May 28, 2011
Of late, a lot of cases have been reported to me of children who have been asked to move from a normal school to a special school, just because they have difficulty in learning. I am shocked to know that the management of prestigious schools are the ones who are asking parents to admit their children to special schools. It’s sad that children with learning difficulties are still not accepted into a normal setting. School managements are expected to be more aware of learning problems, rather than push them back.
Parents need to talk to their child and his/her teacher, try to gauge what exactly is the problem or difficulty their child is facing in school. If the problem is identified at an early age, prognosis is better and journey for the child is easier.
Exams are over, results are out, some pass, some are pushed to the next class and few are detained. I get to see parents come to me saying ‘my child is good in reading but has illegible handwriting’, ‘my child writes well but finds it difficult to read’, ‘my child studies well but in the exam hall is not able to put it on paper’.
Some among these kids are given a second chance by the school, some survive because of strong influence and a couple of them are removed from school.
There are a lot of dull children in schools, I personally don’t think most of them are dull. If they are taught in the way they understand, they too will be ahead of others. A little bit of extra attention, modified method of teaching and good amount of encouragement is the best recipe to make a child more confident and a good scorer.
Avoid taking your children from church to church, temple to temple, one psychiatrist to another counsellor. Your child is too young to go through so much stress. Your child already has confusion regarding his learning problems, don’t make it more burdensome for your child.
Learning disability is a general term that describes specific kinds of learning problems. A learning disability can cause a person to have trouble learning and using certain skills. The skills most often affected are reading, writing, listening, speaking, reasoning, and doing math.
Learning disabilities (LD) vary from person to person. One person with learning disabilities may not have the same kind of learning problems as another person with learning disabilities. One person may have trouble with reading and writing. Another person with learning disabilities may have problems with understanding math. Still another person may have trouble in each of these areas, as well as with understanding what people are saying.
Researchers think that learning disabilities are caused by differences in how a person's brain works and how it processes information. Children with learning disabilities are not "dumb" or "lazy." In fact, they usually have average or above average intelligence. Their brains just process information differently.
However, children with learning disabilities can be high achievers and can be taught ways to get around the learning disability. With the right help, children with learning disabilities can and do learn successfully.
Signs of a learning disability
There is no one sign that shows a person has a learning disability. If a child shows a number of these problems, then parents and the teacher should consider the possibility that the child has a learning disability.
When a child has a learning disability, he or she:
may have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds;
may make many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeat and pause often;
may not understand what he or she reads;
may have real trouble with spelling;
may have very messy handwriting or hold a pencil awkwardly;
may struggle to express ideas in writing;
may learn language late and have a limited vocabulary;
may have trouble remembering the sounds that letters make or hearing slight differences between words;
may have trouble understanding jokes, comic strips, and sarcasm;
may have trouble following directions;
may mispronounce words or use a wrong word that sounds similar;
may have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or not be able to think of the word he or she needs for writing or conversation;
may not follow the social rules of conversation, such as taking turns, and may stand too close to the listener;
may confuse math symbols and misread numbers;
may not be able to retell a story in order (what happened first, second, third); or
may not know where to begin a task or how to go on from there.
Types of learning disability:
Dyslexia: is the term used when people have difficulty learning to read.
Dysgraphia: makes the act of writing difficult. It can lead to problems with spelling, poor handwriting, and putting thoughts on paper. People with dysgraphia can have trouble organizing letters, numbers, and words on a line or page.
Discalculia: refers to a wide range of learning disabilities involving math. There is no single type of math disability. Dyscalculia can vary from person to person.
Dyspraxia: is a disorder characterized by impairment in the ability to plan and carry out sensory and motor tasks. Symptoms vary and may include poor balance and coordination, clumsiness, vision problems, perception difficulties, emotional and behavioural problems, difficulty with reading, writing, and speaking, poor social skills, poor posture, and poor short-term memory.
What about school and learning disabilities?
Learning disabilities tend to be diagnosed when children reach school age. This is because school focuses on the very things that may be difficult for the child - reading, writing, math, listening, speaking, and reasoning. Teachers and parents notice that the child is not learning as expected. Parents can also ask for their child to be evaluated. With hard work and the proper help, children with learning disabilities can learn more easily and successfully. Supports or changes in the classroom (sometimes called accommodations) help most students with learning disabilities.
Treatment for learning disabilities
The most common treatment for learning disabilities is special education. Specially trained educators may perform a diagnostic educational evaluation assessing the child's academic and intellectual potential and level of academic performance. Once the evaluation is complete, the basic approach is to teach learning skills by building on the child's abilities and strengths while correcting and compensating for disabilities and weaknesses.
Hope this article is an eye opener to worried parents.
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