Page 59 - Part-A

Understanding Specific Learning Difficulties

The impact of delayed or non-diagnosis of Specific
Learning Difficulties

The process of completing application forms for jobs, a time-consuming task at the
best of times, is often difficult and arduous for a person with an SpLD. More often than
not, this process does not have a positive result at the end. Repeated failure to gain
interviews and jobs can leave some people depressed and disillusioned.

It can be puzzling and confusing for parents who can see that their child is talented
and intelligent in many respects and yet does not make the expected progress at
school. It may also be clear that the child is working very hard and longer than their
contemporaries but still not achieving good results. If there are other children in the
family, the differences may be all the more obvious. It’s easy to see how a child or
young person might become anxious, stressed, depressed and withdrawn. However
hard they try, they might feel that nothing seems to work.

As mentioned in Unit 2, the misery and feelings of hopelessness about life in general
can lead some people to feel rejected, disengage with learning and social activities
and, in some cases, get involved with criminal activities. It is interesting to note that
there is a higher percentage of people in the criminal justice system with SpLDs than
the rest of the population.

Early interventions and help are therefore vital so that the support and guidance
needed is in place from an early age. This will help prevent the emotional distress
caused by lack of diagnosis, and will ensure the provision of high quality
educational interventions.
Many individuals with SpLDs continue to struggle at school but go on to succeed
afterwards, because they are then able to pursue the things they are good at.

Case Study: Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg, the well-known film director responsible for
films such as ET, Jaws, and Saving Private Ryan, was diagnosed
with dyslexia later in life. You can listen to him talking about his
experiences and the impact of this SpLD on his life by using the
link below and watching the video.
https://youtu.be/-lGr840jE_0

57