What they are
The acronym SLD (Specific Learning Disorders) refers to a diagnostic category related to Specific Developmental Learning Disorders that belong to neurodevelopmental disorders (DSM 5, 2014). They manifest during developmental age and involve difficulties in acquiring and automating reading, writing, number, or calculation skills. SLD cannot be diagnosed in the presence of intellectual disability, neurological damage, and/or sensory impairments.
Currently, the number of children with specific learning disorders ranges from 5 to 15% in school-age children across different languages and cultures. Adults, on the other hand, stabilize at around 4%.
SLD includes the following disorders:
- DYSLEXIA – specific reading disorder – a disorder affecting reading automatisms, that is, the decoding of written text
- DYSORTHOGRAPHY – specific disorder of the orthographic component of writing – deficit in encoding processes
- DYSGRAPHIA – disorder of the graphic component of writing – deficit in the graphic execution processes of writing
- DYSCALCULIA – arithmetic skills disorder – deficit in numerical knowledge, calculation skills, poor mastery of arithmetic abilities
In the educational context, they are regulated by Law 170 of 2010.
How they manifest
A child with SLD has learning difficulties that usually appear in the early school years and persist in subsequent years.
The first signs that can serve as warning signals may appear in various forms, from the first steps in primary school. These typically include errors in reading and writing, memory difficulties, spatial-temporal orientation problems, verbal or motor difficulties:
- Inversion or substitution of letters and numbers (for example 21/12; m/n; v/f; b/d, a/e);
- Difficulty in memorizing multiplication tables and other sequential information such as alphabet letters, days of the week, or months of the year;
- Struggle in copying from the blackboard;
- Inappropriate use of space on the page;
- Confusion in spatial and temporal relationships (right/left; yesterday/tomorrow; months and days);
- Difficulty in verbally expressing thoughts;
- Difficulty in certain motor skills (for example, tying shoelaces).
- Sometimes the child might also show psychological problems, with difficulties in relationships with peers and/or teachers and a rejection of school.
Even in secondary school, slowness and errors in reading and writing usually persist. These can hinder the understanding of written text meaning and make written assignments mechanical and time-consuming.
The student may appear disorganized in their activities, both at home and at school.
Sometimes they lose self-confidence and may experience mood and behavior changes.
Developmental Characteristics
SLDs have the following characteristics:
- They are specific: they exclusively affect certain learning processes, defined as automatisms, of the instrumental skills in academic learning. For example, precise and fluent reading, the ability to write without errors, with regular and decipherable handwriting and using space appropriately, the ability to process numbers and calculate. They therefore leave general intellectual functioning intact.
- They have a developmental matrix: the learning disorder manifests during developmental age, when the child’s difficulty in developing a skill that becomes progressively automatic for others emerges.
- They have a biological origin: they depend on genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that affect the brain’s ability to perceive or process verbal or non-verbal information (DSM-5, 2014).
- They can be correlated with emotional difficulties and decreased motivation towards academic activities; SLDs can therefore affect developmental linearity and contribute to situations of discomfort or maladjustment.
How intervention is possible
- In the presence of difficulties in the academic field, it is possible to consult an accredited specialized team for a diagnostic assessment.
Assessment and Diagnosis
- Anamnestic interview with parents and child/teenager
- Medical examination (to exclude other pathological causes of the disorder)
- Assessment of general cognitive level
- Assessment of instrumental skills (reading, writing, calculation abilities)
- Possible functional and/or psychological evaluations
- Feedback sessions with potential diagnosis and certification
What to do after diagnosis
Following an SLD diagnosis, it is possible to implement a specific rehabilitation program aimed at reducing academic difficulties.
The specific rehabilitation treatment addresses the effects of the disorder, significantly improving reading, spelling, and calculation skills.
Rehabilitation for SLD
Rehabilitation programs must have specific characteristics (Consensus Conference, 2007; Update Panel and Revision of the Consensus Conference, 2011; ISS Consensus Conference, 2011):
- Essere dominio-specifici, ossia devono intervenire sugli ambiti specifici della difficoltà diagnosticata
- for dyslexia, focus on reading and if necessary on language (as its prerequisite).
- for dysorthography, focus on writing and if necessary on language (as its prerequisite)
- for dysgraphia, focus on orthography and if necessary on fine motor skills (as its prerequisite).
- for dyscalculia, focus on the calculation and number system and if necessary on short-term memory and visual-spatial abilities (as its prerequisites).
- Be intensive, meaning 1-2 times per week, with daily exercises to be done at home for short periods.
- Be prolonged, meaning repeated cycles lasting at least 3 months to be carried out in the office and/or at home.
- Be performed by healthcare specialists (speech therapists, neuropsychomotor therapists, and psychologists expert in neuropsychological rehabilitation).
Who our interventions are for
- Children/teenagers with SLD
- Children/teenagers with learning difficulties
- DSA in adulthood
- Parents
- Teachers
Bibliographic sources used
- Stella G., Grandi L. (2016) Dyslexia and SLD. Understanding to Intervene. Giunti EDU
- Vio C., Tressoldi P.E., Lo Presti G. (2013) Diagnosis of specific learning disorders in school. Erickson
- Vio C., Tressoldi P.E. (2012) The Treatment of Specific Academic Learning Disorders. Erickson
