A learning disability can't be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong issue. With the right support and intervention, however, children with learning disabilities can succeed in school and go on to successful, often distinguished careers later in life. Parents can help children with learning disabilities achieve such success by encouraging their strengths, knowing their weaknesses, understanding the educational system, working with professionals and learning about strategies for dealing with specific difficulties.
If you think your child might have a learning disability, it’s important to face the problem early on. You can start by studying up on learning disabilities and pinpointing the specific learning challenges your child faces. With the right support and training, children with learning disabilities can tackle the obstacles they face in the classroom and thrive in all areas of life.
School teachers can also get help from these resources as they also need to check if any of the student have symptoms of learning disability!
Common learning disabilities:
Dyslexia – a language-based disability in which a person has trouble understanding written words. It may also be referred to as reading disability or reading disorder.
Dyscalculia – a mathematical disability in which a person has a difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.
Dysgraphia – a writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters or write within a defined space.
Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders – sensory disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.
Nonverbal Learning Disabilities – a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.
Useful links and online resources for parents and teachers: * ISER (Internet special education resources) is a directory of professionals, organizations, and schools that serve the learning disabilities and special education communities. They help parents find local special education professionals for learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder assessment, therapy, advocacy, critical teen issues, and other special needs.
* 'Dystalk.com''s motto is "helping your child learn better." It's for parents of children who are looking for information on how to optimise their child's learning. DysTalk provides information on specific learning difficulties that may be undermining a child's performance as well as learning strategies that can potentially be applied to all children of all abilities.
* 'Our Kids.org' work with children with physical and/or mental disabilities and delays.
* 'The teacher's guide' offers 'special education' resouces.
* 'LDonline' a website focusing on learning disablities and ADHD * 'Learning Disabilities in Children' from 'Help guide.org'
