Specific learning difficulties can look like one or more of the following:

	Not being able to keep up with friends/peers
	Finding it hard to sit still or concentrate
	Being clumsy
	Not liking school
	Reading slowly or with difficulty
	Struggling with maths
	Not being able to spell well
	Struggling to write well
	Needing extra help
	Seeming sad and unhappy
	Being lonely with no or few friends
	Having tummy aches or headaches

We cannot begin to cover the whole range of behaviours you might observe, however if any of these descriptions touch on any of your worries….even if only a little bit… CONTACT US!

Let’s start with children and where children usually start - children rumble along, doing what they can, feeling generally o.k. about things and in themselves, and at times having a whale of a time being happy, carefree and boundless in energy.

And then there are those children who are all of these things and more. They get along but they trip a lot, they are clumsy and awkward and drop things. They do what they can but often it never seems as good as we expect or despite their effort. This makes them irritable and disappointed, and in time they don’t want to try. And when they do have a whale of a time, they are somehow too noisy, too attention-seeking, over-the-top, and consequently very irritating.

Let’s be clear, all children can be all of these things at one time or another. However, some children are more like this most of the time.

Understanding your child as you do, the chances are you are able to manage their behaviours. A useful question to ask is, does the teacher at school feel the same? Sometimes feedback from school is more worrying than anything you pick up at home. Constant reports saying ‘could do better’, ‘is lazy’, ’can’t be bothered’, ‘wont try’, ‘has a poor attitude’ – all are usually signs that a child is struggling. However, many teachers have such a range of abilities in their class, they may not see one child as any more struggling than another.

Be reassured about one thing; CHILDREN WANT TO PLEASE and will do what they can to get things right. If they don’t it is invariably because they CAN’T.

NOW HERE IS THE CHALLENGE:
Do you feel concerned, worried, confused, even at your wit’s end by your child’s behaviour or effort?
If you are, then it is quite likely your child may have a learning difficulty of one sort or another.
If you want some further explanation click on to Facts + Questions.

Be reassured, every child has a set of learning skills that work well and do not cause problems.
For some children (more than you realise – about four or five in a class of 35 children) some small part of their learning doesn’t work as well as the rest (perhaps they don’t remember some type of information, can’t tidy up after themselves, or seem not to understand some information).

These children undoubtedly have a learning difficulty – sometimes referred to as a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD – a specific part of their learning ability is not working as well as the rest) and this can make reading, writing, spelling or some other aspect of classroom demands more difficult.