Physical Issues That Affect Reading and Writing

Identifying and Addressing Challenges in Literacy Development 

Two of the most important and widely used skills in school and the workforce are reading and writing. However, there are many physical challenges that can affect learning.

ADD/ADHD

Even though Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) is not considered a learning disability, it can affect the academic performance of a child. The three main symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity not only affect a child’s social and behavioral well-being, but also contribute to academic struggles.

ADHD affects each person differently. Some children with ADHD experience difficulty with reading, have trouble remembering what they read, while other children find comfort in these activities. Furthermore, children with ADHD are more likely to demonstrate writing problems, such as poor spelling and grammar than their peers. If reading and writing problems go undetected and aren’t addressed early on in children with ADHD, these children are at a higher risk for having these problems persist into adulthood.

A study in the journal Pediatrics showed a strong correlation between ADHD and an increased risk of a written-language disorder (WLD) for boys and girls (with or without a reading disorder (RD)).1 Research shows that girls with ADHD are at a higher risk of having WLD with RD compared with boys with ADHD.

Learning Disabilities

Reading disabilities can affect up to 8% of elementary school children. Seventy to eighty percent of students with specific learning disabilities possess reading deficits. Most students with LD have profound deficits in the area of visual memory. Researchers indicate that most of all learning takes place through the eye, with visual memory existing as a crucial aspect of learning.2

The most common forms of LD that affect reading and writing include:

• Dyslexia: a language-based disability in which an individual has difficulty with letter and word recognition, understanding words and ideas, reading speed and fluency, and general vocabulary skills. Fundamental reading problems take place as a result of the inability to understand relationships between sounds, letters, and words. Consequently, there is an inability to grasp the meaning of words, phrases, and paragraphs.

• Dyscalculia: a mathematical disability in which an individual may struggle with organizing numbers, understanding operation signs, grasping math concepts, and solving math problems.

• Dysgraphia: a writing disability in which an individual has physical difficulty forming letters, writing in a clearly defined space, organizing thoughts on paper, and expressing ideas.

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• Dyspraxia: a motor skill disability in which an individual has difficulty with movement and coordination (gross and/or fine motor skill development). Activities that require hand-eye coordination, such as holding a pencil or typing, may be challenging.

• Auditory processing disorders: the inability to hear correctly has a great impact on reading, writing, and spelling. Individuals may experience difficulty recognizing and interpreting sounds. Having difficulty hearing, processing, or understanding sounds makes it difficult to grasp basic concepts of reading and writing.

• Visual processing disorder: difficulty in visual perception and understanding visual input. Visual perception can affect gross and fine motor skills, reading comprehension, and writing.

Brain Injuries

Individuals who suffer a traumatic brain injury can develop aphasia, an impairment of language, which affects the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read and write.

For most people, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for reading, writing, speaking and other language-based functions. Although young children with a brain injury typically recover their mental abilities quite rapidly, the later effects can become expressed in various learning deficits.

Sources:

1. Written-Language Disorder Among Children With and Without ADHD in a Population-Based Birth Cohort. Pediatrics. 2011.

2. Learning Disabilities and Disorders. Helpguide.org. 2024.

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