Sometimes people think that if a child just tries harder, pays better attention, or would be more motivated, then he or she would be successful in school.  For a child with a learning disability, this is simply not the case.  A child with a learning disability cannot try harder, be more focused, or be more motivated.  They need help to learn how to do these things.  Before you can determine the way to help a child with a learning disability, you first need to find out what type of learning disability the child has.

Motor Difficulties

These are problems when the child is not coordinated or has problems with movement.  These may be fine motor skill problems or gross motor skills.  Fine motor skills include writing or cutting, but gross motor skills include jumping and running.  A motor disability is an output activity, which involves the brain communicating to the limbs to complete a certain action.  Some signs that your child may have a motor difficulty disability include trouble with physical abilities that need hand and eye coordination, or trouble with fine motor skills, such as buttoning a shirt or holding a pencil.

Math Learning Disabilities

The learning disabilities in math will depend on the child's strengths and weaknesses.  A child's ability to complete math will be affected differently by a visual disorder, a language learning disability, or difficulty with organization, memory, or sequencing.  A child who has a learning disability based in math will struggle with organization of numbers, memorization, operation signs, and number facts.  These children may have difficulty with patterns and counting principles, such as counting by tens, as well as having trouble telling time.

Language Learning Disabilities

Language and communication disabilities involve the child's ability to produce spoken language and to understand it.  Language is also considered to be an output activity since it does involve having to organize thoughts in the brain and then having to call the right words to explain something verbally or to communicate it with another person.  Some of the symptoms of a language-based learning disorder will include difficulty with verbal language skills, such as having trouble retelling a story, speaking fluently, or not being able to understand the directions, the meaning of words, and parts of speech.  

Reading Disabilities

There are basically two different types of learning disabilities in reading.  Reading problems can occur when there isn't an understanding of the relationship that sounds, letters, and words have.  The second reading problem is with comprehension.  This occurs when there isn't an ability to comprehend the meaning of the words, the phrases, or the paragraphs of a selection.  Some of the reading disability signs include trouble with understanding words and ideas, poor letter and word recognition, slow speed of reading and fluency, and trouble with vocabulary.  

Writing Disabilities

Learning disabilities in the area of writing can be present when the act of writing or the mental comprehending and synthesizing of information is challenging.  Basic writing disorder occurs when there is a difficulty with forming the words and letters.  Expressive writing disability occurs when the child cannot organize his or her thoughts on paper.  Some of the symptoms of this type of learning disability include problems with spelling consistency, neatness and consistency of the writing, copying letters and words correctly, and organizing writing and writing coherence.

Auditory and Visual Processing Disabilities

A child's eyes and ears are the way that he or she will deliver information to the brain, which is referred to as input.  When the eyes or ears are not working properly, the learning process can suffer and there is a greater chance that a learning disability will occur.  The ability to hear well and make sense of what is heard is called either receptive language or auditory processing skills.  The ability to hear well is vital to being able to read, write, and spell.  Some of the symptoms of visual perception issues include missing the differences in shapes, reversing numbers or letters, skipping words, skipping lines when writing, misjudging distance, and having trouble with eye and hand coordination.  Visual perception problems can affect the fine and gross motor skills, math, and reading comprehension.  

Common Learning Disabilities

Auditory Processing Disorder - This is when the child has trouble hearing the differences between the sounds.  He or she may have problems with reading, comprehension, and language.

Dyscalculia - This is when children struggle with math.  They will have problems completing math problems, using money, and even understanding time.

Dysgraphia - This is when the child has difficulty with writing.  He or she may have trouble with spelling, organizing ideas, and difficulty with handwriting.  

Dyslexia - This is when a child has trouble processing language.  He or she will have trouble writing, reading, spelling, and speaking.

Dyspraxia - Also known as sensory integration disorder, this is when a child has trouble with fine motor skills.  He or she will likely have trouble with manual dexterity, balance, and difficulty with hand and eye coordination.  

Visual Processing Disorder - This is when the child has trouble interpreting visual information.  This may manifest itself in trouble with charts, maps, pictures, symbols, math, and reading.  

In many cases, trouble in school isn't always because of a learning disability.  Other issues, such as depression, anxiety, emotional trauma, and stressful events can also make concentration an issue and make learning difficult.  ADHD is when the child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  This is not considered a learning disability, but it can disrupt a child's learning.  Children who have ADD or ADHD may have trouble sitting still, remaining focused in class, staying organized, following directions, and completing their homework.  Autism is another concern.  Children who are on the spectrum with autism or Asperger's Syndrome may have difficulty making friends, communicating, reading your body language, and making eye contact with you.  This can make education a challenge for these children.  

The process in which a learning disability will be diagnosed is complicated.  It involves observation by a trained specialist, testing, and a history of the child.  You should begin with your child's school and see if they can help.  Some of the trained professionals for psychological testing and result interpretation include the school psychologist, clinical psychologist, educational psychologist, neuropsychologist, developmental psychology, occupational therapist, and speech and language therapist.  In many cases there will be several professionals who will coordinate the services as a team in order to get a diagnosis that is accurate, and this will likely include input from the teachers of your child.  At this time, recommendations can be made for special education services as well as speech language therapy in the public school system.