He is bright, curious, lively. At home, he asks relevant questions, understands complex concepts, and shows overflowing imagination. But at school, it’s a different story. The grades don’t follow, teachers talk about “lack of effort” or “behavioral issues,” and he gradually disengages.
Does this portrait resonate with you? You are not alone. Thousands of children experience this painful dissonance between what they are capable of doing and what school allows them to show. Behind this gap often lies a learning or attention disorder that has never been identified.
DYS disorders (dyslexia, dysorthographia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) affect nearly 10% of children. When undiagnosed, they are one of the most common causes of school dropout. However, with early detection and appropriate support, these children can thrive.
This article aims to help you understand these disorders, recognize their manifestations, and discover resources to help your child reveal their full potential.
Understanding Learning Disorders
DYS disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders of neurobiological origin. They are not related to intellectual deficits, lack of effort, or educational problems. They result from differences in brain function that affect the acquisition of certain specific skills.
Dyslexia: when reading becomes a challenge
Dyslexia is a specific reading disorder that affects about 5% of children. It manifests as persistent difficulties in identifying words, decoding syllables, and reading fluently.
A dyslexic child is not a child who “doesn’t want to read.” It is a child for whom every word represents a considerable effort, where their peers read without thinking. Imagine having to decipher a text in a language you are not familiar with, while keeping track of the story and answering comprehension questions. This is what a dyslexic child experiences daily.
Typical manifestations include confusions between certain letters (b/d, p/q), syllable inversions, slow and hesitant reading, difficulties in understanding what has been read, and significant fatigue during reading tasks.
Dysorthographia: writing in difficulty
Often associated with dyslexia, dysorthographia is a specific spelling disorder. The child struggles to memorize the spelling of words, makes inconsistent errors (the same word can be spelled differently from one line to another), and confuses similar sounds.
This disorder makes written production particularly laborious. The child must mobilize so much energy for spelling that little remains for content. Their writings do not reflect the richness of their thoughts.
Dyscalculia: numbers that resist
Dyscalculia is a specific disorder of calculation and mathematical reasoning. The child has difficulties understanding quantities, memorizing tables, performing operations, and solving problems.
It’s not that they don’t like math. It’s that their brain processes numerical information differently, making simple operations for others extremely difficult for them.
Dyspraxia: when movement eludes
Dyspraxia is a disorder of coordination and movement planning. It affects fine motor skills (writing, cutting, buttoning) as well as gross motor skills (sports, balance).
A dyspraxic child may have illegible handwriting despite all their efforts, appear clumsy, and struggle to organize themselves in space. These difficulties have a direct impact on school learning that requires writing and manipulation.
ADHD: elusive attention
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by attention difficulties, impulsivity, and sometimes hyperactivity. It affects about 5% of children.
Contrary to popular belief, ADHD is not an excess of energy that simply needs to be channeled. It is a disorder of attention regulation and executive functions that profoundly affects the ability to concentrate, organize, plan, and persevere.
A child with ADHD is not a child who “doesn’t want to concentrate.” It is a child whose brain functions differently and who must exert considerable effort to do what seems natural to others.
Why do these disorders lead to dropout?
DYS disorders and ADHD, when not identified and addressed, create the perfect conditions for school dropout.
The cumulative effect of difficulties
Without diagnosis, the child accumulates difficulties over the years. Gaps in reading lead to difficulties in all subjects that require reading. An attention disorder prevents them from assimilating lessons and generates gaps in knowledge.
The longer time passes, the greater the gap with other students becomes, making catching up increasingly difficult.
The impact on self-esteem
The child who regularly fails despite their efforts eventually internalizes a negative self-image. “I am useless,” “I will never make it,” “I am dumber than others.” Once these beliefs are established, they become self-fulfilling prophecies.
This impact on self-esteem is one of the most serious consequences of undiagnosed disorders. It can have repercussions far beyond schooling, affecting social relationships, life choices, and mental health.
The misunderstanding of those around
When the disorder is not identified, those around the child seek other explanations for the child’s difficulties. “He doesn’t work hard enough,” “he is lazy,” “he is doing it on purpose,” “it’s a parenting issue.”
These interpretations, even when made with the best intentions, are destructive. They add guilt to the difficulty and deprive the child of the support he needs.
Exhaustion
A child with a learning or attention disorder must make considerable efforts to keep up with the class. This constant overcompensation is exhausting.
Eventually, the child gives up. Why continue to exhaust oneself for results that never match the efforts made?
Signs that should alert
How can you tell if your child might have a learning or attention disorder? Certain signs deserve attention.
Indicative signs of DYS disorders
For dyslexia, watch for a persistent difficulty in learning to read despite appropriate teaching, slow and laborious reading even after several years of learning, recurring confusions between certain letters or sounds, altered text comprehension, and a marked aversion to reading.
For dysorthographia, be attentive to numerous and persistent spelling errors, difficulties in memorizing the spelling of even common words, inconsistent errors on the same word, and written production that does not reflect oral abilities.
For dyscalculia, observe difficulties in understanding basic numerical concepts, problems memorizing multiplication tables, difficulties performing simple mental calculations, confusion between operations, and anxiety regarding mathematics.
