Learning disabilities such as dyscalculia, dyslexia, dysgraphia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can challenge educators, confound parents and frustrate students. Once they have been detected and diagnosed, they all can be treated.
Learning disabilities do not indicate intelligence, nor do they spring from emotional disturbances, poverty or physical challenges. They are common neurobiological in origin and often inherited from parents. Learning differences result from the way a person’s brain is wired to process information and make connections.
Gail Saltz, an associate professor of Psychiatry said that many individuals are affected with learning difficulties, this is not a rare situation.
Saltz says, that most successful people in the world have dyslexia or ADHD. It’s very important to recognize the nature of the student’s writing and get together with your teacher, treater and your school to work out the best methods to help your child to be successful as possible in the future.
Parents often discover they, themselves, have struggled with similar issues, when their child is diagnosed with a learning difference. That is one reason parents often instinctively worry before schools may formally intervene, a process that mostly takes place between second and fifth grade.
Often, learning differences are not noticed until a child reaches school age. Even then, it’s hard to recognized the difficulties.
According to the National Institutes of Health, symptoms for learning disability are poor memory, problems in reading, writing and paying attention, trouble following directions and clumsiness.
With the support and help from professionals, teachers and parents, students with learning differences can succeed.
Learning disabilities can impact self esteem says, Melaura Ericksin- Tomaino, a specialist in developmental psychology.
Traits students, parents and educators need to succeed in communication, advocacy, persistence and creativity says, Melissa Holman-Kursky, founder of CognitionSF, a California- based firm specializing in helping parents and student’s device “work-around” techniques to maximize their strengths. For example, children with ADHD, a coping strategy might be learning to set reminders on their phones. Students can request a teacher to talk to them through a test, if they struggle to put thoughts to paper.
Holman- Kursky says, it’s hard for parents to hear a label of “learning disability” but it is often a relief to children.” The power of learning about themselves as learners is life-changing. My mantra is for everyone to take a deep breath. Development is on our side. We can prevent a lot of things from getting worse by intervention.”
