the other hand, there are also people that manage to get far along in their education before problems get serious enough to be noticed. This is true whether the challenge is related to intelligence, a neurodevelopmental problem like learning difficulties/disabilities, or ADHD.

Perhaps the most common reason why children in particular are sent for a psycho educational assessment is that their school suspects that they need specialized education. In the United States, this means that they might need an “Individualized Education Plan” or IEP. Other countries have different terms: the United Kingdom calls it a Special Educational Needs (SEN) plan, for example. On the other end of the spectrum, these assessments are sometimes given to qualify someone for gifted and talented programs.

While there’s no “wrong” time to get one, the sooner that the reasons behind someone’s struggles are identified, the easier it is to help them. In addition, repeated assessments might be needed in certain circumstances. The same goes for situations where enrichment is needed for a child to thrive. Here are some common reasons for an assessment, in greater detail.

A learning difference or disability is suspected

What is a learning difference, anyway? Simply put, a learning difference (disability in the United States and Canada) is a neurological anomaly that makes it more difficult for someone to learn in a particular area. This deficit is measured in comparison with their overall capacity for achievement. If there is a large enough difference between what they should be able to do, and what they are actually able to do, then a learning difference is often diagnosed. Another term for this is “specific learning disorder” or SLD.

While most people with learning differences are diagnosed as children, there are some situations where the evaluation isn’t done. For instance, some parents might not want their child to be given an “evaluation.” In other situations, an individual might be so intelligent, or clever in other ways, that they manage to cope until adulthood. Here, the psycho educational assessment is usually done to explain other difficulties in their lives. For instance, they might struggle in social settings, or with getting work done efficiently.

Your child’s school thinks your child might have attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD).

Similarly, a psycho educational assessment is often performed when ADHD is suspected. As with learning disorders, ADHD is a condition that makes it harder, all other things being equal, for people to learn or achieve to their potential. The difference, though, is that the dysfunction centers around the ability to focus and absorb information. It can also make someone hyperactive, or a combination of these.

Here’s where it can get more difficult, though. A lot of people who have a learning disorder also have ADHD. In some situations, it is hard to tell the difference between the two. Look at it this way: if you’re having a lot of trouble in math class, it’s easy for attention to drift off. As people, we tend to avoid the most difficult parts of our lives. And as a result, many children with learning disorders will quit paying attention in a class that they find too hard. Alternatively, their difficulty understanding the topic might make it LOOK like they’re not paying attention.

Since ADHD and LD often occur together, one of the biggest tasks in a psycho educational assessment where there are concerns about attention is to distinguish between the two. Both can cause someone to “act out” in certain settings, and both can hamper achievement. Knowing exactly where someone is struggling makes it much easier to help them.

Educators believe that someone has a lower level of intelligence

Of course, not all failures to learn are caused by learning disorders or ADHD. As mentioned above, achievement expectations for both of these difficulties are indexed in part based on someone’s aptitude. Most of us hear this aptitude described as “intelligence” or “intelligence quotient (IQ).” Combined with other factors such as economics and education, someone’s IQ is often referred to as their “potential.”

Having a low IQ has many different terms, many of which (such as “idiot”) are demeaning. However, there’s one which needs to be mentioned. In the United Kingdom, having low intelligence is referred to as having a “learning disability.” For Americans, the most common term is “intellectual disability.” This is important, because a learning disorder is called “learning disability” in the US, and it leads to confusion across cultures.

No matter what you call reduced intelligence, the result is a lower ability to learn, adapt, and develop life skills. These deficits exist even when outside factors, such as the quality and level of education, are considered.

There are concerns that a child or adult might have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Next, let’s talk about autism. This is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes poor social skills, communications difficulties, and repetitive behaviors. Symptoms vary widely and range from mild to severe. Intelligence levels can also range from gifted to severely intellectually disabled, although most people correlate autism and low intelligence. A psycho educational assessment can help to both diagnose autism and distinguish it from other learning challenges.

Why is this necessary? Simply put, ASD, learning disorders, low intelligence and ADHD have overlapping symptoms. Comprehensive reviews of a patient’s social and academic history, along with the testing typically administered, helps to determine the correct cause of someone’s difficulties. In turn, the interventions selected to help someone depend in part on their actual diagnosis.

A child or adult shows signs of giftedness, which in turn can be nurtured.

Of course, it isn’t necessarily bad news if your child’s school wants to administer a psycho educational assessment. In fact, many districts have special programs for students that are especially intelligent or have a high level of ability in one or more areas. These students are called “gifted and talented,” or “more able” in the UK. A teacher who thinks that your child has distinguishing characteristics like this might refer them for an assessment, which in turn becomes the gateway for extra enrichment.

Schools do this for more than just potential enrichment purposes. For instance, a lot of gifted children will act up in class out of boredom. Or, they’ll get in trouble for staring out the window during an important lecture. These behaviors can be the result of another condition, like ADHD or SLD, or they can have a combination of causes. In other words, the causes of behavior problems can be positive traits, and not just negative ones.

What is the purpose of a psycho educational assessment?

When someone undergoes a psycho educational assessment, the overarching goal is to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Then, this data is used to diagnose any disabilities or difficulties that may be causing their symptoms. In some situations, more detailed testing will be needed. This is especially true if the evaluation reveals there might be other explanations for these challenges, such as cerebral palsy. However, these evaluations are beyond the scope of the discussion.

