Early Motherhood

What is a learning disability?
If your child seems bright and curious about the world but has a noticeable problem with speech, reading, or arithmetic, he may have a learning disability. Learning disabilities include a spectrum of disorders that affect the way the brain processes information and make it difficult to grasp certain concepts. They can be mild or severe.

Children with learning disabilities usually have normal or above normal intelligence but struggle with some kinds of learning. Recognizing individual letters might be easy but putting them together to read may be confusing. Tying shoes or fitting together the pieces of a puzzle may be perplexing, or simple math insurmountable.

How can I tell if my child has a learning disability?
During the preschool and kindergarten years, children learn at different rates and with different styles. But if your child has significant trouble with numbers, letters, or speech, she may have a learning disability. Learning disabilities are a category of disorders that affect how the brain processes information, making it difficult to grasp some concepts.

A child with a learning disability may understand a story perfectly when it is read to her but will struggle to answer questions about it afterward. Another child might easily recite the alphabet from A to Z but be unable to name individual letters when they are pointed out. Still another child may have a hard time putting together puzzles, tying her shoes, or buttoning a sweater.

What is hemiplegia?

Childhood hemiplegia (sometimes called hemiparesis) is a condition, similar to cerebral palsy, affecting one side of the body (Greek ‘hemi’ = half). We talk about a right or left hemiplegia depending on the side affected. It is caused by damage to some part of the brain, which may happen before, during or soon after birth, when it is known as congenital hemiplegia, or later in childhood, in which case it is called acquired hemiplegia.

Hemiplegia, Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, and Hemiparesis

Hemiplegia: Paralysis of one side of the body resulting from disease or injury to the motor centers of the brain.

This scenario is common among parents of children who are slow to speak. Unless they observe other areas of “slowness” in the early development of their child, parents may hesitate to seek advice. Some parents may excuse the lack of talking by reassuring themselves that “he’ll outgrow it” or “she’s just more interested in physical things.”

Knowing what’s “normal” and what’s not in speech and language development can help you figure out if you should be concerned or if your child is right on schedule.

Isn’t every kid special? We think so, but what do we mean when we say “kids with special needs”? This means any kid who might need extra help because of a medical, emotional, or learning problem. These kids have special needs because they might need medicine, therapy, or extra help in school - stuff other kids don’t typically need or only need once in a while.