Learning Disabilities

As with DCD and other co-occurring developmental disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and speech language impairment) research indicates that many children with DCD may demonstrate learning difficulties, with poor performance in areas such as reading and reading comprehension, writing, mathematics, and spelling. The co-occurrence of learning difficulties appears to be unrelated to the extent of the motor problem, occurring in cases of both mild and more significant motor impairment.

What might you see?

It can be difficult to determine when children are demonstrating a learning or motor difficulty alone, or when both problems are present. Carefully observing the kinds of academic tasks that children perform poorly can help to determine the underlying reasons for the poor performance. For example, when a child's difficulty is primarily motor-based, they may produce written stories that lack the detail and vocabulary you would expect for their age, but they can tell quite elaborate and well-organized stories. Further observation may indicate that their writing is slow and effortful, and that they tend to write shorter stories when asked for written output, as they are not able to complete the task in a reasonable time.  However, children demonstrating learning problems alone may experience difficulties that are unrelated to the motor part of the task. 

When children demonstrate learning difficulties, they should also be assessed for signs of motor impairment. Input from a team of health care professionals can help to identify the issues and plan intervention designed to meet all of the needs of the child. When learning difficulties are suspected, assessment by a psychologist can be helpful.