Red Flags

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Common Warning Signs/Red Flags for Learning Disabilities

What is a Transdisciplinary Approach?

A transdisciplinary approach to treatment integrates expertise and experience from several different and related professional disciplines. Each professional provides input, data and concepts to maximize each client’s individual treatment gains. The interwoven nature of TMC treatment programs broaden the skill sets of each therapist due to their exposure and heavy interaction with others outside their discipline, but it also allows the team of professionals to work together to reinforce and maintain goals not normally monitored. With a truly transdisciplinary team, the typical boundaries of each professional discipline tend to disappear. Instead, each professional develops a working knowledge of their co-workers’ areas of expertise and discipline. Ultimately, the common goal – exceptional treatment progress – is achieved through the collaborative, transdisciplinary team.

Is there a tool to give self-assessments?

Learning difficulties do not go away with age or time. Children do not “outgrow” learning difficulties. Without the proper treatment, children with learning difficulties can grow up to become adults with learning difficulties or diagnosed learning disabilities. Only the proper treatment can change their weaker learning or academic skills into strengths; commonly our clients have strengths in other skills too. Our unique transdisciplinary team and treatment program can dramatically improve learning, language, sensory processing, attention, behavior and academic skills. Our individually-tailored treatment programs are highly successful regardless of whether our client is 4 years old or 78 years old. New scientific evidence supports that the human brain is able to develop new skills or improve weak abilities into strengths at any age.

 Common Warning Signs/Red Flags for Learning Disabilities

Note: These warning signs vary with each child and all signs may not be present. A very strong warning sign is any family history of learning disabilities/difficulty – they are genetic.

Speaking

Trouble with articulation, persistently mispronounces words. Trouble using correct verb tenses, plurals, or pronouns

Listening

Trouble rhyming, playing sound or word games

Word finding

Knows colors, but cannot name them when asked

Sequencing

Difficulty telling an event or story in order or sequence

Auditory memory

Difficulty remembering multiple-step directions

Fine motor skills

Difficulty cutting with scissors, tying shoes, or blowing nose

Uncoordinated

Clumsy, messy eater, poor at skipping, trouble learning motor skills

Sensory processing

Overreacts to or avoids sounds, touch, fabrics, foods, smells or lights

Speaking

Persistently mispronounces words, and slow word finding when talking

Phonological Awareness

Misses or changes sounds in words that are heard, spoken, or read

Reading and Spelling

Difficulty learning to sound-out words for reading and spelling. Relies on sight words, reading is slow, effortful, & unpleasant

Sequencing

Errors when reading – e.g. says “was” for saw; telling an event in order

Auditory Memory

Difficulty following directions, learning phone number

Handwriting

Awkward pencil grip, presses too hard on paper when writing, hand fatigues

Focus

Trouble concentrating at home and school; wears out before a task is done

Self-esteem

Repeated difficulties or frustrations lead to lower self-esteem

Speaking

Persistently mispronounces words, and slow word finding when talking

Phonological Awareness

Misses or changes sounds in words that are heard, spoken, or read

Reading

Slow; avoids it; relies on sight words; guesses and makes successs

Spelling

Poor spelling, poor memory after spelling test, mixes up letters in words

Writing

Avoids it; written sentences are short and poorly organized or ordered

Auditory memory

Difficulty following or remembering multiple-step directions. Difficulty remembering alphabet for phonebook or dictionary use

Handwriting

Effortful, messy, awkward grip, presses too hard on paper with pencil

Focus

Trouble concentrating; wears out before task is done; loses place on a page

Self-esteem

Increasing frustration and poor self-esteem

Language Expression

Difficulty putting ideas in words and sequencing them appropriately

Foreign Language

Trouble learning other languages, e.g. Spanish, French

Achievement Tests

Much better at math than reading, poor performance on FCAT