Education staff are vital for spotting the learning difficulties and disorders facing students, Will Brodie writes.
They’re often the first to notice children struggling to master reading (which could be dyslexia) or maths (which could be dyscalculia).
However, the signs are often not obvious and the expectation that overworked teachers and support staff should have the expertise to diagnose such important conditions is problematic.
In July, an article in the Herald Sun opened: ‘Children are being ‘let down’ by teachers unable to recognise the early signs of learning disorders’.
Far from letting kids down, teachers are carrying an outsized burden of recognising learning difficulties, and teacher shortages only exacerbatethe problem.
Staff shortages “most affected students with disabilities, including those with learning disorders”, The Age reported in August 2022.
RMIT senior lecturer in special education David Armstrong said schools struggling to deliver the basic curriculum and “scrambling every morning to fill their staffing needs” were less likely to have the resources, time, and energy to support students with additional needs.
This is why the IEUA has insisted that any new initiative or project which adds to teacher responsibilities be subject to a Teacher Workload Impact Assessment (TWIA).
The IEUA policy states: “Unless a proposal is neutral in terms of workload impacts, or includes confirmed workload offsets, it should not proceed.”
And experts are required for diagnoses of serious conditions.
“In reality, such specialist responsibilities are often added to already overloaded classroom teachers or leadership positions who are not necessarily equipped or able to provide such support.”
The IEUA called for “targeted funding to improve access to allied health and wellbeing support”.
Thankfully, there are basic signs of possible difficulties which can help teachers identify students who can then be tested by experts.
Diagnosing dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a condition which hinders the ability to acquire arithmetical skills and understand numbers, affecting around 6% of children in primary schools – around the same number estimated to have dyslexia.
Associate Professor Dr Judi Humberstone, a former Victorian Department of Education school principal with 23 years’ experience of teaching maths at the secondary level, jointly set up the dyscalculia component of the Psychology Clinic at the University of Melbourne. Dr Humberstone also runs dyscalculia webinars through the Learning Hub for IEUA members.
She says simple indicators for dyscalculia include:
- an inability to tell analogue time
- being able to solve a mathematical problem successfully one day but not knowing how the following day
- not recognising when two problems are analogous, and the same solution approach can be used for both
- struggling to learn the times tables despite conscientious attempts.
More specific tests ask students to identify the number of dots in a visual array or to repeat increasingly long strings of numbers, then repeat the numbers in reverse order.
“The dyscalculia screener requires a registered psychologist to administer it, but the tests above can provide some suggestion of dyscalculia and the student should then be referred for more detailed testing by a qualified psychologist.
“I think that dyscalculic childrenare quite obvious when you know the sorts of things – referenced above – to look for.”
‘Knowing what to look for’ is crucial because alarming numbers of children have issues. NAPLAN results show nearly 30% per of school children are struggling to meet literacy and numeracy proficiencies, and Learning Disabilities Australia says 10–16% of students are “perceived by their teachers to have learning difficulties and support needs”.
What are learning difficulties and learning disorders?
Learning difficulties are problems with reading, writing and/or maths.
Learning disorders are specific, serious, and ongoing problems with reading, writing and/or maths, diagnosed by health professionals. Dyslexia and dyscalculia are examples of learning disorders.
A specific learning disability (SpLD) is the result of a neurological (rather than psychological) disorder which causes the learner to receive and process some information inaccurately. They can have significant impact on education and learning and on the acquisition of literacy skills.
Identifying possible learning disorders
Learning difficulties and early signs of learning disorders are often detected in the first two years of school, when children start classroom-based learning in reading, writing and maths.
A school-age child with learning difficulties or a learning disorder, might:
- dislike reading, writing or maths and/or find reading, writing or maths hard
- have a lot of trouble spelling common words, using rhyming words or counting
- find it hard to spot the sounds and syllables in words – for example, the ‘k’ sound in monkey
- find it hard to link a number to the associated word – for example, ‘5’ and ‘five’, and
- not feel confident about schoolwork.
Parents who feel their child has done additional programs at school but still seems to be struggling with reading, writing, or maths can ask their school to arrange a formal assessment for learning disorders by a psychologist or paediatrician.
A full cognitive and educational assessment provides a learning profile identifying strengths and challenges, which is necessary to improve the student’s learning outcomes.
Identifying Specific Learning Difficulties in written work
Some clues to working out that a student has a specific learning disability include:
- unusual and inconsistent spellings
- reversals or transpositions of letters in words, or numbers in figures, formulae, dates, and symbols (such as in mathematics or music)
- omission of parts of words or sentences, or
- omission of auxiliary verbs, pronouns, and prepositions, and
- lack of proper order or demonstrated sequence in writing, mathematical calculations, or music notation.
More tips for recognising learning difficulties from the Child Mind Institute
“Kids with LDs often have a big gap between what it seems like they should be able to do and what they do. For example, a student who writes awesome essays but can barely do basic math assignments.
“Or a kid who gives great answers in class but can’t get their ideas down on paper. These gaps often cause kids with learning disorders to be labelled as lazy or told to just try harder, which can take a toll on their self-esteem.
“Students who need constant reminders of what to do next might be struggling with a skill called working memory. That’s the task of remembering and processing new information, a common issue for kids with LDs. They also may struggle with time management. They may have trouble with transitions or seem disorganised.
“Other common signs of learning differences include difficulty following directions, trouble concentrating, and not getting homework done on time — or at all. Failing tests, especially ones you know they’ve studied for, is also a sign.
“If a student seems shy — not talking in class or sitting in the back row — they may be trying to hide a learning issue. Other kids might do the opposite, acting out to draw attention away from difficulties or pretending not to care about school. Kids may even cut class, skip school, or be ‘sick’ more often than is usual.”
Teachers should not be considered proxy psychologists, but if properly supported by experts, they can help catch more kids who need help.