The Philippine Online Chronicles

If there is one person outside my family that I should credit for my academic success and achievements, it would be my Teacher Chona. She was one of my first preschool teachers and, although I do not remember her last name or recall what she looks like, I know she was one of those who made a big difference in my life. Without her, I probably would have struggled in school, especially in reading.

It was she who first noticed that I was having problems learning how to read. She noticed that I was not able to identify my letters correctly, as well as translate this to writing. No matter how many times she tried, I kept on reversing my b’s and d’s, p’s and q’s, and when I’d spell out my name, I would write “aiR”.

She kept careful records about her observations and after a few months of school, she decided to meet with my mom to discuss her suspicions that I may have a learning disability, particularly dyslexia.

Back then, learning disabilities were not very well-known in the Philippines. Very few assessment or therapy centers were operational for children who needed them. Lucky for me, Teacher Chona had a few tricks up her sleeve to help me overcome my problem.

While I question today the veracity of her “diagnosis”, especially since I did not have a formal assessment back then, I do not doubt that she identified a red flag in me that could have escalated to a learning disability in me.

“She’s just a late bloomer...”

If Teacher Chona was not aware of what dyslexia was, or at least the symptoms of a reading disability were, she probably would have thought I was just a late bloomer. Perhaps, if it was a prolonged observation, she would have concluded I was just a slow learner. This is the typical response most parents and teachers would have when they notice individual differences in the children they teach. Most of the time, they are correct. However, on occasion, these “late bloomers” are more than just that.

Learning disabilities affect the way children and adults process information. These are also known as learning difficulties or learning disorders. What makes understanding these problems difficult to understand is that its manifestations vary from one to another. Sometimes, the difficulties may not be easily observed. For example, comprehension problems may not be noticed until the grade school years because school-based tasks and activities do not always require analysis in the early grades as the foundations of reading and writing are still being laid then.

The root cause of the problem is unknown, further making it difficult to identify learning disabilities. What is clear, however, is that learning disabilities affect the way one learns and is typically attributed to the way our brain processes information it receives. This article uses a telephone analogy in describing the condition as “faulty wiring in the brain disrupts normal lines of communication and makes it difficult to process information easily”.

What exactly should teachers and parents be on the lookout for?

Unlike other handicaps or disabilities, learning disabilities are harder to identify. There are no obvious signs or clear-cut indicators of the problem. In fact, many times people with learning disabilities are highly intelligent. However, people with learning disabilities often share a common characteristic: they are not able to maximize their potentials.

While learning disabilities may be a little vague and the symptoms are varied, there are warning signs that can guide teachers and parents in identifying possible learning difficulties. The Child Development Institute outlines several warning signs that could indicate learning problems in children including poor performance in group tests, difficulty with concepts, reversals in reading and writing, poor perceptual reasoning abilities, and difficulty understanding instructions. In my case, it was the letter reversals that raised a red flag which made my teacher stop and pay attention.

Other very important red flags to watch out for can include the following:

• restlessness, hyperactivity or impulsive behaviors
• underachievement or performing below known expectations
• aggression, such as bullying, answering back, and fighting
• speech and communication problems
• poor social skills
• crying and clingy behaviors
• lack of mastery with even basic competencies
• slow performance or cannot complete tasks
• changes in behavior
• school refusal, absenteeism and unexplained aches and pains

Besides learning disabilities, these red flags in children can also indicate emotional problems in children just like the one shown in the movie ‘Problem Child’. While the character’s antics and misbehavior were often seen as funny, if one were to look into the inner workings of the child, they could have realized that his acting-out behavior was not because he was hard-headed but because of emotional issues surrounding his lack of a real family.

Normal or not?

Adding to the complexity of understanding children’s behaviors and identifying whether or not this is a part of normal development is the fact that all children are unique. They also react to the world differently. Although there are normal patterns of development to be expected, there is no one correct way of responding.

Some questions to keep in mind to determine whether or not a behavior you observe is an indicator of a problem:

• Is the behavior developmentally appropriate or is it deviant? An example is if a child cries when brought to school and asks for his or her mommy not to leave. For a preschooler, this can be acceptable. But a fifth grader displaying this behavior may indicate a problem.
• Is the behavior affecting the child’s ability to function, whether academically, socially, or emotionally? For example, if a child is highly introverted, is this shyness or introversion affecting his ability to perform in class? If so, this could warrant intervention.
• Is the behavior causing the child, or people around him, distress? For example, a child with speech delays may feel frustrated or ostracized because of his communication difficulties. Furthermore, if a child is unable to read effectively and does poorly in school and becomes a target for jokes and ridicule, this can be a problem.
• Is the behavior posing a risk or is it dangerous? This is especially true when we observe hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.
• How long has this behavior been observed? What was the antecedent to this behavior? Also, is this an isolated incident or a repeated behavior? For example, if a child gets caught smoking in the school bathroom, it is important to look at the whole picture of why he is doing this rather than getting stuck at the idea that he did the behavior.
• Is there a family history to this behavior or concern? Looking at a child’s personal background can also help clarify whether or not behaviors observed are symptoms of learning/behavioral problems or are manifestations of other problems.

A double-edged sword

While identifying red flags in children that may indicate learning or behavioral problems is essential in providing early intervention, it can be a double-edged sword.  When the diagnosis is used carelessly and loosely, sometimes children are labelled, causing more harm than good.

For example, a television reality show recently highlighted a problem in behaviors of one of its contestants and a label was given for her “personality problems”. While the diagnosis or description may most likely be correct and valid, this label given to her can be detrimental as it now has become an element of her identity.

Parents and teachers should also remember that understanding and helping a child live up to his or her potential is a collaborative effort. Keeping lines of communication open and coordinating with one another can help identify red flags of concern in children and hopefully make early intervention possible.

To this day, I make errors with left and right and still show some manifestations of dyslexia. I still have difficulty reading and, when writing articles, make many mistakes in spelling. However, because of Teacher Chona’s efforts and my mom’s openness about my needing support to “rewire my brain”, I was able to not only cope with school, but to do well in it. Of course, modern technology also helps a lot, but at the end of the day, I have that very special teacher to thank in helping me become who I am today.

Photos: “dyslexia” by Kristine Lewis, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved / “Studying” by Steven S., c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved / “Free Two Happy Girls Holding Hands Walking to School at Sunrise Creative Commons” by D. Sharon Pruitt, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

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Maria Andrea (Ria) S. Tirazona, M.S. (cand.), popularly known as Yapatoots in the online blogging and social  networking community, is a preschool teacher at Playschool International and part-time lecturer at the Psychology Department of De La Salle University. She is also an Associate Psychologist at PsychConsult, Inc, where she specializes in Psychological Assessment.  She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Family Life and Child Development from the University of the Philippines and is currently working on her thesis for her Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology at the De La Salle University. In her spare time she maintains several blogs, including www.theaccidentalteacher.com, www.fatgirlnomore.com and www.yapatoots.com.