The effects of the above problems are manifested in academic as well as social areas of the child’s life. In the academic area, writing skills and eye hand coordination are affected, coupled with problems in fine and gross motor integration and general coordination defects. In early years classroom, one of the requirements is neat handwriting with correct script. This expectation is seldom addressed by all children. Some children who are unable to grasp the pencil or chalk with a firm grip constantly drop or loose their pencils. These result in many embarrassing moments and situations for the child. The teacher’s frustration leads to beating on the knuckles, with the affirmation that the child will be more careful next time. Another misuse on the part of the teacher is her/his lack of understanding why children are unable to do writing with precision as they require. In order to get perfect script and develop the skill teachers move around the classroom with an eraser, rubbing out children’s effort in the hope of improving their writing and maintaining immaculate and neat work. On the other hand some children have a very heavy grip, often which leads them to write hard on the paper or slate, with the result that either the paper tears or the chalk and pencil breaks. Either way children are not sure what and why this is happening with them, why do things fall from their hands, why they press and write, or why their writing is so illegible? They continue to remain frustrated and soon lose self-esteem and confidence in themselves and acquire a defeatist attitude, “I cannot do it; it is so hard.” The teacher on her/his part depends on the traditional mode of giving the child repetitive writing practice to do to improve the script. This defeats the purpose and as research demonstrates no change can come after three attempts; this also is a lost cause.
Language
Language is considered to be a system of communicating with other people using sounds, symbols and words in expressing a meaning, idea or thought. It is a system for encoding and
decoding information. In linguistics the term is extended to refer to the human cognitive facility of creating and using language. All languages must define the structural relationships between these signs in a system of grammar, the context wherein the signs are used (pragmatics) and dependent on their context the content specificity, i.e. its meaning (semantics). Children with LD may present problems in all areas of acquisition and use of language in expressive as well as receptive areas.
Problems in “phonology” are also manifested as problems in mechanics of language. Production of sounds and how different individual sounds make up the words are areas of difficulty. Coupled with mild coordination problems, slurring of speech is the result. Teachers have to realize that stammering or stuttering does not improve with repetition and recall.
Disorders of Memory and Thinking
Thinking or cognition involves the ability to solve problems and to conceptualize, among other things. Meta-cognition is an extremely important aspect of thinking. Simply stated meta-cognition is thinking about thinking. This involves awareness of skills, strategies and resources needed to perform a task effectively, and the ability to use self regulatory mechanisms to ensure successful planning, evaluating and checking outcomes of any proposed task. Children with LD exhibit problems in both areas of cognition and meta-cognition. For example during reading, sometimes the readers realize that their mind had wandered off and in fact they could not comprehend any thing for the last several minutes of reading. Good readers realize this earlier than others and start using strategies to remediate. The selection of strategies depends on the dominant learning style of the reader. So if the reader has an “auditory Learning style” they will start to read the passage aloud, if they have “Kinesthetic Learning style” they will start to pace around etc. The selection and application of similar strategies on their own presents a problem for children with LD. However they can apply the strategies if prompted. Seldom lessons are planned incorporating attributes of effective teaching and learning. Either teachers are untrained, they feel threatened from the other who knows more than them or they lack the political will to ask those who have the knowledge and skills to guide them. The trained teachers can develop some strategies for children with LD and provide ample opportunities for rehearsing them. After sufficient practice and prompting, children are able to use these strategies on their own. Teachers who seldom give children pauses and wait-time, and shoot questions at children make it difficult for children to respond, this attitude generally for all children and particularly for children with special needs leaves them disenfranchised and disinterested in accomplishing tasks. Simple to complex tasks are very often not planned resulting in low level questioning or very high level questioning in which children are unable to give responses.
