Identifying the need for support

Talent can mask support needs or support needs can prevent talent from being seen

A student's talent may prevent them from seeing the need for support, and on the other hand, challenges may prevent them from seeing their talent in one or more areas. Building support for talents, strengths, and interests increases motivation to study, promotes the favorable development of a student's self-esteem and self-image, and removes barriers to learning in other areas.

Characteristics that indicate that a student is both gifted and in need of support at the same time

For each statement, rate whether it is true: never/sometimes/often.

1. Seems to be good at classwork, but underperforms on exams
2. Diverse vocabulary when speaking, but challenges in writing/written expression
3. Participates in discussions, expresses ideas enthusiastically, but at the same time has challenges putting ideas into practice or has challenges in social relationships or working in a group
4. May get nervous if they can't or aren't allowed to implement their ideas the way they want
5. Uneven ability profile, which may be reflected in test or certificate grades as large differences in level
6. Does well or significantly better if given extra time to complete assignments and exams or underperforms on time-limited exams
7. Doing homework takes a lot of time or, depending on the home, the child spends an unusually long time doing homework at home
8. Decreased self-esteem in the area of ​​challenge
9. Does well or excellently in one subject or topic, but clearly weaker in other areas
10. Can do very challenging or complex tasks, but may make mistakes on easy tasks: for example, applied mathematics tasks go fairly well or well, but there are careless errors on routine tasks
11. May be gifted in one or more areas, but needs an exceptional amount of support at home in school, social relationships, learning routines, learning fine motor skills, life management, or some other area
12. Is skilled with computers, but has difficulty reading handwriting or is slow at typing
13. Hides challenges: difficulty asking for help or may use humor to divert attention away from self
14. Understands even difficult subjects, but has challenges in memorizing things
15. Learns new things quickly, but gets frustrated when skills need to be demonstrated in a specific way
16. Gets tired easily because energy is spent on coping and covering up your own challenges
17. Gets frustrated when unable to achieve goals or ideas they set for themselves; tendency to strive for perfection in one or more areas

Difficulty with activity and attention

Many children may have any or all of the features of inattention or hyperactivity, but to such an extent that diagnostic criteria are not met. Changes in life circumstances may also temporarily bring out the features. In addition, many other disorders may explain the challenges with inattention and hyperactivity. 

ADHD

In actual hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder (ADHD) symptoms are long-lasting and occur in multiple settings and are not better explained by another disorder. Symptoms include excessive inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, in proportion to age and developmental level. The child may also exhibit one or more of these features.

The prevalence of ADHD in children and adolescents is 4–7%. Boys are diagnosed with ADHD more often than girls, which may be due to the fact that boys tend to have a stronger trait of hyperactivity or impulsivity. ADHD causes significant difficulties for the child in coping with school-related tasks, which is typically characterized by underachievement relative to their own abilities.

The student needs a lot of support in matters related to executive functioning, self-esteem, and emotional and interaction skills. ADHD children often also have sensory hyper- or hyposensitivity, which is a good thing to take into account when designing the learning environment. It is also possible for other learning difficulties to occur at the same time. 

Difficulty with activity and attention at school

For each statement, assess whether it is true for the child or young person: never/sometimes/often.

1. Sits quietly, lost in thought, and doesn't seem to be listening
2. Difficulty starting a task
3. Behaves impulsively and does not think about the consequences
4. Interrupts other people's conversations
5. Difficulties in social relationships, such as arguments with classmates
6. Answers a question even if it is not your turn or you are talking over others
7. Constantly on the move or having difficulty sitting still: a younger child runs, jumps, or climbs; an older child moves his or her arms and legs or tries to get out of a situation that requires him or her to stay still
8. Both class proficiency and test success are of varying levels
9. There can be large differences in competence from day to day
10. Easily interrupts or fails to complete tasks at school and at home
11. Forgets things
12. Only remembers some of the instructions
13. Focuses well when interested; finds it challenging to focus when not interested
14. Gets bored if the task is not new, exciting, or self-chosen
15. Challenges especially in free situations such as recess or situations that require better self-regulation skills, such as physical education, craft classes, or home economics classes
16. Difficulty with transitions, especially when getting dressed or eating

Links

Additional information or more detailed information is available on the following websites:

Current treatment recommendation: ADHD (Duodecim)

Health Library: ADHD (Duodecim)

Health Library: ADHD, early support for everyday functioning (Duodecim)

ADHD Association

Autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurobiological disorder of the brain and affects approximately 1% of the population. Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by challenges in social interaction and communication. It is also characterized by stereotypes, such as restricted, repetitive, patterned behaviors, interests, and activities. 

