Specific Learning Difficulties.  This catch-all term encompasses many special educational needs each with their own "specific" characteristics.

The most obvious sign that a pupil has an SpLD is that they make markedly better progress in some areas of the curriculum compared to others.

Use the sections below for more 'specific' information!

Dys (difficulty) Lexia (language)

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling,  It is often inherited and occurs across a range of intellectual abilities (it is possible to be have both moderate learning difficulties and dyslexia, although where one ends and the next one begins can be more complicated to unpick!).  Pupils with dyslexia may have difficulties with processing and remembering information they see and hear.

Dyslexia is a continuum with problems from mild to severe.

Because many young children make similar mistakes to children with dyslexia it is considered very difficult to diagnose before the age of 7 and before they have had access to a significant period of high-quality teaching and interventions in which they have not made progress.

Looking for the collection of dyslexia lessons?  Click here.

As created by siam dyslexiaacademy from our Facebook group

Dys (difficulty) Calculia (number)

Dyscalculia is a specific difficulty with numbers and the number system.  Often accompanied by poor working memory, children struggle to learn and recall number facts as well as perform longer calculations involving more than one step, particularly if they are expected to hold those steps in their head!

Dyscalculia on its own is not common (perhaps 3-5% of the population) but it is often diagnosed alongside other specific learning difficulties.

Dys (difficulty) Praxis (movement)

Pupils with dyspraxia have difficulties predominantly with the coordination of fine motor skills (small muscle movements such as handwriting) and gross motor skills (large muscle movements such as kicking a ball).  It is a developmental disorder and is known by a variety of names including developmental coordination disorder and discoordination disorder (DCD).  It is thought to be caused by a disruption in the way messages from the brain are transmitted to the body.

Whilst most individuals will think of clumsy children when they hear the label dyspraxia it can also be the cause of poor articulation in speech (verbal dyspraxia)

• Verbal (oromotor) dyspraxia.
• Constructional dyspraxia – this is to do with spatial relationships.
• Ideational dyspraxia – affects the ability to perform co-ordinated movements in a sequence.
• Ideomotor dyspraxia – affects organising single-step tasks.

Dys (difficulty) Graph (writing/drawing)

The least commonly heard of ‘dys’.  Dysgraphia is more than just messy handwriting!  It is commonly found in association with other difficulties such as the specific learning difficulties already addressed, ADHD and autism.

Children with dysgraphia may have only impaired handwriting, only impaired spelling (without reading problems), or both impaired handwriting and impaired spelling.  Children with dysgraphia do not have primary developmental motor disorder or dyspraxia, another cause of poor handwriting, but may have difficulty planning sequential finger movements such as the touching of the thumb to successive fingers on the same hand without visual feedback.

Who can bestow this label?  (A commonly asked question).

Children with MLD tend to find learning in most areas of the curriculum difficult.  The most effective strategy is the reinforcement of material (overlearning) and ensuring they have plenty of time to produce work.  Remember that learning is tiring, especially when you have to put in the extra effort.

Concrete resources are a must and abstract ideas may stay beyond reach until a much later stage than for other children.

The definition of MLD varies but generally, a psychometric assessment using a cognitive abilities test (or IQ) test with a standardised score below 70 is considered to signify moderate learning difficulties.  Specific assessments such as phonics, reading, spelling and basic umber are also likely to be below 70 on a standardised scale.  And non-verbal reasoning will also be weak.  This is different to ‘specific’ learning difficulties such as dyslexia where the profile is generally more spikey and the IQ scores or non-verbal scores may be well into the average range (85+).

The label?  Leave it to the professionals.  Someone with the right qualifications to undertake a full and comprehensive assessment of the whole child and rule out any other underlying causes.  Where you suspect MLD but don’t have the official label (for census purposes) it is best to explain to parents and staff that the child fits this profile and the strategies offered by approaching as if they had the ‘label’ would be most useful.