The Most Common Learning Difficulties In Singapore Kids

Struggling to read, write or count is a common problem for many children, but how do you know when that struggle is actually a learning difficulty or disability? Sasha Gonzales asked three experts to tell us what signs to look out for and when to know to get help.

- Sasha Gonzales

Amy* knew something was very wrong when her daughter, Letitia*, refused to go to school in the mornings.

The seven-year-old would throw tantrums, refuse to put on her uniform, and scream that she hated reading and writing because she didn’t understand certain words.

“She felt that her classmates were smarter than her because she couldn’t read and write as well as them,” Amy explains.

“When she was four or five, she did struggle somewhat with reading, writing and spelling, but I assumed it was normal and that she’d grow out of it by age six or seven.”

Letitia complained that she couldn’t make out most of the words that she came across in books. She was also still reversing letters and numbers when she wrote them.

Worried, Amy sent her daughter to an educational psychologist. She was shocked when told that Letitia had dyslexia and would likely continue to have problems recognising words and learning to read.

Since the diagnosis, Amy has been trying to get appropriate support from her daughter’s school as well as adjust her – and her daughter’s – expectations.

“My husband and I worry about her future,” Amy continues.

“Letitia is actually a smart, inquisitive and chatty girl. It pains me to think that she may continue to have problems making sense of words and expressing herself in writing, long after she’s left school.”

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty among kids in Singapore, but it’s not the only one.

When your child has been diagnosed with such a problem, it can be frustrating getting him the help he needs, not to mention, distressing watching him struggle through what many of his peers find effortless.