Has anyone ever heard of this kind of learning disability?

Question

My son is by no means dumb but some days he totally gets his math and reading (he's in the first grade) and some days he just goes blank and can't even read the simplest sentence or perform the simplest addition problem. His teacher is stumped as well as my husband and I. We are looking into firther testing but has anyone had a similar experience with a child like this?

Answer 1

Have you had his eyes tested recently? A friend of mine had a boy with similar symptoms and when she took him in to have his eyes checked and it turned out the problem, he was seeing double, sometime he could work them together and sometimes they worked separately. After a few months of vision therapy his eyes were consistantly working together, he wasn't confused about his work from day to day. When he was reading he only saw one sentence instead of two and his math improved (was consistently able to read the math problems without seeing double) It might be worth a shot. Good luck.

Answer 2

You could be describing my son :) My son has been diagnosed as dyslexic and discalculate. He also has ADD and a high IQ. He has days where he is really clicking through his work, to the point where he is answering complex questions and has moved on and answered the next problem (which he has figured out in his head) before he has finished writing down the answer to the previous question. However, the next day, if you ask him what 5 + 5 is, he will look at you as though you are speaking a foreign language. We have done a full neurological work up with a pediatric neurologist - including MRI & CAT scan, as well as extensive educational testing. All of the neurological tests came back showing no problems, and the educational testing told us we had a very bright boy who is dyslexic and discalculate. It is almost as if there are holes that open and close inside his head, either swallowing or releasing vast amounts of information - you never really know which kid you are going to get :) I would highly recommend seeing a neurologist. You may also want to speak to your school district about testing, to check for any potential learning disabilities. We have had excellent results with Brain Gym - I've included some weblinks below. Even doing a few minutes of the exercises seem to help my son when he is having one of those days where things just don't seem to click. There are some products available on the website, like books and videos, that explain the movements. It can be really frustrating as a parent to watch your bright, capable child struggle for no apparent reason. Please know there are others experiencing the same kinds of issues, and there are solutions. Be patient, and keep talking to people until you are satisfied with the results, but know that sometimes it takes a long time and there may not always be a concrete explanation. Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

It does sound like he has some kind of anxiety disorder.

I got As and Bs all thru school, was a good student, but any time I had to take a timed test and knew I was being timed - I would blank out. I wouldn't be able to remember anything, the only thing I could think of was that clock ticking and how I was going to be out of time before I could finish.

I always got low marks on any timed test. It took me til I was in college to over come my anxiety of timed tests. (Basically I have convinced myself that I have plenty of time and it will be okay) Of course I still get anxious if I think or know someone is watching me. I can't type if I know someone is watching me for speed and accuracy!

I'm not sure how you can help your son with this problem but maybe by recognizing it as a form of anxiety disorder, your doctor can offer you some helpful suggestions to help him over come it early.

Answer 4

I would not say this is caused by seizures, siezures would limit him from rememering what had happened right before and during the siezure not something that he had learned the day before. I would say it might just be part of his disability. I have studnets who seem to have mastered a particular subject or concept one day and the next day they come to clss and do not remember anything about the subject. IT might be the retention aspect of his disability. I would talk to his teachers again as well as the psycologist. Good Luck to both you and your son :)

Answer 5

I totally agree to having neurological testing done. Petite Mal seizures are a form that the person experiencing them is just blanking out. They do not fall and try to swallow their tongue, that is why it is hard for the teacher to see. Also, have his hearing checked. Your school system can help you with getting these arranged as can your doctor. Good Luck

Answer 6

i have a math disability called discalcuia but the "blankness" your disgribing seems like it could be a type of anxiety...i used to get that durring spelling tests in grade school but it went away with time

Answer 7

I would check for seizures, first and foremost. That "blanking out" as you call it might be a sign of a mild electrical problem. Could just be that he's having off days too--we all do.

Answer 8

Your son may be artistic and find the education system not colourful enough.
You can test this out yourself by catering to his creative side. Why pay a stranger who doesn't know the lad as you do.

Answer 9

Maybe it is not a learning disability but an allergic reaction to something in the environment. It might be something as simple as caffeine, sugar or pollen. If he has never done this before check and see what has changed.

Answer 10

my friend did that... as it turned out, she has a learning disabillity but it doesn't mean she's dumb, just she is in IEP n needs help in schooling and espectially homework also. She is also hard of hearing and has problem learning. So, my teacher puts her in simple classes. Also, she's not good in spelling but is good in band. That's abt it I guess... So yes, I have heard of that...