Learning Disabilities in Children with Birth Injuries

Learning disabilities are a group of neurological disorders that become evident in childhood and are characterized by difficulty learning, sorting, and storing information. Children with learning disabilities may have difficulty with skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or performing mathematical calculations. These difficulties may interfere with academic performance, achievement, and, in some cases, activities of daily living. Often these disabilities are not identified until a child reaches school age.

When a child has a learning disability, performance on standardized tests is usually below that expected for age, schooling, and level of intelligence. Some children find learning in a regular classroom difficult; specialized classes may be recommended to help these children receive more specific and intensive teaching. Learning disabilities are lifelong, but with proper intervention, training, and strategies, children with these disabilities can lead successful and independent lives.

Intervention and learning strategies for children with learning disabilities include:

Managing learning disabilities begins with quality instruction, even before the learning disability is identified. Quality instruction includes specific teacher practices, including (but not limited to):

1. Spacing learning over time (repetition of the same learning concept)
2. Combining verbal descriptions with graphics
3. Connecting and integrating abstract and concrete representations of concepts
4. Quizzing students to monitor learning
5. Helping students with time allocation
6. Asking questions to develop greater awareness of the subject matter
7. Using pre-worked solutions for problem-solving exercises.

There should be specific interventions for problems with reading, writing, and math. For example, instruction for children with writing disabilities should incorporate explicit and strategic instruction in handwriting accuracy, handwriting fluency, phonologic awareness and phonics (to help with spelling), language conventions (spelling and grammar), writing text, and composition.

Instruction for children with math difficulties should include explicit and strategic instruction in number sense, counting strategy, math vocabulary, arithmetic combination and calculation skills, word problems, visual-spatial relationships, and organizing and planning.

Explicit instruction refers to instruction that focuses on the child gaining basic academic skills, largely by repetition, memorization, and conducting practice drills.

Strategic instruction refers to teaching the student the procedure or process used to approach learning systematically.

Other strategies include explaining learning objectives, having a clearly organized lesson plan, reviewing concepts multiple times, providing examples, and proceeding through the material in small steps.

Risk factors for learning disabilities include prematurity, developmental and mental health conditions (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)), neurological conditions (brain injury and seizure disorders) and a history of a brain or central nervous system infection (e.g., meningitis). Birth injuries that are often associated with learning disabilities include:

• Birth asphyxia
• Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
• Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)
• Brain bleeds
• Permanent brain damage
• Infection, sepsis, and/or meningitis
• Encephalitis