Early identification of learning problems In children it is essential to respond as soon as possible to the needs of children with a developmental disorder. There are certain risk factors for learning problems, even if they are not decisive.
Problems or delays are identified as atypical patterns in the development of cognitive, communicative, motor and sensory and social adjustment skills that can negatively affect subsequent educational performance.
Learning difficulties are defined as a group of disorders of neurological origin that manifest themselves differently and to a different degree in each person. What they have in common, even though the pace of development of each child is different, is that they usually occur in the first years of life and can persist in adult life.
The first indicators of learning difficulties are delays in the appearance and development of speech, in motor coordination, in perception and in social interaction.
Risk factors for learning problems
Perinatal conditions: low Apgar scores, low birth weight and / or premature delivery, hospitalization for more than 24 hours in a neonatal intensive care unit, difficulty in sucking, sucking and swallowing; chronic otitis media that can result in intermittent hearing loss.
Genetics or environmental conditions: family history of learning difficulties, adoption, family history of speech delays, exposure to environmental toxins or other harmful substances, poverty.
Important developmental events: the delay in cognitive skills, which does not demonstrate the permanence of the object, limited understanding of the relationships between means and ends (for example, using a stool to reach a cookie jar), the absence of symbolic play .
Delayed understanding and / or expression of spoken language: limited vocabulary, reduction of expressive vocabulary ("late speakers"), difficulty understanding simple instructions, lack of speech prosody, intelligible speech, poor communication attempts.
Delayed perception and motor skills: problems with gross or fine motor coordination (for example, jumping, dressing), difficulty coloring, and drawing.
Attention and behavior: distraction / lack of attention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, difficulty changing activities or interruptions to routines; perseverance (that is, the constant repetition of an idea).
Protection factors for learning problems
Access to prenatal, perinatal and postnatal quality care, maternal and paternal education, high quality learning opportunities: exposure to a rich and varied vocabulary, and correct in syntax and speech patterns.
They are also protection factors the adaptation to learning environments sensitive to cultural and linguistic origins; access to written materials; participation in different group interactions and in activities that involve the development of gross and fine motor skills.
Other supports include assistance adapted to the child's ability to respond to instruction and intervention, access to health services, planning the transition between early intervention services (from birth to three years of the child) and preschool programs (three to five years), and between nursery and primary school.
Definitely, early identification of learning problems It is essential for its treatment and overcoming, and we will have to be attentive to the child's development and risk factors, although these are not synonymous with problems in many cases, especially if they occur in isolation.
