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In the early years, children may have some difficulties in learning to move skilfully. This is not unusual. However,
for some children, the muscles and nerves that control body movements may not be properly formed or may
become damaged causing a physical disability.
Contents
Role of a physiotherapist
Special equipment
Resources
Dystrophy which occurs only in boys. All types of muscular dystrophy are genetic even though other family
members may not have the condition.
Acquired brain and spinal injuries
Physical disabilities may result from permanent injuries to the brain, spinal cord or limbs that prevent proper
movement in parts of the body.
Spina bifida
Sometimes, a baby's spinal cord (the nerves that run down the spine) do not develop normally during pregnancy.
When this happens, the child can have a physical disability called spina bifida. The type and amount of disability
caused by spina bifida will depend upon the level of the abnormality of the spinal cord. Children with spina bifida
may have:
hydrocephalus (high pressure on the brain because of fluid not being drained away as normal)
posture (the ability to put the body in a chosen position and keep it there)
hemiplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness on one side of the body)
diplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness in the lower part of the body)
quadriplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness in both arms and both legs)
brain injury.
Role of a physiotherapist
Physiotherapists can help children with disabilities and their families by:
assisting the child to learn how to use parts of the body and develop physical skills
helping parents to become skilful in assisting their child including lifting, positioning and physical care
Dyscalculia
A specific learning disability that affects a persons ability to understand numbers and learn
math facts. Individuals with this type of LD may also have poor comprehension of math
symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling time,
or have trouble with counting.
Dysgraphia
A specific learning disability that affects a persons handwriting ability and fine motor skills.
Problems may include illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper,
poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time.
Dyslexia
A specific learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills.
The severity can differ in each individual but can affect reading fluency, decoding, reading
comprehension, recall, writing, spelling, and sometimes speech and can exist along with other
related disorders. Dyslexia is sometimes referred to as a Language-Based Learning Disability.
only to the processing of language. LPD can affect expressive language and/or receptive
language.
Related Disorders
ADHD
A disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling
behavior and hyperactivity. Although ADHD is not considered a learning disability, research
indicates that from 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability,
and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging.
Dyspraxia
A disorder that is characterized by difficulty in muscle control, which causes problems with
movement and coordination, language and speech, and can affect learning. Although not a
learning disability, dyspraxia often exists along with dyslexia, dyscalculia or ADHD.
Executive Functioning
An inefficiency in the cognitive management systems of the brain that affects a variety of
neuropsychological processes such as planning, organization, strategizing, paying attention to
and remembering details, and managing time and space. Although not a learning disability,
different patterns of weakness in executive functioning are almost always seen in the learning
profiles of individuals who have specific learning disabilities or ADHD.
Difficulty rhyming
Trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, days of the week
Difficulty controlling crayons, pencils, and scissors, or coloring within the lines
Poor handwriting
Paying attention to developmental milestones can help you identify learning disorders
Paying attention to normal developmental milestones for toddlers and preschoolers is very
important. Early detection of developmental differences may be an early signal of a learning
disability and problems that are spotted early can be easier to correct.
A developmental lag might not be considered a symptom of a learning disability until your child is
older, but if you recognize it when your child is young, you can intervene early. You know your
child better than anyone else does, so if you think there is a problem, it doesn't hurt to get an
evaluation. You can also ask your pediatrician for a developmental milestones chart.
spelling consistency
Auditory and visual processing problems: the importance of the ears and eyes
The eyes and the ears are the primary means of delivering information to the brain, a process
sometimes called input. If either the eyes or the ears arent working properly, learning can suffer.
Auditory processing disorder Professionals may refer to the ability to hear well as
auditory processing skills or receptive language. The ability to hear things correctly
greatly impacts the ability to read, write and spell. An inability to distinguish subtle
differences in sound, or hearing sounds at the wrong speed make it difficult to sound out
words and understand the basic concepts of reading and writing.
Difficulty reading
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Dyspraxia (Sensory
Integration Disorder)
Dysphasia/Aphasia
Auditory Processing
Disorder
between sounds
comprehension, language
information
Autism Difficulty mastering certain academic skills can stem from pervasive
developmental disorders such as autism and Aspergers syndrome. Children with autism
spectrum disorders may have trouble communicating, reading body language, learning
basic skills, making friends, and making eye contact.
directions). Problems with semantics are evident when students are unable to identify
appropriate pictures when word names are provided (Find the grapes), answer
simple questions (Are apples fruits?), follow directions (Draw a line over the third
box), tell how words or messages are similar or different (How are apples, oranges,
and pears alike?), or understand abstract concepts (What is love?). Pragmatics is
concerned with the use and function of language in varying settings (i.e., following
social conversational rules). Problems with pragmatics are evident when students are
unable to use language in social situations to express feelings, create or understand
images, give or request information, or direct actions of listeners.