Dyslexia is a learning disability in language-based processing skills. It is characterized by deficits in accurate and fluent word recognition. A dyslexic student has difficulties with word recognition, decoding, and spelling. Problems with word recognition and decoding can also impair reading comprehension. A person with dyslexia often has deficits in phonemic and phonological awareness, identifying and manipulating the sound structure of a spoken word (phonemes, syllables, onsets, and rhyming). They may also have impaired orthographic processing that interferes with connecting letters and letter combinations (e.g., th, tch, dge) with sounds accurately and fluently.

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that impairs a person’s ability to write by hand and fine motor skills. This impairment can interfere with being able to produce legible and automatic letter writing, learning to spell, speed of writing text, and often numeral writing. It stems from difficulty with storing and automatically retrieving letters and numerals. A person with dysgraphia often also struggles with Executive Functioning skills. Signs of Dysgraphia include:

• Poor or incorrect pencil grip

• Unusual wrist, body or paper position while writing

• Difficulty with spacing, writing on lines, and staying within the margins

• Frequently erasing

• Inconsistent with letter making

• Poor spelling, may have unfinished words or missing letters

• Illegible or difficult to read handwriting

They may also struggle with cutting food, manipulating small objects by hand, or doing puzzle

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability in mathematics. People with dyscalculia may have difficulty understanding number-relate concepts or using symbols and functions needed for success in mathematics. It’s not simply about having trouble with math homework; dyscalculia affects a person’s ability to perform basic arithmetic operations, understand time, use money or grasp math concepts beyond simple counting.

Signs of dyscalculia can vary widely but often include challenges with:

• Difficulty with number sense- understand the number 5 is the same as the word five and that the value of 5 changes depending on what place value it is in

• Remembering math facts

• Estimating

• Translating a mathematical problem in words to a symbolic representatio (and vice versa)

• Holding numbers in their head to solve problems

• Understanding concepts like biggest and smallest

• Estimating time or measuring things accurately

They may also have struggles in other areas like reading and working memory.

Like other learning disabilities, dyscalculia is neurological in origin and not due to other misconceptions such as poor teaching, lack of intelligence, or failure to pay attention. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the United States recognizes dyscalculia as a disability, which makes the students diagnosed with dyscalculia eligible for special education services.

There is no cure for dyscalculia, but proper early interventions can significantly help students with dyscalculia manage and over many of its challenges. Helpful strategies migh include using visual aids, using technology tools designed to assist with learning, or applying multi sensory teaching methods.

SLI is a disability that interferes with the development of spoken or oral language in a person who has no loss of hearing or intellectual disabilities. A person with SLI may have difficulties pronouncing words, acquiring vocabulary, and learning grammatical rules. Oral language consists of phonology (speech sounds), morphology (the meaning of word parts), vocabulary or semantics (the meaning of words), syntax (grammar), and pragmatics (use of language in various contexts). SLI is separate from dyslexia, but they can co-occur. A child with SLI is only considered to have dyslexia if they demonstrate significant difficulties in word reading and spelling.

These individuals have difficulties understanding and expressing language in oral and written form. Due to deficits in semantic processing (the meaning of words) and syntactic processing (understanding how word order affects meaning), they may also exhibit Specific Language Impairment (SLI).