Again, it’s important to remember that gifted and talented students also need to have their strengths assessed. This allows schools and parents alike to encourage the child in that area. Furthermore, for children and adults alike, there’s the possibility of joining social groups for the gifted. The most famous one is Mensa, which requires an assessment to join.

What does a psycho educational assessment include?

Because everyone is unique, there isn’t a predetermined set of diagnostic tools that’s always used. Rather, there are standardized instruments that can measure any set of strengths and weaknesses that is relevant to evaluators. In addition, most instruments come in different languages or are tailored for a particular set of regional requirements. With that said, there are common elements to all thorough psycho educational evaluations. Let’s take a look at what some of these are, and what they are intended to measure.

Review of client’s medical, social, and educational history

The first thing which most evaluators do is get a social and educational history on the person being evaluated. This means that they consult as many sources as possible to find out how well someone functions in their everyday lives, as well as at school. For some diagnoses, experiencing symptoms in more than one context is required. In addition, this information can help sort through the cause of some challenges. Professionals conducting a psycho educational evaluation will often ask for the following sources:

Medical information

Because some learning challenges are linked to different medical events, a good evaluator will want to know as much as family and friends are allowed to tell them. Permission is sought from the patient or parent/guardian for compliance purposes. In particular, evaluators like to know if someone was born prematurely, if the mother used substances, and if there were complications during birth. All of these point to certain possibilities over others.

Social history

In addition, someone’s social history often reveals important information. For instance, an ASD diagnosis requires social challenges, such as being socially withdrawn. ADHD, too, has social implications that result from hyperactivity or lack of attention. On the other hand, the recent occurrence of major life events might point to something more easily treatable, such as depression.

Academic history

This is one of the richest sources of information, and it’s almost always available for school aged children. Your child’s evaluator will look at his or her grades, achievement test results, and teacher notes. In addition, many jurisdictions require that certain interventions be tried before a complete evaluation has been done. When this is the case, thorough records on what was done previously will be available.

Psychometric testing

After reviewing the history of someone undergoing a psycho educational evaluation, the evaluators will select some psychometric tests. These take several hours to complete and are designed to quantify the strengths and weaknesses of the person being evaluated. Here are some things that testing can determine, depending on the person’s needs.

Intelligence test

Because learning disorders in particular are diagnosed in part based on someone’s achievement in contrast to their potential, intelligence testing will almost always be done in these cases. The same goes with ADHD and certain other diagnoses. In addition, intelligence test results can help educators determine how to help someone.

Intelligence tests are typically quite time consuming. One reason for this is that they measure a lot of different things. Most of us think of intelligence in terms of ability to reason in language and mathematics. However, there are other layers of intelligence, such as spatial reasoning. Depending on the suspected cause of someone’s learning challenges, different modules will be administered.

Achievement tests

These are simply assessments that show how much someone knows about a particular subject. If the educational records are thin, or an adult is being evaluated, these give a thorough picture of how well someone can do a particular academic task. Modules include subjects like reading comprehension, mastery of math facts, and reasoning skills.

Attention and impulsivity assessments

Especially if a diagnosis of ADHD is suspected, many evaluators will administer tools to determine how well someone can concentrate. In addition, there will be measures of impulsivity. These help quantify certain criteria needed for a diagnosis of ADHD. Plus, they’ll help sort out if someone has that condition, learning disorders, or something else. Of course, a combination is also possible.

Other tools

Finally, there are other tools that a psychometrist can use as part of a psycho educational evaluation. For instance, there are tests for manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, mastery of nonverbal cues, processing speed, reading fluency, and more. Each of these helps put together the puzzle of someone’s strengths and weaknesses, while also checking boxes for a potential diagnosis.

Analysis and summary of findings

Lastly, a psycho educational assessment will typically generate a report on findings. This will tell the client what tests have shown. For instance, the report might say that someone has a learning disorder or ADHD. In addition, test scores are often given which can be used by educators and other professionals to plan accommodations and interventions.

On the other hand, if your gifted child is given a psycho educational assessment, then the results will help obtain enrichment for your child. In some cases, it can be an extracurricular activity. On the other hand, you might get a recommendation that a child get honors classes in a particular subject. And, if the gifted child also has SLD or another challenge, these will be addressed at the same time.

Having your child’s school or an adult’s doctor suggest a psycho educational assessment can be upsetting. After all, in many cases this recommendation comes as a result of some challenges the person is facing. It can be behavior problems, a suspected learning disorder, giftedness, or even a combination of these. Fortunately, the results of this assessment will show teachers, parents, and practitioners a lot about the client. In turn, it paves the way for the right supports so your loved one can thrive.

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Whether you’re an adult that’s discovering the cause behind those childhood difficulties, or a parent being introduced to your child’s world of “differences,” the chances are that you have a lot of questions. Some disabilities are relatively clear-cut: if someone is blind or low vision, then they have a relatively narrow range of challenges based on that diagnosis. However, many other disabilities are harder to define. For many people who are facing a dyspraxia diagnosis, it’s easy to ask, “is dyspraxia a learning disability?” Let’s take a look at this developmental challenge and how it is classified.

What is dyspraxia, anyway?

Answering the question “is dyspraxia a learning disability” requires that we first define this condition. While most people call it dyspraxia, according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the proper term is “Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)”. This is the term used in most of the literature, and in many different countries. In a nutshell, dyspraxia refers to having difficulties with physical coordination.

