Dear R.I.,
Language-based learning disabilities are the most common of learning disabilities. Yes, they are speech/language difficulties. (At school, the eligibility requirements for Special Education vary, so your child may qualify under the Learning Disability category, but not Speech and Language. Some children qualify in the reverse; and some qualify under both categories.)
Auditory skills are vital in learning to speak and to comprehend speech. Even greater auditory skill is essential for fluent reading and writing. Not only do children need to discriminate speech sounds--to discern one sound as different from another--but also to recall them. They need to blend individual sounds into words. They need to discern individual sounds within whole words. They must learn to do these and other auditory tasks very fluently and automatically in order to read and write well. Be sure to visit ‘The Reading Treehouse Floor: Phonological Awareness’ section at this web site.
Phonics rests upon a foundation of auditory skill: students need some basic mental ability to work with speech sounds in their ‘Mind’s Ear‘ before beginning phonics. And then learning phonics helps them to develop more elaborate auditory skills.
Some children are talented in auditory skill. Most need to be taught how it works. Some have actual deficits in auditory skill--but these are teachable skills! In fact, the students who benefit most are the ones whose skills were the weakest.
You might want to seek an assessment of the student’s phonological (speech-sound) processing including Phonemic Awareness. If you are not able to get this at school, you could call some private speech/language pathologists, audiologists, or a University clinic to find a provider who can find out this information.
If needed, begin a systematic program to develop deficit skills. This is a proven way to improve reading and writing. You will find many suggestions in ‘The Reading Treehouse Floor: Phonological Awareness’ section at this web site.
Also note that for selected children, Fast ForWord Language can strengthen certain fundamental auditory skills. Fast ForWord Language is a costly, time-consuming computer-based program which provides a better foundation for learning, for children who need it. You want to be sure that Fast ForWord Language addresses your child’s actual need before you make the commitment; get a professional assessment. Learn more about this program at www.scientificlearning.com.
Once the foundation is in place, your child still has to learn the spelling! The proper foundation--Phonological Awareness, and perhaps Fast ForWord--just makes it easier to learn.
Best Wishes,
Ruth Alice Jurey, M.S.
Speech/Language Pathologist
