Just What Is A Learning Disability?
|
A learning disability is defined as a permanent problem that affects a person with average to above average intelligence, in the way that he/she receives, stores, and processes information.
There are many wrong ideas out there about learning disabilities. For example:
1) A learning disability will go away in time. Unfortunately, this is not true. The good news is, you can learn ways to get around the problem. For example, kids who have trouble taking notes in class, like Michele did, can record the class on audiotape. Other students can make copies of the notes they have taken for them. The teacher can make copies of the notes they are lecturing from. Or, when the notes are written on an overhead transparency during the lecture, they can be copied after class and given to the student.
For children who have trouble reading, tapes of many of the textbooks are made available through the publishing companies. At one school where I taught volunteers did the taping. We also used tapes that were recorded by a company called Recordings for the Blind.
2) A person with a learning disability has a low IQ. Again - not true. A person with a learning disability has an average or better IQ. There are many people who are very smart, but for some reason, they cannot learn as well as their IQ suggests they should. I tell my students that having a learning disability is really a compliment because it means that they are very smart! Unfortunately, because a negative by-product of a learning disability is often low self-esteem they don't always believe me. So remember, the self-esteem issue is as important to deal with as the learning disability itself!
3) A person with a learning disability is just lazy.There has to be a reason why the person with LD doesn't learn the way he should. Perhaps his brain doesn't process the information the right way. He may process information much slower than other people. Or he may not process what he sees effectively. Some people can't process what they hear as well as what they see. Other people can't remember information unless it's repeated again and again, and some people have real trouble getting the information out of that filing system they have in their brain. Typically people with learning disabilities work harder than others - but with lesser results. It's not about hard work - it's a learning disability.
4) A person with a learning disability can't do anything right.Even though a child may have a learning disability in one or two areas, it doesn't mean they can't do anything right. My daughter struggled with a disability in math, but what a wonderful writer she is! And she has more knowledge about how to get around a computer than many people have - I envy that ability because I think I have a learning disability in that area! I've known students who, even though they struggled with math or reading, were excellent around heavy equipment or automobile engines or carpentry or drafting. Many could do things with a computer that seemed impossible.
The important thing is that, if your child has a learning disability, or even if you suspect he might have one, learn everything you can so that you will know what to expect and what not to expect from him as well as from his teachers and his educational program. That way you will be able to understand and help him in the best way possible.
While none of us wishes our child to have a learning disability, if he or she does, recognizing and dealing with that fact is the intelligent approach to take. It's only when we recognize the truth about our child's condition, that we can learn how to maximize his or her abilities and minimize their dis-abilities.
Want to be an advocate for your child? Read "10 Ways You Can Advocate for Your Child with a Learning Disability" at http://www.ldperspectives.com/freeinfo.6.asp.
For more up-to-date plain talk about learning disabilities, please visit us at www.ldperspectives.com.
About the Author
Sandy Gauvin is a retired educator who has seen learning disabilities from many perspectives - as the parent of a daughter with learning disabilities, as the teacher of children with learning disabilities, and as an advocate for others who have diagnosed and unrecognized learning disabilities. Sandy shares her wisdom and her resources at www.LDPerspectives.com.
|
|
|
Nail Biting Basics
Nail biting in all its various forms is problematic behavior beset by peculiarity and contradiction. Technically speaking, the correct word for nail biting is ANONYCHOPHAGIA.
Nail biting typically begins between the ages of five and 10 and is common among children as well as adults. As many as one in three Americans bite their nails.
One of the more noteworthy and generally surprising things about nail biting is its high instance. It crosses every social and economic barrier. Prevalence figures for children are much higher th...(related: Parenting)
Commitment: Teaching Children The Lessons Of A Lifetime
It's been said, time and again, that for a child to learn what is most important, he must be shown the lessons through example, not through words. And, if we are to nurture certain traits within our children, we must first develop those traits in ourselves.I've been teaching martial arts to children for a decade and a half and I've discovered something amazing about children - they want to learn what is expected of them. For all of the 'button-pushing,' resistance to your wishes and what-not, children want to know the rules and have a deep-down, almost inherent, need to "do it right."Unfortunately, I've also discovered that many of the parents who bring their children to our programs live by two deep-seated desires. And even though they express their wishes for their child to develop more confidence, discipline, and respect - not t...(related: Parenting)
Four Tips For Alleviating Back To School Anxiety
Back to school preparations are in full-swing. Soon, the first bell of the year will ring and the sounds of summer will be replaced by the voices of school-aged children bemoaning the end of their summer and trying to sort out their new s...(related: Parenting)
Unique Baby Names
What's in a name? Er?well, everything, really! Of course your little bundle of joy is the sweetest, most beautiful thing you have ever seen and you want to choose a name that reflects his/her individuality, spirituality, uniqueness and all-round special-ness.But wait a minute!Remember that the unique baby name you choose will help define junior's life - how they are viewed and accepted - for many, many years. What sounds cute and original for a 5-year-old, may not sound so funky for a 15-year-old?and what about a 55-year old?Time was when only celebrities could get away with unique baby names (Zowie Bowie, Dweezil and Moon Unit Zappa, etc), but in the modern world, individu...(related: Parenting)
Some Good News About Blended Families
They Spur Members To Grow EmotionallyTatiana Tannenbaum grappled with a classic stepfamily struggle when she moved from Moscow, Russia to Portland, Ore. and married Leb Tannenbaum: Her three new stepsons weren't very happy to have her in their lives.To earn her stepsons' acceptance, she cooked Russian meals, which the boys rejected. At times, she spoke English and felt as if no one understood her. It seemed all her efforts to win them over failed, she says.Finally, she realized she had to love herself and accept the fact that her stepsons might never connect with her, she says. Once she embraced...(related: Parenting)
The Ten Most Common Poisons Among Kids
For parents, keeping our kids safe is a constant top priority. But even with the best intentions it's possible to overlook some potentially harmful household poisons. According to the National Academy of Poison Control Centers, 92 percent of all ...(related: Parenting)
Teach Your Children About The Importance Of Water
The Flow of WaterWater is essential for life on the Planet, we all know this, water holds a very special place for us for that very reason. ...(related: Parenting)
How Many Sex Offenders Live On Your Block?
For any parent, learning that a convicted sex offender lives on the same block, can be a chilling discovery. The thought of it alone, can be disturbing. Most parents can't imagine that someone, who could be so potentially dangerous, may live somewhere on their block or along the path their child takes to school. However, it is highly likely that there are registered sex offenders in your neighbo...(related: Parenting)
Teenagers Taking Risks
It can be hard being a parent with a teen going through what I term the 'I'm Invincible' phase. This is the phase when teens start doing scary and dangerous things (according to us parents) as a way of...(related: Parenting)
How Public Schools Assault Parents Values
Is there anything wrong with lying, cheating, stealing, shop-lifting, taking drugs, premarital sex, insulting your parents, pornography, irresponsibility, or getting pregnant in junior high school? Not according to the values taught...(related: Parenting)
How To Stop Bad Behavior Before It Starts
Coping with a child's bad behavior, perhaps more than any other aspect of parenting, can cause stress, family disfunction, and a general loss of harmony in your home. Over time, negative behavior cycles can become ingrained in a family's way of interacting with each other
1. Be a Benevolent Dictator
In today's times it is tempting to think of our family as a small Democracy, giving equal weight to the wants and needs of every member. Families schedule meetings to discuss rules. Negotiation is a skill learned even before tying shoes. Rules apply only if children choose to obey them. Giving children l...(related: Parenting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Parenting