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Related Topics of Learning Disability 

LEARNING DISABILITY:SCREENING CHECKLISTS

Click here to download the Checklist

Most people have challenges with learning and behaviour from time to time. During a child’s preschool years and throughout the school years, parents and educators should be on the alert for consistent and/or persistent patterns of difficulty that may signal an underlying learning disability (LD). While variations in the course of development are to be expected, unevenness or lags in the mastery of skills and behaviours, even in children as young as 4 or 5, should not be ignored. And because LD can co-occur with other disorders, it’s important to keep careful and complete records of observations and impressions.

These can be shared among parents, educators, and related service providers to help them make important decisions about services and supports.

LD—sometimes called specific learning disability or specific learning disorder—is a term that describes a group of disorders that impact listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, math, and social skills. Remember: LDs don’t go away! An LD isn’t outgrown or “cured” by medication, therapy, or expert tutoring.
Although LDs are lifelong, they’re not a prescription for failure. Effective instruction and accommodations can minimize learning challenges, maximize strengths, and optimize student potential in academic settings. Early recognition of warning signs, well-targeted screening and assessment, effective intervention, and ongoing monitoring of progress are critical to helping
individuals with LDs to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.

This checklist is designed as a tool to understand potential signs of LDs, not to diagnose LDs. The more characteristics you check, the more likely the individual described is at risk for (or shows signs of) LDs.
When filling out this checklist, think about the person’s behaviour over at least the past six months. And when you’re done, if you have questions or concerns, seek assistance from school personnel or other professionals who can help determine whether a comprehensive evaluation is needed.

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