Children with
Learning Disabilities - What Parents and Teachers Should Know
Children with learning disabilities often experience feelings of low
self-esteem. Before the learning disability is diagnosed, these
children may feel frustrated and stupid as they see their peers
easily accomplish tasks that to them seem impossible. Children can
be cruel, and these feelings may be exacerbated by teasing and
taunting from classmates. After a diagnosis is made, parents may
feel relief at understanding what is going on with their child.
However, for the child, a diagnosis may be quite scary and lead to
enhanced feelings of isolation and low self-esteem. The child may
also choose to use the learning disability as a shield, excusing
poor performance or even behavior issues by blaming them on the
learning disability.
Parents and teachers must remain sensitive to the needs and feelings
of learning disabled children. The possibility of sending learning
disabled children to special learning disability schools does exist,
and for extremely sensitive children or those with a severe learning
disability this may be the best option. However, learning disability
schools carry their own stigma and are generally not appropriate for
mildly learning disabled children. Most often, mainstreaming is the
best choice for children with learning disabilities that are mild or
moderate in severity.
The question of how best to treat a learning disability is not
easily answered. Usually the answer is as individual as the student
is. Assistive technology products may be helpful in allowing the
child to work around the learning disability. High-tech solutions
such as optical character readers and voice-activated calculators
can be expensive but worthwhile as learning disabled children
advance in school. For smaller children, low-tech assistive
technology products will often suffice. Assistive technology
products should not, however, be considered the be-all end-all
solution for students with learning disabilities.
Remediation is often the treatment of choice for students with
learning disabilities. Methodical teaching processes can gradually
re-train the brain to some extent, as well as teaching the student
strategies to use to work around the learning disability. An
individual treatment plan should be developed with input from the
teacher, student, parents, and school psychologist or other expert.
Children with learning disabilities must be taught to advocate for
themselves. A learning disability can be managed but not entirely
cured, so adults must keep in mind that students with learning
disabilities will eventually become adults with learning
disabilities. The sooner the child learns about the disability and
managing it, the easier it will be to integrate the learning
disability as a part of life.
Parents and teachers should remember that children with learning
disabilities are not slow. Usually the IQ of a learning disabled
child is at or above normal, and some are extremely intelligent.
When remediating the learning disability it is important to continue
to challenge the child intellectually. Intellectual stimulation can
be the catalyst that sparks a learning disabled child to continue
working through the disability.
Children with learning disabilities often experience taunting and
torment at the hands of their classmates. The adults around them
must handle these children tactfully and respectfully in order to
minimize their tendency towards low self esteem. Parents and
teachers should seek to empower these children by giving them
positive coping strategies and allowing them to take the lead in
managing their own learning disability. Positive reinforcement and
useful management techniques will yield positive results.
