There are many reasons why a child may be having a difficulty with learning. Unfortunately teachers are all too quick to blame stupidity or laziness or poor attitude. However in many cases the fault is not the child's. The child may have a genuine difficulty.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE CHILD IS STUPID.
It just means that their brain works in a slightly different way to others - a natural variation. Possibly back in the days of the hunter gatherer it might have been an advantage. The invention of the printing press and the expectation that all should be able to read and write put a huge and unfair pressure on those whose brains were better adapted for other things. We are not all destined to be university academics - which our present school system seems to guide us towards.
Some of our most successful and well known citizens struggled through school only showing their true merits once they reached the real world afterwards. ie Winston Churchill - our most famous prime minister, Richard Branson of Virgin records and Virgin airlines, Jamie Oliver the media cook and saviour of school meals.
So what are these learning difficulties or syndromes? Experts have given them labels such as
However - people are individuals and do not fit into nice neat boxes. The label they are given will often depend on what country they live in and what type of specialist they see. I very often see people who seem to have elements of two or more difficulties and it is then very difficult to find an appropriate label.
Also I believe that all these conditions are on a spectrum. Thus you can have someone with severe dyslexia or someone with just a touch of dyslexia