Common dyspraxia symptoms

As a developmental challenge, dyspraxia begins in childhood. For many children with this condition, it is difficult to start crawling and walking. This shows us that Another way that dyspraxia can show up is with more complex tasks like tying shoes and fastening buttons. Later on, a child might struggle with kicking a soccer ball, or exhibit poor balance. These and similar symptoms are very frustrating for a child to deal with, especially if he or she sees other children of the same age excelling in these areas.

Another way that people with dyspraxia often struggle is with what are called fine motor skills. Technically, fine motor skills are the ones which move smaller muscles, such as fingers and toes. From the standpoint of a child with dyspraxia, this might mean having trouble with writing: Their handwriting may be difficult to master. And when they do learn how to form letters, they might be messy or large. Over time, this gets frustrating because it can take longer to write something down. Similarly, taking notes in class is harder and might cause a student to miss some things.

As a child moves into adulthood, they may have problems learning to drive. Fun activities like playing sports or even jogging can become more difficult, which often leads to the person avoiding them. To that end, they might not enjoy many of the social outlets or milestones of independence that their peers do. Unfortunately, many of these problems persist into adulthood, though people often learn to adapt.

Additional features of dyspraxia

Besides the common dyspraxia symptoms, there are other reasons that people ask is dyspraxia a learning disability. For instance, a lot of people with dyspraxia have trouble concentrating or learning new skills. In addition, they can have issues with sequencing: First do this, then do that, and so on. Related to the sequencing issues, a lot of people with dyspraxia have problems with remembering and following directions. Many people with dyspraxia often have difficulties with speech, such as stuttering, or differences in the way they think. Finally, people of all ages with dyspraxia are often clumsy and have strange movements.

What causes dyspraxia?

In order to know is dyspraxia a learning disability, we need to know what causes it. I’ll go into this more later, but the cause of the symptoms discussed above is important to the distinction between learning disabilities and other challenges.

According to the British Dyspraxia Foundation, experts technically don’t know what causes dyspraxia. However, most experts believe that it is caused by a difference in the way that motor neurons work within the brain. Specifically, their proper functioning never completely matures, meaning that there’s imperfect development on some level. At the same time, the belief is that the neurological differences aren’t caused by other neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy.

Let’s look at another datapoint. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5), which sets the standards for psychiatric diagnoses in the United States, specifies that dyspraxia can’t be diagnosed if another condition explains the symptoms. In particular, they mention cerebral palsy and sensory deficits. What this means in practice is that, in order to diagnose dyspraxia, medical professionals need to look for other explanations.

Finally, I’d like to exclude one cause that might be associated with dyspraxia: low intelligence. It is well known that dyspraxia has nothing to do with overall intelligence. It’s easy to see how people can think this, considering that difficulties with tasks like note taking can affect academic performance. Besides, many people with lower intelligence struggle with, for example, tying their shoes.

Is dyspraxia a learning disability?

The truth is that this depends somewhat on your definition of learning disability. What everyone can agree upon is that dyspraxia can and does affect how people learn, and that it places them at a disadvantage from an educational standpoint. We can also agree that students with dyspraxia frequently need specialized educational services to help them both learn and adapt.

However, this is where the two camps on is dyspraxia a learning disability diverge. In the United States, the definition of learning disability appears to include dyspraxia. On the other hand, the United Kingdom defines the term “learning disability” fairly narrowly to exclude it. With that said, using a purely practical viewpoint it’s easy to conclude that dyspraxia is a learning disability. Let’s take a look at how these definitions play out.

United States Department of Education definition

In the United States, the answer to is dyspraxia a learning disability is governed by federal law. In the special education law, the term “learning disability” is defined this way:

(i) General. Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

(ii) Disorders not included. Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of intellectual disability, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

There are a few things to notice here. First, in paragraph (i) the typically included conditions defined as “learning disability” includes “minimal brain dysfunction.” This is an old-fashioned term for dyspraxia, but nobody uses it anymore. On the other hand, a cause of “intellectual disability,” or low intelligence, is excluded. So are “motor disabilities,” which affect someone’s ability to move.

So what should we make of this? Typically, we define the term motor disability as something that might, for example, require a wheelchair. In other words, it is a strictly physical disability. Dyspraxia, on the other hand, is psychological even though experts believe that the problem originates in the way someone’s brain develops.

From the standpoint of the United States definition, the answer to is dyspraxia a disability is a resounding “yes.”

The United Kingdom definition of “learning disability.”

In the United Kingdom, the term “learning disability” has a rather different meaning. While both definitions involve someone having difficulty learning things, the nature and cause of the impairment are rather different. According to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), a learning disability implies that someone has a lower level of intellectual ability, defined as an IQ of 70 or below. This is the same as “mental retardation” or “intellectual disability” in the United States.

So, is dyspraxia a learning disability by the UK definition? No. Instead, it is a “learning difficulty.” Same basic category of disabilities, but the terminology is different.

Finally, there’s the practical definition.

From here on out, I’m going to define “learning disability” the American way: as synonymous with the UK term “learning difficulty.” When looked at from a purely practical standpoint, the clear answer to “is dyspraxia a learning disability” is yes. In addition, many learning disability organizations advocate for people with dyspraxia, including the Learning Disabilities Association in the US.

Why is dyspraxia a learning disability from a practical standpoint? Simply put, because it makes the task of learning harder. This can happen in several different ways. For instance, learning to write is more difficult for many children with dyspraxia, since they have more trouble forming the letters. Then, having difficulty with writing makes it harder to keep up in class in the higher grades, since taking notes is more difficult.

Comparing dyspraxia with certain other disabilities.

Now that we have answered is dyspraxia a learning disability in the affirmative, I’d like to briefly compare it to two other disabilities: dyslexia and ADHD.

When people ask about the difference between dyslexia and dyspraxia, I reply that it can be easy to confuse them. This is especially true when reading and writing are involved. Simply put, dyslexia makes it more difficult to learn how to read: the letters don’t necessarily fit together properly. On the other hand, dyspraxia makes it more difficult to move properly, which can affect how letters are formed. And at the same time, people with dyspraxia sometimes struggle with speech, but dyslexia doesn’t cause this. At the end of the day, dyslexia affects how you understand written words. Dyspraxia, as it relates to literacy, affects the ability to write through letter formation, and reading in terms of articulation.

Finally, let’s compare dyspraxia to ADHD. These are more difficult to tell apart for an educational practitioner, because both can cause excessive movement and lower attention spans. One key difference, however, is in how they affect movement. People with ADHD often need to move all the time, but it doesn’t necessarily affect how well they move (or their coordination). In addition, people with dyspraxia don’t always struggle with short attention spans, while this is a hallmark of ADHD. With that being said, telling the two conditions apart often requires careful evaluation. It is also possible to have both.

Because dyspraxia primarily affects movement, many people don’t think of it as a learning disability. However, under most definitions the answer to is dyspraxia a learning disability is a resounding “yes.” You might consider it the often-ignored learning disability, especially since it is easy to confuse with dyslexia and ADHD. Nonetheless, many students with dyspraxia need special education supports to reach their full potential in school.

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For most of us, the word “dyslexia” immediately brings up mental images of kids struggling to tell the difference between “d” and “b,” or between “c,” “e,” and “o.” Considering that these all are related to reading, this isn’t surprising. Dyslexia, at its most basic, is a condition that makes processing written words more difficult. At the same time, this is not a singular problem. While people with dyslexia share certain characteristics, there’s a wide range of struggles and abilities among them.

Considering the differences, it isn’t surprising that a lot of ink has been spilled about dyslexia. When a disability-we prefer to call it a difference or means of being exceptional-has such diversity, much discussion is needed to learn how to help. At the same time, scientists and educators alike want to know how dyslexia looks, both scientifically and from the standpoint of individuals with dyslexia.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at this curious, complex condition. We will start by discussing some of the basic problems faced by many individuals with dyslexia. Then we’ll consider how dyslexia looks from the viewpoint of the people who must deal with it every day of their lives.

A birds-eye view of dyslexia

In order to better discuss how dyslexia looks to individuals with dyslexia themselves, it’s important to understand the basic features of dyslexia. As we mentioned above, most people first think about the student who is struggling to read. While this is usually true, at least to some extent, the problems that individuals with dyslexia face is often a lot more complicated.

The biggest hallmark of dyslexia

Arguably, the biggest “red flag” that gets school children “referred” for additional interventions is difficulty learning how to read. Teachers and evaluators typically look for a few of the following challenges when considering if a child might have dyslexia:

• Slow reading speed, or low accuracy when reading.
• Words don’t “look right,” but they don’t need glasses after an eye exam.
• Trouble converting spoken words into written notes, or expressing oneself less clearly in writing than in oral communication.
• Difficulty understanding what they read.
• Difficulties with spelling or organizing written material such as an essay or report.

At the end of the day, the most important thing that defines dyslexia is that someone is unable to perform certain reading and writing-related tasks at a level that is expected for their intelligence level, age, and education. In other words, someone with average or better intelligence, and without other confounding issues such as blindness or brain injuries, should be able to learn how to read and write easily.

Other ways in which people with dyslexia are different

Here’s the thing. Besides the diagnostic differences between individuals with dyslexia and “typical” people, there are other components to how dyslexia looks. These vary from person to person, but they do provide us a view on how certain people with dyslexia perceive their world. In addition, they let us help young people with dyslexia discover their strengths, which can then turn into opportunities for an education and career as adults.

Many individuals with dyslexia are very creative.

There’s a reason why a lot of artists and actors are dyslexic. While most people are highly word-driven, many individuals with dyslexia have a special ability to think outside the box. These individuals with dyslexia are highly visual in the way they think. Besides this, most creative careers don’t require a high level of writing or reading ability. For that reason, you’ll see a lot of people who are dyslexic in the visual and performing arts.

Individuals with dyslexia think outside the box.

Another place we can point out what dyslexia looks like is that many individuals with dyslexia think outside the box. This means that while most people look at facts and problems a certain way, these people will take another route. One description we hear often is seeing the entire forest, then the individual trees, rather than seeing the trees first like most people. From this different vantage point, someone with this condition will often come up with an innovative solution to each problem.

Individuals with dyslexia are often empathetic

We’ll talk about this a bit more later, but there’s nothing that prepares you to empathize with other people better than struggles in life. In the case of people with dyslexia, the struggle learning how to read and effectively express oneself in written form means they know what struggles look like. As a result, they can more easily put themselves in someone else’s shoes-and interact accordingly.

Individuals with dyslexia are excellent at strategy.

A lot of people with dyslexia work for themselves. Sometimes this is a result of needing to control their working environment. A few, like Charles Schwab and Richard Branson, have started major companies. Why? Being good at strategy and having an entrepreneurial spirit are a big part of how dyslexia looks for many people who have it. And when you think outside the box, it’s often easier to start your own company that does things your way than it is to function within an existing system.