Autism spectrum disorders manifest themselves very individually

Although these common features can be identified in children and young people on the autism spectrum, they manifest themselves very individually. The need for support is also influenced by possible associated symptoms, such as learning difficulties or ADHD traits. It is also typical that a person on the autism spectrum has sensory hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity and increased stress sensitivity.

According to the current ICD classification, autism spectrum disorders include autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, disintegrative developmental disorder and atypical autism. The new classification changes the diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders by removing the separate diagnoses and replacing them with the term autism spectrum disorder. 

Girls' autism spectrum traits are partly different

Autism spectrum traits are often associated with specific or peculiar interests. Boys are typically interested in scientific details and technical hobbies. However, cognitively adept girls on the autism spectrum are unlikely to have interests that capture the same attention to their surroundings. Their typical interests include people, animals, and art. Thus, the interests of girls on the autism spectrum are very similar to those of neurotypical girls.

Girls on the autism spectrum who do not have learning difficulties learn early to imitate the gestures and facial expressions of other children. This is called masking. As adults, they may even practice social skills by scripting situations in advance or practicing different roles and phrases using television series. However, reciprocity is often lacking in the interactions of girls on the autism spectrum. It is estimated that 39% of girls remain undiagnosed due to their academic ability and relatively good social skills.

Why would a socially and academically adept girl with autism need a diagnosis? Long-term hiding of symptoms and practicing social situations is very exhausting. Girls on the autism spectrum have a significantly increased risk of receiving a psychiatric diagnosis by the age of 25. Receiving a diagnosis prevents the accumulation of challenges, as the person themselves and the environment better understand the causes of the burden. This also makes it easier to plan the right support measures. A diagnosis also opens up wider opportunities for social and health support.

Characteristics of autism spectrum disorder in everyday life

For each statement, assess whether it is true for the child or young person: never/sometimes/often.

1. Difficulty understanding social situations: others' thoughts, feelings, gestures, body language, motivations, and reactions to one's own behavior
2. Reacts inappropriately to others' emotional expressions: may laugh at the wrong moment or appear unempathetic
3. Rigidity of thinking: once a decision is made, it is difficult to change it
4. Sensory processing challenges: manifested, for example, as fine or gross motor skills challenges, decreased tolerance to loud sounds, sensitivity to touch, and difficulty moving from one situation to another or adapting to a new situation or person
5. Becomes anxious in situations where certain social behaviors or traditional customs are expected
6. There may be a paucity of emotional expressions
7. May have difficulty understanding jokes, idioms, and figurative language; thinking may be literal and black and white
8. Avoids eye contact
9. Unexpected changes in routine cause anxiety: as stress increases, this can manifest as unexpected tantrums either at school or at home
10. Challenges in taking initiatives in social situations; challenges in understanding, interpreting, and responding to the social initiatives of others
11. Unusual or special interests

Links

Autism Association

Current treatment recommendation: Autism spectrum disorders and their similarities with ADHD (Duodecim)

Linnainmaa, M. (2021) Masking of autism spectrum symptoms in girls as a challenge for diagnosis in school: a systematic literature review

Health Library: Autism Spectrum Disorders (Duodecim)

Sensory hypersensitivities, hyposensitivities, and sensory seeking

Various developmental disorders are often associated with difficulty tolerating or processing sensory information. Thus, sensory regulation problems are particularly common in individuals diagnosed with ADHD or autism. Sensory regulation disorders can also occur as a separate disorder or the individual may have milder features.

Sensory problems can manifest themselves in everyday life in many ways.

It is good to keep in mind that the same child or young person may have hypersensitivity in one sensory area and hypersensitivity or sensory seeking in another. The same child or young person may also have all three sensory function abnormalities in the same sensory area, depending on the situation. First may have difficulty concentrating in a noisy classroom (hypersensitivity). Once the student has begun to concentrate, they may soon have difficulty listening to instructions or hearing their own name (hyposensitivity). In addition, the child or young person may hum to stimulate their sense of hearing (sensory seeking). Humming is also effective in blocking out other sounds in the environment (helps with hypersensitivity). 

Processing sensory information affects attention and learning new skills

Information received through the senses and its processing have a broad impact on how information from one's own body and the environment is interpreted and how one reacts to the environment. In addition, the processing of sensory information has an impact on, among other things, the regulation of alertness and attention, the learning of new skills, and the development of emotional and interaction skills. On the other hand, these skills also affect how sensory information is structured and interpreted.

A child or young person can be supported by modifying the learning environment.

It is very common for sensory sensitivities to cause anxiety, and anxiety in turn increases sensory sensitivity. Hypersensitivities can indeed cause a child or young person to exhibit strong avoidance behavior towards new things and situations. In the case of sensory regulation problems, it is particularly important to modify the learning environment so that the stress caused by sensory overload does not prevent the child or young person from learning. On the other hand, the environment must also provide an appropriate level of sensory stimulation. Tips for this are available in the sensory section of the Support Portfolio. 

Mapping sensory problems

For each statement, assess whether it is true for the child or young person: never/sometimes/often.

Hearing, hypersensitivity

• The child screams, screams, or puts his hands over his ears when he hears loud noises
• Classroom noises interfere with concentration, such as the slight ticking of a clock, the hum of an air conditioner, or ambient noise
• Challenges in teamwork

Hearing, hyposensitivity

• Doesn't notice when called by name
• Difficulty following verbal instructions

Hearing, sensory seeking

• Listens to music or watches TV all the time
• Sings, hums, or whistles frequently

Vision, hypersensitivity

• Complains about sunlight or bright lights
• Work is easily interrupted by movement in the room, including movement seen on a computer screen or television
• Avoids going outside on sunny days
• Thrives in the dark

Vision, hyposensitivity

• Difficulty following written instructions
• Doesn't notice if work is left unfinished

Vision, sensory perception

• Likes to touch moving objects, such as light switches or fans 
• Likes to watch TV or is on the computer all the time
• Draws in class
• Reads all the time

Sense of touch, hypersensitivity

• Dislikes social situations 
• Brushing your teeth or hair hurts
• Wearing the same type of soft clothing every day, only one type of footwear, or having clothes with tags on them is annoying; adapting to dressing appropriately for the weather can be a challenge
• Avoids touching others
• Gets nervous when someone accidentally touches you, for example in a food line or during gym class
• Complains of stomach pain 

Sense of touch, hyposensitivity

• Hurts himself easily
• Doesn't notice scratches or wounds

Sense of touch, sensory seeking

• Affects everything or everyone
• Fingers pencils, erasers, or other objects

Sense of smell and taste, hypersensitivity

• Experiences smells, tastes, and tastes intensely
• Poor appetite
• May feel sick from certain tastes or smells; food odors

Sense of smell and taste, hyposensitivity

• I'm not interested in food.
• Poor appetite

Sense of smell and taste, sensory seeking

• Smells food and objects
• Seeks out situations where they can smell certain scents or taste certain flavors

Movement and balance (vestibular system)

The movement and balance system works closely with the sense of depth, so it is not possible to separate their functions very precisely.

Movement and balance, hypersensitivity

• Avoids head movements, for example when washing hair
• May feel sick easily, for example while sitting in a car and reading a book
• Dislikes rocking or rotating motion
• Refuses to participate in physical activities

Movement and balance, hyposensitivity

• Difficulty with tasks requiring body balance and coordination
• Dropping from the chair
• Bumping into walls or furniture

Movement and balance, sensory seeking

• Constantly on the move
• Tricks, jumps, runs, throws cartwheels

Proximal sense (proprioceptive system)

The sense of depth works in close cooperation with the sense of movement and balance, so it is not possible to distinguish their functions very precisely.

Deep sense of touch, hypersensitivity

• The touch may feel like a hard blow
• Complains of muscle pain
• Avoids situations with lots of people

Deep sense of touch, hyposensitivity

• Handwriting unclear
• Clumsiness

Deep emotional awareness, sensory seeking

• Collides with objects and people
• Hugs others an unusually large amount
• Wears thick clothes or a blanket even in warm weather
• Drops to the floor to be picked up (younger children)

Body sense (interoception), hypersensitivity

• Often complains of digestive problems
• Feels warm as hot and cool as cold
• May be very picky about food

Body sensation, hyposensitivity

• No stomach pain
• Does not notice cold or hot
• Challenges in dressing for the weather

Other considerations

• Difficulties in transition situations: especially with eating, dressing, recess or physical education classes
• In a new situation, there is always a risk that the senses will be overloaded.
• Easily overstimulated and may become nervous, after which it may be difficult to calm down

Links

Current treatment recommendation: Sensory processing difficulties and ADHD (Duodecim)

Tic symptoms

Tic symptoms are common in childhood. Depending on the age group, approximately 10–25% of children experience tic symptoms. Most tic symptoms in children go away within a few months. If the symptoms persist for less than a year, it is a temporary tic disorder. Mild symptoms should be treated calmly and monitored. 

Tics are repetitive, inappropriate, and involuntary muscle movements. The symptoms can be motor or vocal. Tics are not about seeking attention. Tics or Tourette's syndrome are about abnormal functioning of the nervous system. They have no connection to the child's intelligence. 

Tourette syndrome

If a child's tics persist for more than two months and interfere with their life, for example making school or social relationships difficult, it may be Tourette syndrome. In this case, it is a good idea to contact a doctor. The actual diagnosis is most often made by a psychiatrist or neurologist. The prevalence of Tourette syndrome in childhood and adolescence is 1% in boys and 0,3% in girls. 

Twitching symptoms in everyday life

For each statement, assess whether it is true for the child or young person: never/sometimes/often.

1. Simple motor twitches are rapid movements of a single muscle or muscle group: blinking the eyes, raising the eyebrows, wrinkling the nose, twitching the corners of the mouth, grimacing, licking the lips, raising the shoulders, or flexing the limbs.
2. Complex motor jerks are large, sequential movements of multiple muscle groups: for example, jumping, dance-like movements, or squatting.
3. May manifest as motor behavior that is hurtful to others or to oneself: for example, picking scabs, hitting oneself or others, biting oneself or others, occasionally inappropriately touching oneself or others sexually
4. Vocal symptoms: coughing, grunting, snorting, screaming, clearing the throat, whistling, spitting, mimicking animal sounds
5. Vocal symptom: repeating other people's words and phrases
6. Vocal symptom: coprolalia, i.e. using obscene or inappropriate words (coprolalia only occurs in a small percentage)
7. Attention difficulties: poor concentration or difficulty completing tasks
8. Tic symptoms may be worse at home than at school, as the child may try to suppress or hide the tics during the school day; this can make it challenging to do homework.

Links

Current treatment recommendation: Tic disorders (twitching disorders) and ADHD

Health Library: Tic symptoms, tics and Tourette syndrome (Duodecim)

Reading difficulties

Depending on the source, approximately 3–10% of school-age children have difficulty learning to read and write. In short, a reading disability is when learning to read or write is challenging and the child has difficulty achieving age-appropriate reading and writing skills. The difficulties cannot be explained by the child's intelligence level, vision problems, neurological disease, or inadequate teaching or practice.

Dyslexia is a developmental learning disability. Reading and writing difficulties therefore also have their own classifications in medicine. One of these is called dyslexia. Dyslexia has a strong heredity: up to 60% of close relatives may have dyslexia.

Despite the strong heredity, it is good to be aware that reading and writing skills, like all other skills, develop in interaction with the environment. The reading stimuli provided by both home and school have a significant impact. When supporting reading difficulties, it is good to strive for warm and understanding support so that the child has the strength to continue practicing persistently.

Dyslexia can occur at the same time as other learning difficulties, such as problems with mathematics or comprehension. Dyslexia can also occur at the same time as a neuropsychiatric disorder or its features.

Bilingualism or studying in a language other than one's native language affects the background of reading and writing skills. It takes several years to achieve fluency and reading and writing skills in a foreign language. However, if a child's reading and writing skills develop significantly slowly, it is a good idea to find out what the child's linguistic development is like in his or her native language.

Difficulty reading or writing can also be due to a lack of practice, in which case it is a case of poor reading or writing skills. Reading and writing difficulties can also be due to other than reading difficulties, such as vision problems, perception problems, language difficulties or memory problems. In unclear situations, it is a good idea to seek more detailed examinations, for example from a school psychologist.

In preschool and basic education, special education teachers administer various tests related to reading and writing abilities or skills at different age stages. However, it sometimes happens that mild reading difficulties only become apparent in secondary school. Below is information on how reading difficulties can appear in preschool or basic education.

Preschoolers' reading skills

The following skills and their supporting questions can be used to provide a rough estimate of a preschool child's reading skills. The list is a modified version. A. From the Puolakanahon reading skills questionnaireWhen assessing a child's skill level, compare it to normal development for their age, if possible.

For each learning objective, select one of the following answer options: the child has no difficulties/ the child has mild difficulties/ the child has clear difficulties. If a child has a lot of answers to the questions "the child has mild difficulties" and "the child has clear difficulties", it is a good idea to consider support measures and also further investigations.

1. Sensitivity to sounds
   • Does the child recognize which words contain the sound “s”?
   • Does the child have difficulty identifying the initial or final sound of a word at the end of the preschool year?
2. Knowing the letters
   • On average, children recognize more than 20 letters at the end of preschool or at the beginning of primary school.
   • According to the Finnish Alkuportaat longitudinal monitoring study, the risk group includes children who named a maximum of 16 letters.
3. Speech clarity
   • Does the child have many pronunciation errors in their speech?
   • Does the child often substitute sounds for other sounds?
   • Does the child use a lot of his own words?
   • Does the child show a lot of simplification of the phonetic structure of words?
4. Ease of finding titles
   • Is the child able to name familiar things and objects?
   • The child knows the word, but is unable to recall it.
5. Vocabulary
   • Does the child have names for commonly encountered things and objects?
6. Concept management
   • Does the child master the most common concepts, such as colors, shapes, and positions, such as left, right, top, bottom, front, and back?
7. Understanding words, speech, and instructions
8. Remembering
   • For example, does the child remember other children's names or the lyrics to songs?

First Grade Spring Competency Checklist for Reading and Writing Skills

This list summarizes the main points related to the topic. A more detailed list, intended for teachers, is available on the LukiMAT website: Identifying the need for support in reading, 1st grade forms

For each statement, choose one of the following options: can/needs practice/needs a lot of practiceIf the majority of the answers are in the “needs a lot of practice” category, it is possible that the child needs a significant amount of support and closer monitoring in the development of reading and writing skills.

1. The child can name the letters.
2. The child can produce the sounds that correspond to letters.
3. The child can hyphenate words when reading.
4. The child is able to read complete sentences.
5. The child is able to read texts consisting of several sentences.
6. The child can write the letters they hear.
7. A child can write letters when they hear the corresponding sounds.
8. The child knows how to syllabify words when writing.
9. The child is able to write complete sentences.
10. The child is able to write a text consisting of several sentences.

Other possible features of reading difficulties

For each statement, evaluate one of the following options: almost never/sometimes/oftenIf most of the answers are in the "often" category, it is possible that the child has some degree of reading difficulty.

1. The child avoids reading or finds reading practice unpleasant.
2. Reading is slow or uncertain. The child may also go back when reading.
3. If the word is unclear, the child guesses what they read.
4. Reading and writing contain errors.
   • Errors can include, for example, hyphenation errors or grammatical errors.
5. Expressiveness of reading aloud:
   • Reading emphases may be unusual.
   • Reading can be monotonous.
6. The child mixes up letters that look the same.
   • For example, b and d get mixed up.
   • The letters change places.
7. It takes significantly more time to complete reading assignments than it does for peers.
8. The handwriting is unclear.
9. There are difficulties in reading comprehension.
10. A child can express their thoughts better orally than in writing.
11. The child has difficulty structuring paragraphs.
12. The child has difficulty spelling a foreign language.
    • Sometimes reading difficulties are discovered precisely in connection with studying foreign languages.
13. Learning in many subjects is laborious and requires more time compared to peers.
14. The child has difficulty completing the test within the allotted time.

Links

• List of information about the University of Jyväskylä From the Early Steps follow-up study
• Reading, mathematics and learning assessment LukiMat website
• Focusing on teaching development and teaching research Niilo Mäki Institute

 

 

Visualization skills are needed in all learning

It is not a sensory disorder, but a difficulty with perception, anticipation, or creating images or making plans. When a child or young person has difficulty visualizing, they are unable to form the overall picture required by a situation or task. Visualization is then like a puzzle with missing pieces.  

Descriptive disorder is not an official diagnosis, and therefore there are no official criteria for it. Based on surveys directed at teachers, it is estimated that approximately 4–5% of primary school children have descriptive disorders. This means that in every class of 20–25 students, there is on average one who has significant difficulties in situations requiring comprehension. 

Attention and executive function also affect the perception. However, it is difficult to assess whether it is an attention disorder or a perception disorder based on everyday observations or behavior. However, an accurate assessment can be made by, for example, a neuropsychologist.

Difficulties with characterisation in preschoolers

For each statement, rate whether it is true: never/sometimes/often.

1. There may be abnormal temporal narration, difficulty learning temporal or other perceptual tasks; difficulty learning days of the week, months, or the calendar
2. Difficulty distinguishing shapes, such as a triangle or a square
3. Difficulty perceiving directions, such as in front, behind, up, or down.
4. Fine motor difficulties
5. Difficulties in ball games

Difficulties with characterisation in primary or secondary school

For each statement, rate whether it is true: never/sometimes/often.

1. Reading difficulties
2. Subtraction or addition signs get mixed up
3. In mathematics, numbers don't stay in their rows: challenges, for example, in placing numbers in the correct places in addition
4. Challenges in copying from the board to a notebook, especially if you need to be able to listen at the same time
5. Difficulty understanding diagrams, statistical figures, tables, or geometric shapes
6. Difficulty understanding relationships between things, such as distances, maps, time, units of measurement, or the value of money
7. Puts face close to book or notebook when reading or writing
8. Skips lines or loses track of reading
9. Challenges in maintaining word spacing when writing
10. Gets tired quickly when reading or writing
11. Careless errors in written expression
12. Collides with objects or people in situations where one moves freely in a space, for example during physical education class or during functional tasks
13. Difficulty navigating school or the school environment (especially in a large school); for example, being late for class because you can't find the right classroom
14. Requires prolonged support when walking to school, gym classes, or hobbies
15. Avoids situations or becomes anxious in situations where they have to move around in a new environment; this can lead to unauthorized absences, especially in middle school age

Links

Characterization rehabilitation (Niilo Mäki Institute)

Imagery Rehabilitation: A Lesson in Perception Disorders (Niilo Mäki Institute)

 

Developmental language disorder (specific language difficulty)

Previously, the terms specific language impairment or dysphasia have been used. The latest Current Treatment Recommendation has already adopted a term that is in line with the WHO's new ICD-11 classification. developmental language disorder. 

Developmental language disorder has a wide-ranging impact on functioning, participation, and interaction.

Developmental language disorder refers to a disorder of language development that has a wide-ranging impact on functioning, participation and interaction. In everyday school life, difficulty understanding speech can be difficult to distinguish from, for example, neuropsychiatric disorders. When a child or young person has difficulties in interpersonal relationships, emotional disorders or behavioral disorders, a possible language disorder should be considered. 

The prevalence of developmental language disorder is estimated to be 1–7%, and it is more common in boys than in girls. Overall, speech development is delayed in up to 19% of children. Language disorders can go unrecognized, especially if the child's speech is phonetically intelligible. 

A developmental language disorder can only be reliably diagnosed from around the age of four. Preschool and school support measures are initiated as soon as a possible developmental language disorder is suspected. 

The child needs rehabilitation in all everyday situations

The child's rehabilitation takes place in all everyday situations and in a multidisciplinary manner. The school's support measures take into particular account the effects of linguistic learning and functional ability on school attendance. 

Features of developmental language disorder in practice

For each statement, rate whether it is true: never/sometimes/often.

1. Delayed or abnormal speech and language development, manifested in the production or comprehension of linguistic expressions, or both
2. Learning flawless and fluent technical literacy can be slow
3. Speech indistinctness: incorrect and missing inflectional endings, difficulty finding words
4. Expressions may be missing words that are essential to the content or there may be too many words for speech intelligibility.
5. Difficulty with listening and reading comprehension, especially with long and complex sentences
6. Difficulty learning foreign languages
7. Difficulty with verbal math tasks; in addition, difficulties may occur with number sequence skills, writing and understanding numbers, and fluency in basic arithmetic operations
8. Difficulty learning anything new
9. Difficulty concentrating or restlessness
10. Difficulty in social relationships or few friends
11. Difficulty with emotional expression or self-regulation skills 

Links

Current treatment recommendation: Developmental language disorder (Duodecim)

Brain Association: Developmental Language Disorder