For dyspraxia, note illegible or very slow handwriting, general clumsiness and difficulties in manual activities, difficulties dressing and using utensils, and organizational problems in space.
Indicative signs of ADHD
ADHD may manifest as difficulties concentrating on tasks that do not interest the child, a tendency to be easily distracted, difficulties finishing what has been started, frequent forgetfulness of materials or instructions, difficulty waiting for one’s turn or staying in place, impulsivity in speech and actions, and difficulties in organization and planning.
The effort-result gap
The most telling sign may be the gap between the efforts made and the results obtained. A child who works hard but whose grades remain low, a bright child orally but who fails in writing, a child capable of understanding complex concepts but struggling with the basics: these gaps should raise questions.
The importance of diagnosis
In the face of these signs, diagnosis is a crucial step. Far from being a stigmatizing label, it is a liberating tool.
What diagnosis brings
Diagnosis allows for understanding what is happening. For the child, it is often an immense relief: “it’s not my fault,” “I’m not stupid,” “there is an explanation.”
For parents, diagnosis allows them to move beyond guilt and helplessness. It paves the way for concrete adjustments and appropriate care.
Who to turn to?
The diagnostic process varies depending on the suspected disorders.
For DYS disorders, the speech therapy assessment is often the first step. The speech therapist evaluates oral and written language skills, reading, writing, and calculation.
For ADHD, the diagnosis is generally made by a doctor (pediatrician, child neurologist, child psychiatrist) based on a clinical examination and standardized questionnaires.
A neuropsychological assessment, conducted by a specialized psychologist, allows for a comprehensive evaluation of cognitive functions and can help identify several associated disorders.
Possible adjustments
Once the diagnosis is made, adjustments can be implemented to allow the child to demonstrate his skills despite his disorder.
The PAP (Personalized Accompaniment Plan) provides for pedagogical adaptations: extra time, reduction of written quantity, use of appropriate tools.
For more complex situations, the PPS (Personalized Schooling Project) can be established with the help of the MDPH (Departmental House for Disabled Persons). It may include support from an AESH (Accompanying Student with Disabilities).
Daily support
Beyond official adjustments, daily support plays a crucial role.
Adapting homework
Homework can be adjusted at home: reading aloud for dyslexics, using a keyboard for dyspraxics, breaking tasks into smaller parts for children with ADHD.
The goal is not to do less, but to enable the child to learn effectively by circumventing his difficulties.
Reinforcing cognitive skills
Cognitive training can help strengthen weakened functions. Memory, attention, executive functions: these skills can be worked on like muscles.
The program COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES, designed for children aged 5 to 10, offers adapted educational games that work on these skills in a playful setting. The mandatory sports breaks every 15 minutes are particularly beneficial for children with ADHD, who need movement to recharge their attention.
For middle and high school students, CLINT, the brain coach offers 30 cognitive games that enhance memory, attention, concentration, and planning. A daily training of 10-15 minutes can help develop the skills that are lacking.
Valuing strengths
A child with a learning disorder is not just a set of difficulties. They also have strengths, talents, areas in which they excel.
Identifying and valuing these strengths is essential to preserve self-esteem. Many dyslexic children have excellent visual or auditory memory. Many children with ADHD are creative, intuitive, capable of thinking “outside the box.” These qualities deserve to be recognized and nurtured.
Explaining the disorder to the child
A child who understands their disorder can manage it better. Explain to them, in age-appropriate words, what their diagnosis means. Reassure them: it is not an illness, it is not their fault, it will not prevent them from succeeding in life.
Many famous adults have learning disorders or ADHD: Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson, Albert Einstein… These examples can help the child see their disorder in a different light.
Preventing dropout
When a disorder is identified, it is crucial to act quickly to prevent the dropout spiral from taking hold.
Act early
The earlier the intervention, the more effective it is. Do not wait for your child to be in complete academic failure to act. At the first signs of difficulty, consult.
Maintain dialogue with the school
A close collaboration with the educational team is essential. Ensure that teachers understand your child’s disorder and implement the necessary accommodations.
Do not hesitate to request regular meetings to review and adjust the adaptations if necessary.
Training to better support
Understanding your child’s disorder, its manifestations, and its needs allows you to better support them.
The training “Preventing school dropout: simple guidelines and tools” from DYNSEO helps you understand the mechanisms of dropout and implement preventive strategies. You will learn how to spot warning signs and how to effectively support a child in difficulty.
Managing associated anxiety
Learning disorders and ADHD are often accompanied by anxiety. A child who experiences failure and misunderstanding daily develops apprehension towards school.
The training “Supporting an anxious child: rituals, breathing, grounding” from DYNSEO offers concrete tools to calm this anxiety on a daily basis.
Conclusion: revealing hidden potential
DYS disorders and ADHD are not condemnations. They are differences that, once understood and supported, can even become strengths.
Many adults with these disorders have successfully navigated their professional and personal lives, often thanks to the qualities developed to compensate for their difficulties: creativity, perseverance, original thinking.
The challenge is to identify these disorders in time, before they lead the child into the spiral of dropout and loss of self-esteem. With early diagnosis and appropriate support, your child can reveal their full potential.
DYNSEO supports you in this process with its training and adapted programs. Because every child deserves to have their talents recognized and nurtured.
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