Characteristics+of+SLD

**Characteristics of Individuals with SLD**  //**Learning disability**// is a general term that describes specific kinds of learning problems. A learning disability can cause a person to have trouble learning and using certain skills. The skills most often affected are: reading, writing, listening, speaking, reasoning, and doing math. “Learning disabilities” is not the only term used to describe these difficulties. Others include:
 * // dyslexia //—which refers to difficulties in reading;
 * // dysgraphia //—which refers to difficulties in writing; and
 * // dyscalcula //—which refers to difficulties in math.

What Are the Signs of a Learning Disability?
While there is no one “sign” that a person has a learning disability, there are certain clues. We’ve listed a few below. Most relate to elementary school tasks, because learning disabilities tend to be identified in elementary school. This is because school focuses on the very things that may be difficult for the child—reading, writing, math, listening, speaking, reasoning.A child probably won’t show all of these signs, or even most of them. However, if a child shows a number of these problems, then parents and the teacher should consider the possibility that the child has a learning disability. When a child has a learning disability, he or she:
 * may have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds;
 * may make many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeat and pause often;
 * may not understand what he or she reads;
 * may have real trouble with spelling;
 * may have very messy handwriting or hold a pencil awkwardly;
 * may struggle to express ideas in writing;
 * may learn language late and have a limited vocabulary;
 * may have trouble remembering the sounds that letters make or hearing slight differences between words;
 * may have trouble understanding jokes, comic strips, and sarcasm;
 * may have trouble following directions;
 * may mispronounce words or use a wrong word that sounds similar;
 * may have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or not be able to think of the word he or she needs for writing or conversation;
 * may not follow the social rules of conversation, such as taking turns, and may stand too close to the listener;
 * may confuse math symbols and misread numbers;
 * may not be able to retell a story in order (what happened first, second, third); or
 * may not know where to begin a task or how to go on from there.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, (January 2011), NICHCY Disability Fact Sheet #7. Retrieved from http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/ld#def.