GETTING IT RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD WITH LEARNING DISABILITY

A story is what I am going to start with.

It is the story of an eight-year-old boy who finds happiness in his own world filled with colors and shapes.

But has trouble with letters and studies.

His trouble gets doubled once he is sent to boarding school to get his ‘laziness’ cured.

There appears an art teacher who finds out that the boy has a learning disability, which makes him ‘good for nothing’ in front of others.

And states that this condition can be changed with days of focused activities.

At the end, the little boy emerges as the winner of a painting competition held at school.

At the same time improves his grades in all the subjects significantly, shocking his ‘tough’ teachers.

Sounds familiar? Yes, it is the story of “Taare Zameen Par”, a Bollywood movie.

That brought awareness among many parents. That their children’s academic backwardness may have caused by a condition called learning disability.

Life is not movie, and you cannot expect the magical appearance of an art teacher who gets everything right.

You need to take the right move in order to make sure that your kid doesn’t remain underachiever through out her school life and enters her career with the same burden.

ALSO READ: Being a Therapist for Your Own Child

Understanding Learning Disability 

Children with learning disability are as smart as children of their same age.

But they may have difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, organizing, reasoning, and/or doing mathematical calculations.

It affects the way a person understands information and communicates.

Most common disabilities are dyslexia-difficulty in reading and dysgraphia-difficulty in writing.

ALSO READ: Learning Disability Assessment 

Identifying the Disability 

Learning disabilities are often identified once the child begins schooling.

Though a child’s academic performance and behavior may indicate chances for the condition of learning disability, actual diagnosis requires formal assessment. Conducted by a psychologist using standardized psychological tests.

It helps in ruling out other causes for the academic backwardness such as sensory problems (visual/ auditory impairment), emotional disturbances, or intellectual disability.

Further, psychologist identifies the specific learning disabilities, extent of difficulties caused and strengths of the child.

This detailed assessment helps in formulating the appropriate treatment plan for each individual.

ALSO READ: How to Deal with Depression?

Need for Getting the Right Care? 

Often it may happen that, children with learning disabilities end up with few other problems in addition to low academic achievement.

Low grades at school may make the child appear less smart in front of others. Leading to low self-esteem, loneliness and depression in the child.

In long term, the individual may go through unemployment and issues with social and emotional adjustments.

Social skill training and counseling by psychologists help these individuals in getting adapted to these environments.

ALSO READ: How to Know if You Have a Learning Disability? 

The Happy Child! 

Conventional learning, that is normal school set up does not help your child to overcome learning disability.

With the right support and intervention, your child can improve grades at school and achieve success in distinguished career fields.

Give your child an extra care and right support, she will thank you in the future for making her a happy, independent and a successful adult.