Developmental characteristics of children with learning disabilities aged 0?6 based on parental observations

Early identification of children with learning disabilities (LD) is extremely important. In order for early identification to be made, it is necessary to determine the characteristics of these children in early life. The present study aimed to examine the developmental characteristics of children with LD in the age intervals of 0-2, 2-4, and 4-6, based on parental observations. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with the parents of 35 children identified with LD. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview form and they were analyzed using content analysis. The data were interpreted and classified using an inductive approach. The results indicated that children with LD have different characteristics in terms of speech and language proficiency, social, psychomotor, cognitive, and sensory skills compared to children without LD. Moreover, the participants' responses indicated that the majority of the children had their LD identified after the first year of primary school. After a thorough discussion of the study findings, recommendations are made for future research and practice in this area.