Teen Learning Disabilities
Teen Learning Disabilities
Teen learning disabilities are disorders where a teen faces severe learning difficulties, such as, trouble with reading, writing, spelling and math. Such teens have difficulty recognizing and understanding letters, words, sentences and numbers compared to teens of the same age with similar environments. Sometimes, teen learning disability is also referred to as neurologically based processing information since the brain of the teen is not well equipped and capable enough to handle this type of information.
Teen learning disabilities will trigger frustration in teens and lead to poor performance in school.
Causes of Teen Learning Disability
The exact cause of the teen learning disability is still unidentified, however probable causes are:
- Genetics: Parents or close relatives have similar learning disabilities
- Complications during and after pregnancy: Complications such as lack of oxygen, low birth weight, premature labor, and drug abuse during pregnancy
- Brain injury and trauma: Certain types of brain injury, head trauma, or severe diseases like a tumor
Teen Residential Treatment
At Hillcrest, our teen residential treatment is dynamic, multi-layered, varied and eclectic. In addition to our individualized therapeutic programs designed specifically to suit each client’s condition and temperament, we also provide a range of extracurricular activities and hobbies to ensure healthy and fun outlets for each client depending on their skills and talents. Clients are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings through daily journaling and embrace new options, experiences, and open-minded views. Clients are also taught responsibility through their work in the organic vegetable garden, feeding the koi fish in the fish pond, and the daily care of their orchid plant gifted to them upon admission. Guest lecturers are invited to attend the facility periodically to share their work experiences with the clients in order to inspire them with ideas for future career paths and professional training. Our individualized approach allows us to provide personal attention and care of the highest of standards. We recognize the unique nature and experience of each of our clients and value the distinct abilities and character traits that your loved ones bring to our program. To that effect, we aim to maximize and strengthen those attributes in a healthy and positive way with our varied programming and extracurricular activities so that each client will flourish while at Hillcrest, and moreover, learn to nurture those characteristics to achieve independence and constructive impactful change upon re-entry and re-integration into the outside world.
Symptoms of Teen Learning Disability
Parents and teachers may understand teen learning disabilities. However, it is always recommended to analyze this disability with the help of professionals. The symptoms are serious and must be identified early on in order for a remedial learning system to be implemented and followed with professional guidance so that the teen can progress and not drastically fall behind in his/her learning. The following symptoms may be exhibited:
- Reading is very tough and not enjoyed
- Inability to spell easy words
- Difficulty in recognizing a verbal sound, and understanding a word
- Inability to recall lists of random numbers, letters in irregular words, math tables and failure to solve math problems
- Difficulty in recording their thoughts
- Writing very slowly with ineligible handwriting
- Inability to follow a teacher’s instructions
- Lack of confidence when completing homework tasks
- Inability to stay focused on a task for more than a few minutes
- Inability to memorize and recall simple things
- Inability to differentiate between similar words, or similar letters such as b and d
- Difficulty telling time and differentiating left and right
- Inconsistent level of performance and overall functioning from day to day
- Inability to create a cohesive sequence between their thoughts and verbal expression. As a result they may say one thing but mean another.
- Difficulty to accept change
- Difficulty to maintain a level of discipline
- Disorganized
- Delayed speech
Types of Teen Learning Disability
Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by reading difficulty. It is one of the most common learning disabilities. The major symptom is delayed speech and difficulty in learning vocabulary. The teen may not be able to identify and differentiate between letters and words, and may fail to pronounce the word accurately, such as an inability to differentiate between the letter ‘b’ and the letter ‘d’.
Dysnomia
A teen with dysnomia may face greater struggle in recalling words and names as compared to others.
Dyscalculia
Teens with dyscalculia experience trouble with mathematical formulae and numeral calculation. They face challenges with easy calculation.
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a writing disability. These teens cannot calculate the space and size of words and letters. They may even fail to take dictation.
Dyspraxia
Teens with Dyspraxia may have trouble waving, clapping, brushing their teeth, as well as difficulty with other gross motor skills and activities.
Treatment for Teen Learning Disability
Treatment for teen learning disabilities is important because if they remain untreated, the teen will develop frustration, leading to low self confidence, depression, poor performance, and other behavioral issues. With proper expert treatment and guidance at an early stage, teens with learning disorders can learn tricks and tips to overcome their situation in spite of their disabilities.
Hillcrest is well equipped with a professional team of stellar staff, in a well designed state of the art, natural setting, to provide individualized therapeutic treatment programs to address all types of teen learning disabilities, and provide the support and guidance for your loved one and his/her ultimate healing.
