She had the brightest blue eyes that you can imagine, and her smile could light up the darkest of nights.  She had long vibrant red hair and her freckles (or should I say angel kisses) always made me smile.  There was a time when she would spend many nights with severe upset stomach to the point of sickness.  She did not want to go to school and her parents were concerned.  They saw her struggle and sought out help.  She was not experiencing a lot of success at school.  Her self-esteem and confidence were constantly under attack.  Fortunately, her parents recognized that she needed help sooner rather than later.  An educational assessment at Breakthroughs in Learning revealed she had several areas of weakness that were the cause of her daily struggles.  After working with Breakthroughs she saw tremendous growth and development and was more confident in her abilities.  In fact, she gained so much confidence, that she read her birthday cards out loud in front of numerous family members and friends – something that would have terrified her previously.  Receiving testimonies like this is the mission of Breakthroughs.  We want to help children at their earliest stages, to ensure their success in academics and throughout life.

In the two previous blogs we mentioned warning signs for children in preschool and kindergarten.  The following is list of warning signs for elementary school age children, as well as a short list that reaches beyond that.  These are all root issues that are based in specific brain skills.  With the proper exercise of these brain skills, the warning signs that indicate weakness can be strengthened.  Areas of weakness can actually become strengths.  As much as the little girl I spoke about found physical relief, she also found emotional relief.  She has a much healthier self-image and is able to confidently interact with her peers.

Elementary Warning Signs:

• Difficulty communicating or speaking in complete sentences
• Poor handwriting
• Inability to tell time
• Difficulty with reading or spelling
• Inability to follow multiple directions
• Difficulty learning basic sight words
• Visual and/or Auditory Distractibility
• Confuses math signs such as +, -, /, x, =
• Trouble memorizing math facts such as times tables
• Slow to learn new skills or only wanting to learn one way to solve a problem
• Struggles with organization and self-esteem

Post Grade School Warning Signs:

• Losing place while reading words
• Skipping small words
• Changing the endings of words
• Short Attention Span
• Immature behaviour
• Difficulty remembering math facts
• Weak coordination
• Problems with vocabulary or comprehension

It is important to note that today’s warning signs list is in addition to the warning signs from previous weeks.   To get the complete list download your free copy of the “Warning Signs Checklist”.  I encourage you not to ‘wait and see’.  While it is never too late to get help, and we work with many adults, their stories are heart breaking.  Living through years of struggle wears away at self-confidence, limits further education and blocks potential career paths.  If you are seeing any of these warning signs in your child or student act now.  The price of waiting is too high.

About the Author

From an early age Matthew loved to talk, and now he gets paid to do just that.

Having grown up with Learning Disabilities and overcome them, Breakthroughs is an opportunity for him to give back. Now Matthew is an Educational Therapist with over 20,000 hours of experience working with children and adults with learning challenges.

When not in the office Matthew can be found seeking adventure with his wife and children, preferably on a mountain or in a kayak.

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