How dyslexia looks from their own perspective.

Now that we understand the basic features of dyslexia, and some of the good traits that can arise from it, let’s look at their point of view. Remember, people with dyslexia have a different viewpoint from the rest of us. But this isn’t a huge difference: think of it as a cross-cultural experience.

Dyslexia looks like a string of frustrations.

What if you wanted to learn something, but it was difficult to get information? Your peers are all learning to read, and it comes easily. And yet, if you talk to them, they don’t seem any smarter. Why?

For us, it would be tempting to think that the person with dyslexia is less intelligent. After all, trouble learning things is also associated with low intelligence and other types of impairments. It isn’t always a learning challenge per se.

Unfortunately, in many situations someone with dyslexia will give up. For them, dyslexia looks like one challenge after another. And if they can understand a concept, but have difficulty expressing it, then it’s easy to see why school is frustrating. Their grades don’t measure up to their own expectations, much less anyone else’s. So they make jokes about everything in sight, thinking this is their best way to survive school.

However, for many people with dyslexia, these challenges lead to an opportunity. For instance, famous business leader Kevin O’Leary learned how to leverage his strengths and become successful. This involved a lot of positive thinking and determination. For him, a major part of how dyslexia looks is having a “superpower.”

Dyslexia looks like not thinking the way other people do.

For many of us, doing a task looks like a specific set of steps that need to be followed in order, and that always should have the same results. However, for someone with dyslexia, the way to accomplish a task isn’t always the same. Certainly they’ll buy groceries like everyone else, but more complicated tasks they might want to do a different way.

What does this mean in practice? Simply put, individuals with dyslexia look at a concept, then attack it their own way. In addition, individuals with dyslexia use their different perspective to visualize solutions that nobody else thought possible. If you’ve ever seen someone blurt out a solution to a problem that seems at once outlandish and effective, then you know what we’re talking about.

Not thinking the same way that other people do has led to many dyslexic people being innovators. In fact, dyslexic entrepreneur Craig McCaw pointed out that thinking differently has set him apart. But it has also helped him become a major player in the cell phone industry. In other words, how dyslexia looks for him is an indispensable part of his success.

Dyslexia looks like not thinking in words.

Snap poll: who’s the most famous dyslexic of the 20^th century? There are a couple of contenders, but one of them is Albert Einstein. While most of us think of him as the developer of the theory of relativity, he also was a very keen visual and spatial thinker. This is true of many scientists and mathematicians: Seeing new and different things often involves looking at them from a different perspective.

In addition, Einstein complained that he struggled with writing. It was one thing to have ideas in his head, or even to express them orally. However, as soon as he needed to write them down, it became much more difficult to express himself. He couldn’t think the way that the rest of us do. And yet, we owe him for major advances in both math and science.

Dyslexia looks like needing help for the little things-but not necessarily the big ones.

By now, you’ve probably realized how dyslexia looks to individuals with dyslexia: being creative and curious, having lots of ideas, but having difficulty executing them. These problems can be due in large part to difficulty reading and writing: Tom Cruise had trouble reading movie scripts as a young dyslexic actor. But because he was so good at acting, the jobs rolled in, and now his movies make a lot of money.

Let’s look at this a different way. Richard Branson is known for being a great ideas guy. He famously states that his secret is delegating tasks to other people. In particular, they are the tasks which he has problems doing himself. Meanwhile, he does the big ideas thinking and business strategy. This has been enormously successful for him, and he’s now a billionaire.

At the end of the day, it should be easy to see how dyslexia looks to the people that have it: thinking differently from everyone else. In particular, individuals with dyslexia have trouble thinking in words, but they are typically very visual and highly creative. For dyslexic children and young adults, being tough and learning how to adapt is often the key to success. And as a result, there are lots of very famous, successful people with dyslexia in our world today. Some of them, like Einstein, have even changed the world.

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Whether you have dealt with dyscalculia for a few months or many years, you probably have questions. After all, for people who don’t struggle with learning disabilities, it’s often hard to understand the viewpoint of people who do. Even worse, teens who aren’t “typical” often experience even greater struggles while planning for their futures than their peers do. With that in mind, what can we expect of dyscalculia in teenager?

In short, many of the challenges that teenagers face are common to all of them: discovering people that they are attracted to, hanging out with friends, planning for work or college, and expressing their independence. However, some things are more difficult to navigate when you have dyscalculia in teenager. In this article, I’ll look at what dyscalculia is. Then, I’ll examine the ways it can affect children as they navigate their teenage years.

What is dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a fancy word that gets thrown around frequently in the world of education. And like many fancy words, it has many synonyms or common terms. If you are a parent, then the chances are that you first heard something like “your child may have a learning disability.” This leads us to a good basic definition of dyscalculia: a math-related learning disability. To put this in simple terms, the term means that someone has difficulty learning mathematics. However, there’s more to this.

Dyscalculia causes a variety of symptoms or struggles.

Naturally, the first thing in people’s minds when they hear dyscalculia in teenager is that they struggle in math class. While this is the primary trait associated with dyscalculia (and the one which typically results in your child being evaluated), it is far from the only one. In fact, learning disabilities aren’t the only cause for learning trouble. However, any of the following symptoms can help obtain the right diagnosis.

Trouble keeping track of time.

