It can be difficult for parents to recognize that their child is not performing well in school. Their child may be struggling with a learning disability that was never discovered during early childhood. Most often, learning disabilities are discovered in school-aged children. This is the time when they are compared by their peers, and experienced teachers can detect that a child is not learning at an expected pace for their grade level. Teachers determine if a child should be evaluated by their pediatrician for further medical interventions to be done.
When a learning disability is not detected early, diagnosed correctly, and/or treated effectively, it can cause problems such as emotional and behavioral concerns by the child. For example, extreme sadness, extreme shyness, frustration, bullying by peers, withdrawal, and even aggressiveness. In addition, an undiagnosed learning disability can cause stress among parents by blaming each other.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (2015) studies showed that among children whose families seek professional help for emotional or behavioral problems, 30 to 50 percent of them have learning disabilities.
It is best to get help from a pediatrician or a psychologist who is well-experienced and educated in evaluation and testing for learning disabilities. Once a child is diagnosed, then proper intervention(s) can be provided to the school or pediatrician to ensure that the child can manage the school curriculum and is successful at learning.
Call to schedule an appointment today at Pediatric Heroes Primary Care Clinic at 210-625-5708 if you believe that your child may be struggling with a learning disability.
