- Criteria for diagnosis
- Identifying learning disabilities
- Follow-up assessments
- Advantage of early identification
Unlike diseases like “chicken pox or measles” with a single known cause and a predictable set of physical symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose learning disabilities or to pinpoint the cause.
To be diagnosed with any form of learning disability, specific criteria must be met. The criteria and characteristics for diagnosing learning disabilities appear in a reference book called DSM short for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Identifying learning disabilities
The first time I saw a psychologist was at the age of 5. After facing a panel of kindergarten teachers who were unanimous in their report that I could not read, write or count and hence would not make it academically in the future, my mother decided to seek professional help.
A year later, I was diagnosed with ADD, short for Attention Deficit Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type just before admission to Primary 1. A few months later, Specific Learning Disability (Dyslexia) was indicated.
Although I was identified at the start of my primary education, my parents continued to face tremendous doubts, uncertainty and confusion with the fact that no one knows of a pill or remedy that will cure learning disability. Fortunately, the reports describing the many assessments I had to take to support the diagnosis contained valuable information about my learning strength and weaknesses. The reports provided useful guides for my mother, teachers, psychologist and therapists who were able to develop and formulate support and intervention that helped to manage my learning disabilities.
Advantage of early identification
Early diagnosis marked the turning point in my incredibly mess-up life as my mother began to accept that my negative behavior at home was not intentional. As I was diagnosed just before admission to primary school, it helped my parents to select a primary school that is able to accommodate my learning difficulties.