Learning differences can range from mild to severe, yet even children with identical diagnoses may exhibit different symptoms. As a parent, you may have suspected that something was wrong, but been told by your child’s teacher not to worry. While all students develop at different rates, persistent challenges may actually be caused by something out of your child’s control. If your child demonstrates a number of the following characteristics over an extended amount of time, consider testing your child for a learning disability.

• Speaks later than most children
• Pronunciation problems or slow vocabulary growth
• Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes
  
• Difficulty rhyming words
• Extremely restless and easily distracted
• Fine motor skills slow to develop

• Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
• Difficulty hearing slight differences between words
• Confuses common sight words when reading and spelling
• Makes many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeats and pauses often
  
• May not understand what he or she reads
• Trouble organizing thoughts or remembering specific words when talking
  
• Difficulty with spelling and expressing ideas in writing
• Messy handwriting or unstable pencil grip
• Misreads number sequences and confuses math symbols
• Slow to remember facts and learn new skills
• Difficult beginning or completing tasks & following directions or routines
  
• Trouble interacting with peers and using social conventions
• Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents

(page content based upon information found at ldonline.org and nichy.org)