One of the traits of dyscalculia in teenager is that they often lose track of time. While many people crack jokes about the fact that many teens need to be dragged out of bed in time for school, if a teen has learning disabilities this is no laughing matter. In fact, getting to school on time is often just one example of how people with math disabilities struggle with time awareness. Estimating how long it will take to complete a task can also make life activities difficult.

Difficulty managing money.

Most of us can take a short list of items with their prices, add up the total, and decide if we can afford to buy everything. Unfortunately, things aren’t so easy for people with math learning disabilities. While ability levels vary, many of them struggle with this everyday task. Similarly, it’s often hard to balance a checkbook. This means that many people with learning disabilities must work harder to master these important life skills.

Avoidance of math tasks.

No matter their grade level, children with dyscalculia often avoid doing math as much as possible. Especially for dyscalculia in teenager, this can involve skipping certain homework tasks. After all, hanging out with friends or pursuing a hobby is much more fun. Besides choosing more desirable tasks than math homework, you might see your teen avoid buying things at the store. In this case, they’ll often get a friend to buy something, then pay them back. Or they’ll nag a parent to take it out of an allowance.

Difficulty remembering important information.

Finally, let’s look at one of the less obvious signs of dyscalculia in teenager: difficulty with memory. In particular, young children and teens alike often struggle to remember important information. Younger children might struggle with remembering their home address and phone number. For dyscalculia in teenager, there may be problems with getting lost when driving, even in familiar areas and to common locations.

Dyscalculia often leads to uneven academic achievement.

For many parents, one of the most baffling problems that face their children is uneven academic achievement. As we’ve already discussed, this is a problem regardless of grade level. Even after learning coping mechanisms and getting accommodations, math will never be as easy as it might be for “typical” children of similar intelligence. At the end of the day, not being able to achieve according to their expected abilities is often quite frustrating.

Not only is it frustrating that dyscalculia in teenager causes uneven academic achievement, but the failure to achieve at a level reflected by their intelligence is one of the diagnostic criteria. Although professionals will need to determine whether or not other things are causing these achievement deficits, if it only affects math-related tasks then dyscalculia is the most likely diagnosis.

So what is uneven achievement, exactly? Simply put, it’s a phenomenon where a teenager does great in most subjects, and poorly in others. With dyscalculia, this often means that a student does much better in language arts or history than they do in math and (often) science. If a child or teen gets especially high grades in certain subjects, it often indicates that this person is intelligent and capable. This mismatch between intelligence and achievement is especially frustrating.

How does dyscalculia in teenager affect your child?

As I mentioned above, dyscalculia is more than just a struggle with math. Rather, the symptoms and side effects of this learning disability are far-reaching into the everyday lives of people with this condition. Typically, the challenges persist throughout their lives, although they do change over time. For teenagers in particular, it can be much harder to socialize and do “typical teenager” things.

Discomfort with math in social situations.

There are several everyday tasks that most of us take for granted, and which are expected of teenagers in some circumstances. For instance, let’s say that a teenager with dyscalculia wants to go with a bunch of friends to get hamburgers and watch a movie. To fund this outing, the teen’s parents give him or her $30. The expectation is that dinner will cost $10-15, the movie about $8 and a soda from concessions another $5. This leads to an expected cost of around $23-28, and the teen has a little bit of extra.

For most youth, budgeting that $30 would be easy. On the other hand, someone with dyscalculia in teenager might try and add an $8 serving of popcorn at the concession stand. This would result in his not having enough money to pay for it. Whether the teen is denied the popcorn or “borrows” money from a friend, it’s embarrassing.

Feeling “stupid” at school.

Most youth like to show off in one way or another. For athletic teens, the showing off might involve winning the game for their team. Others thrive on creativity and make incredible pieces of artwork. And finally, there are teenagers who enjoy being the “smart kid” who knows everything. Teenagers with dyscalculia can feel “stupid” or “awkward” in any of these areas.

If someone with dyscalculia in teenager has an interest in athletics, then motor sequencing challenges can sabotage their game. For instance, they might forget when to go right, and when to go left. That can lead to, for example, this person running the wrong direction during a soccer game. These moments of “never getting it right” or “ruining everything” often result in their not getting to play at all. Or in physical education class, where inclusion is mandatory, being chosen last (and feeling embarrassed).

Similarly, creative teens may find their options and preferences limited by dyscalculia. One example might be when a teacher asks them to create geometric designs. With mathematical deficiencies, making these shapes look right can be a challenge. Combine this with peer expectations of greatness, and our student may feel stupid.

Finally, the “smart kid” can also feel “stupid” when dealing with dyscalculia in teenager. In this case, the embarrassment is linked to their difficulties in math-based subjects. So, if this student is the smartest student in English class, and always knows the answers, this won’t be the case in math. However, with a reputation for academic success, our student with dyscalculia may be sought out by peers who want to be study buddies. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to oblige the peer this time.

No matter which area our student with dyscalculia wants to excel in, deficits in math skills or conceptual abilities will make it more difficult. In turn, the chances are that he’ll feel stupid or inferior on some level. Because dyscalculia represents a failure to achieve at the sufferer’s normal level, this person knows that they aren’t doing as well as they should. It’s easy to feel dumb while also being smart.

Reduced self-esteem plagues those with dyscalculia in teenager.

