EARLY "RED FLAGS" OF LEARNING DISABILITIES

WARNING SIGNS AND OTHER INDICATORS

BY RICHARD SELZNICK, PH.D

By identifying the "red flags" as early as possible, you are on the path to giving the child what is needed to develop a solid foundation of fundamental skills, to allow success with reading.

As children progress from preschool into kindergarten and first grade, there are different warning signs that parents and teachers can identify which represent what I call, “red flags” of concern. While these “red flags” may not necessarily mean that the child has a learning disability such as dyslexia, they should be tracked closely and not ignored.

Most research has shown that approximately 60% to 70% of the children going into first grade progress without particular difficulty and they will develop adequate skills in reading, spelling and writing. These are children that I call on the “smooth road.”

The children that are on a rougher road tend to have greater difficulty with the development of their early skills. Within this article, the “red flags or warning signs of concern” will be highlighted by age-grade range.

Here are some of the red flag/warning signs: