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Specific Learning Difficulties are differences/difficulties people have with particular aspects of learning. The most common SpLDs are dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia and dysgraphia.

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling, memory and organisational skills. 

It's estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia. 

DCD is a formal and defined condition. Dyspraxia is not. Dyspraxia is a term you may hear when children and adults struggle with certain skills in development. These skills can include movement and coordination and balance. It also affects handwriting, fine motor-coordination issues, including eating, drinking and dressing. The condition can also affect time keeping, organisation and management. These are more likely to last past childhood.

“Attention deficit” is, some experts assert, a misleading name. “Attention deregulation” might be a more accurate description since most people with ADHD have more than enough attention — they just can’t harness it in the right direction at the right time with any consistency. And so individuals with ADHD hyper-focus and lose track of time, or misplace their keys, or blurt out an unrelated thought when their focus breaks free from its chains. 

ADHD is a developmental impairment of the brain’s executive functions. People with ADHD have trouble with impulse-control, focusing, and organization.
ADHD is not a behaviour disorder. ADHD is not a mental illness. ADHD is not a specific learning disability. ADHD is, instead, a developmental impairment of the brain’s self-management system. Both adults and children can be diagnosed with ADHD. 

Many patients and clinicians describe ADHD as an iceberg, where most symptoms lay hiding under the surface — out of sight but ever present 

• Primarily hyperactive-impulsive type 
• Primarily inattentive type (formerly called ADD) 
• Primarily combined type  

Untreated ADHD in adults can negatively impact many aspects of life, including work, relationships, and mental health. Symptoms such as trouble managing time, impatience, disorganization, forgetfulness, and mood swings can all cause problems for an individual not actively taking steps to manage their ADHD. 

Adult ADHD seldom exists alone. Roughly 60% to 70% of adults with ADHD have a comorbid (more likely to have another condition) disorder, such as anxiety, mood disorder, or substance abuse. They are also more likely to have another cognitive disorder such as DCD (Dyspraxia) Dyslexia or Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

ADHD in girls is an area that is being given due attention in recent years. Like Autism in girls and woman, it has been woefully under-diagnosed due to the symptoms being based on male traits. It is now being accepted that girls and woman present in very different ways— particularly if it’s the inattentive type of ADHD formerly called ADD. Symptoms are more likely to present in the following ways: 

• daydreaming quietly in class or work 
• feeling anxious, sad, depressed and treatment not being as affective as expected 
• exhibiting silliness or apparent ditziness 
• acting shy or inattentive 
• trouble maintaining friendships 
• picking at cuticles or skin 
• being a perfectionist 
• forgetfulness 
• struggling to finish work 
• fidgeting

Autism, or ASD, refers to a broad range of conditions defined by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication and affects how people understand, communicate and interact with the world around them. 

Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. The ways in which people with autism learn, think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled to severely challenged. Some people with ASD may require high levels of support in their daily lives, while others may need less support and, in some cases, live entirely independently. 

Asperger syndrome, or Asperger’s, is a previously used diagnosis term used to describe people with stronger verbal and communication skills. In 2013, it became part of the continuum of autism spectrum disorder.

The National Autistic Society states that one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.  

Signs of autism usually appear by age 2 or 3. Some associated development delays can appear even earlier, and often, it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months. Research shows that early intervention leads to positive outcomes later in life for people with autism. 

Autism in Girls and Women

Officially, boys outnumber girls with autism by four to one and ten to one in “high-functioning” autism, depending on the studies you read. In fact, almost everything we know about autism comes from studies from the early 1900s focusing on boys. IN recent years there has been more research and questioning into the high male to female ratio of diagnosis. 

A growing number of studies suggest that girls with autism, particularly those without intellectual disability, may be hiding in plain sight and are being ignored because they do not present the same as boys. They appear to have less severe symptoms than boys and to be better able to mask their social challenges at school as well as being more restricted by the social norms and expectations placed on them. This can lead to increased distress, mental health issues and trauma as well as less access to intervention when needed. According to research, girls with milder forms of autism are diagnosed later than boys. Some may not be diagnosed at all. And, particularly in the teen years, girls with autism appear to suffer anxiety and depression more commonly than either boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or typically developing girls. 

Dyscalculia is a learning disability in math. People with dyscalculia have trouble with math at many levels. They often struggle with key concepts like bigger vs. smaller or plus, and minus. And they can have a hard time doing basic math problems and more abstract math. 

It can cause issues with understanding number value and order.