Learning difficulties: the obstacle to learning and productivity

Definition

The term “learning difficulty” was coined relatively recently, in 1963, by the renowned psychologist and educator Samuel Kirk (Katsafanas, 2006). Five years later, the US National Advisory Committee defined the term “children with learning difficulties” to include children who suffered from a disorder in performing basic psychological functions related to communicating or understanding a language, written or spoken. Learning difficulties manifest by affecting the ability to spell, write, read, think, speak or perform basic mathematical calculations.

The difficulties

Students with learning difficulties may struggle to analyse the material presented during teaching and to organise information in their minds, leading to poor comprehension of the taught material and difficulty memorising it. In addition, they may be overwhelmed by large amounts of information and find it hard to integrate new information, retrieve material from memory automatically and respond quickly. In general, these students need more time to process information, make decisions and give answers. In the absence of appropriate accommodations, interventions and learning expectations, the pace of academic progress may be limited, resulting in impairments to school and individual (e.g. emotional, social) functioning (McDowell, 2018).

Contributing factors

When we talk about learning difficulties today, we must take into account the social context and the pace of life and development. Life today has become more complex; technology offers us multiple stimuli, which we are often unable to process, resulting in a negative effect on our brain. According to recent research (Firth et al., 2019), the internet affects our brain and our cognitive processes, particularly regarding the flow of incoming information, encouraging us to engage in attention-switching and “multi-tasking” instead of sustained focus.

It is easy to see why a rapid increase in learning difficulties is observed in children, when technology reigns and real contact takes second place. As a result, children with learning difficulties, besides their difficulty with learning itself, also experience failure in school life and show low self-confidence, as they believe that control of their lives comes from external factors, such as school, teachers and chance events (Panteliadou & Botsas, 2007). Consequently, the emotional development of children with learning difficulties is directly linked to their self-esteem and to the anxiety they experience (Botsas, 2007).

Also, according to recent research, learning difficulties have been linked to the onset of mental disorders (Buber et al., 2020). Specifically, there appears to be comorbidity between learning difficulties and ADHD, as well as between learning difficulties and anxiety disorders, mood disorders (such as depression) and suicidal ideation.

What we should do

Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for children to manage the wealth of information provided to them and to learn to respond to both realities — the virtual and the real — with the least possible cost to their mental and psychological health.

It is therefore essential to catch learning difficulties early and to intervene appropriately, so as to avoid the development of comorbidity in the future. With the right, timely support, every student can make the most of their potential.