Feeling “dumb” in school and experiencing awkwardness in social settings leads to another problem: reduced self-esteem. As a teenager has one setback after another, it’s easy for him or her to lose confidence. Over time, they’ll think that they “can’t” do something, and they may eventually quit trying. This why it’s so important that parents and other adults encourage the teens to do their best-and realize that sometimes effort is more important than actual results.

Bullying is often a major concern.

Unfortunately, in our success-obsessed society it’s easy for a child with learning disabilities to experience bullying from their peers. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that other children frequently look down upon those who struggle with routine tasks. In fact, even children who appear to be “different” in some way are at risk of bullying.

The worst part? If someone is bullied because of dyscalculia in teenager, they often think that this mistreatment is their fault. In turn, this feeds into poor self-esteem. Over time, the combination of bullying and reduced academic performance can cause a young person to drop out of school. After all, it’s much easier to avoid school than suffer the bullying. Students with disabilities in general need allies, whether these are parents, teachers, or peers.

They may need extra help learning everyday life skills.

Finally, someone with dyscalculia in teenager may need additional support for learning everyday life skills. I touched on this in terms of basic math tasks, such as knowing if you have enough money to buy things. However, depending on your child’s individual impairments, training in other skills might be necessary. For instance, if they have a tough time remembering important information then they should learn to take careful notes or employ other coping mechanisms.

Another concern is with driving on the road or otherwise commuting to work, school, and other activities. Since many people with dyscalculia struggle with their sense of direction, it’s easy for them to get lost. In addition, if they struggle with knowing how fast or how slow they’re going, then maintaining a safe speed might be a challenge. Knowing how to compensate for these deficits becomes very important, very quickly.

Here’s the thing. For many who suffer dyscalculia in teenager, special education services aren’t the only thing they need. Rather, they need friends and allies who will help them learn how to manage adult life. These can be peers, relatives, mentors, or a combination. At the end of the day, the most devastating effect of having dyscalculia is often a sense of powerlessness. By tackling this assumed powerlessness, we can empower them to live their best lives possible.

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Every parent lacks confidence when it comes to explaining ADHD to a child.

“What if it comes out the wrong way?”

“What if it lowers our child’s self-esteem?”

“What if our child starts feeling bad about not being normal?”

You’ve probably asked this to your spouse or yourself before talking to your child about ADHD.

You probably even toyed with the idea of not telling anything to your child.

But many Behavioral Therapists and child psychologists say that it’s important to let your child know about ADHD. This way, it is implied that there’s nothing wrong or shameful about them.

Here are a 7 tips to frame ADHD in a positive way for your kid(s).

1. Pick the right time to have the talk

Make sure that your child isn’t caught up in other stuff that would distract them. For example, you could talk to them before they go to bed.

Encourage them to speak up if they have questions or fears. Also, let them know that they can have follow-up discussions if they’d like to. This way, they’ll actively take part in their treatment and feel like they’re part of the plan.

2. Let your child know that they’re loved and accepted

You can start by saying that ADHD makes your child a quick learner who is superman/superwoman when it comes to creativity. Tell them that they can come up with great ideas in a flash and that’s a good thing.

Make sure to let your child that ADHD is not a flaw and that you love them just the way they’re. This is important because most children with ADHD have been called “stupid” and “lazy” for being different from their friends.

3. Discuss your child’s fears

It’s natural for your child to be afraid of being a failure.

Explain that ADHD is common and that  there are other successful personalities like Justin Timberlake, Michael Phelps and Adam Levine who struggle with it.

If there’s someone in your circle that struggles with ADHD, get them to talk to your child.

4. Don’t expect to spark interest instantly

Let’s face it. Your child may not get interested in learning all about ADHD right away.

You should give your child some time to soak in the information and help them understand things at their own pace.

Lookout for “teachable” moments to get their attention and work with them.

5. Praise them

No, this doesn’t refer to the “fake” praise where you praise them for every small thing that they do.

Keep the compliments genuine and offer it to them only if they’ve accomplished something.

For example, tell your child that they did a good job when they’ve managed to finish their homework.

Help them focus on their strengths and pursue their interests. Remember that they can do anything as long as you act as their support system.

6. Explain things from their perspective

It’s always easy to get the ball rolling when both the child and the parent understand each other. Explaining ADHD in your child’s language helps them understand it better.

For example, you could liken your child’s mind to a rocket or race car with an extremely powerful engine.

Tell them that it’s so powerful that the brakes can’t keep up with the engine’s power.

Make your child understand that the scenery outside the spaceship or car can get blurry and that sometimes, it’s difficult to see anything at all.

This is why they’d have trouble listening in class or concentrating on homework.

7. Don’t let them use ADHD as an excuse

As much as you support your child through the whole process, it’s also important to let them know that ADHD is NOT a reason to give up on their homework.

Again, it’s important to make your child understand that they have to give their best while maintaining a positive attitude.

To sum it all up, it’s important to let your child know that they’re loved and accepted.

If your child seems uninterested at first, try explaining things in their language. Give them genuine compliments and don’t let them use ADHD as a reason to give up on things.

If you’d like to diagnose the severity of the problem and get remedial measures, reach out to Lexicon Reading Center. Our dedicated team of child psychologists and Special Education teachers will work to  assess your child’s problems and help them tackle it. You can also register for a free screening here or use the form below.

Did you find this article informative and useful? If you answered yes then don’t forget to share it with other parents who might need it.

To receive our detailed advice based on your self-assessment of your child, please download our free checklist below:

The difference between dyslexia and dyspraxia is a commonly asked question as dyslexia and dyspraxia are both learning difficulties.

Dyslexia mainly affects reading whereas Dysgraphia primarily affects movement and planning. Though they are both learning disorders they have a set of distinct characteristics.

What is dyslexia?

It’s a learning disorder that affects the ability to read, spell, write and speak. Children who have it are often smart and hardworking but have trouble connecting letters they see to the sounds those letters make.

Adults can have this learning disorder as well. Some people are diagnosed early in life whereas others don’t realize they have an issue until much later.

Children with this disorder often have normal vision and are just as smart as their peers. But they struggle more in school because it takes them longer to read. Trouble with processing words makes it harder to write, spell and speak clearly. However, this is a disability that can be spotted early through a FREE screening and precise remedial actions can then be taken based on a detailed assessment of the problem.

What is dyspraxia?

Previously called “clumsy child syndrome”, the contemporary term for this disorder is Developmental Coordination Disorder(DCD) or Dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia is defined as “a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD)”. – The Dyspraxia Foundation

Dyspraxia has an impact on motor coordination skills. It can cause children and adults to perform movements poorly and out of order.

It is a neurological condition and affects everything from preparing to organizing and performing movements, sometimes extending into speech and memory ability.

It can also upset the articulation of spoken language as well as thought process and perception.

Compromised coordination greatly affects everyday activities for individuals with dyspraxia, causing difficulties in school activities like reading and writing, as well as recreational activities like riding a bike and driving a car.

What are the symptoms?

Both dyslexia and dyspraxia the learning disorders mentioned above have tell tale signs and symptoms that manifest, which makes it possible, if not easy to identify the respective disorders.

Symptoms of dyslexia

Symptoms occurring before school may include:

• Talking late
• Learning new words slowly
• Problems forming words correctly
• Confusing what words sound like
• Problems remembering or naming letters, numbers or colours
• Difficulty playing games or learning nursery rhymes

At school, the symptoms may be:

• Reading well below the expected level for their age
• Having problems processing and understanding what he or she hears
• Difficulty forming the right questions or forming the right word
• Problems in remembering the sequence of things
• Difficulty spelling
• Avoiding activities that involve reading
• Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve writing or reading
• Inability to pronounce an unfamiliar word

In teens and adults, the symptoms that manifest may be:

• Difficulty reading
• Difficulty reading aloud
• Problem spelling
• Avoiding activities that involve reading
• Mis-pronouncing names or words, or problems retrieving words
• Trouble understanding jokes or expressions that have meaning
• Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve writing or reading
• Difficulty summarizing a story
• Trouble learning a foreign language
• Difficulty memorizing
• Difficulty solving math problems

Symptoms of dyspraxia fall under categories such as

• Gross motor coordination skills (large movements)
• Fine motor coordination skills (small movements)
• Poorly established hand dominance
• Speech and language
• Eye movements
• Perception

Gross motor coordination skills

• Poor balance (difficulty riding a bicycle, going up and down hills)
• Poor posture and fatigue. Difficulty standing for a long time as a result of weak muscle tone (floppy unstable round joints)
• Poor integration of both sides of the body
• Poor hand-eye coordination (difficulties with driving cars)
• Lack of rhythm when dancing, doing aerobic
• Clumsy gait movement.
• Difficulty changing direction, stopping and starting actions
• Exaggerated ‘accessory movements’ such as flapping arms while running
• The tendency to fall, trip or bump into things

Fine motor coordination skills (small movements)

• Lack of manual dexterity. Poor at two-handed tasks.
• Poor manipulative skills such as difficulty with typing, handwriting and drawing
• Inadequate grasp (difficulty using domestic implements, locks and keys)
• Difficulty with dressing and grooming activities

Poorly established hand dominance

• May use an alternate hand for different tasks at different times

Speech and language issues

• They may talk continuously and repeat themselves or have difficulty organizing the content and sequence of their language
• May have unclear speech and  may be unable to pronounce some words
• Speech may have an uncontrolled pitch, rate or volume

Eye movements

• Difficulty in following a moving object smoothly with eyes without moving head excessively or have a tendency to lose place while reading.
• Cannot look quickly and effectively from one object to another (poor relocating)

Perception

• Poor visual perception
• Oversensitive to light
• Difficulty in distinguishing sounds from background noise
• Oversensitive to noise
• Over sensitive or under sensitive to touch
• Over sensitive or under sensitive to smell, taste, temperature or pain
• Lack of awareness of body positions in space and spatial relationships
• Little sense of time, speed, distance or weight
• Inadequate sense of direction (poor map reading skills)

In Conclusion: The Difference Between Dyslexia and Dyspraxia

Although you might now understand the difference between dyslexia and dsypraxia, both dyspraxia and dyslexia are learning difficulties that can cause children to struggle at school.

Although there seems to be a lot of overlap between the symptoms, dyslexia is used to describe a learning difficulty to read write and spell whereas dyspraxia is the term used to describe a difficulty in motor coordination skills.

About Lexicon Reading Center

Lexicon Reading Center opened its doors in 2009 to assist children who learn differently.

The goal was to bridge the gap between traditional teaching methods and children with learning styles that don’t fall within the parameters of these methods.

We have programs for assessment and remedial action for Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia, and Autism. We employ the Multi-Sensory Teaching Method for children with different learning styles and Applied Behavior Analysis for children with challenging behaviors. To receive our detailed advice based on your self-assessment of your child, please download our free checklist below: