|

Translate/Traduisez/Übersetzen Sie/Traduzca/Traduca/Traduza:

A learning disability is defined as a permanent problem that affects a person with average to above average intelligence, in the way that he/she receives, stores, and processes information.

There are many wrong ideas out there about learning disabilities. For example:

1) A learning disability will go away in time. Unfortunately, this is not true. The good news is, you can learn ways to get around the problem. For example, kids who have trouble taking notes in class, like Michele did, can record the class on audiotape. Other students can make copies of the notes they have taken for them. The teacher can make copies of the notes they are lecturing from. Or, when the notes are written on an overhead transparency during the lecture, they can be copied after class and given to the student.

For children who have trouble reading, tapes of many of the textbooks are made available through the publishing companies. At one school where I taught volunteers did the taping. We also used tapes that were recorded by a company called Recordings for the Blind.

2) A person with a learning disability has a low IQ. Again - not true. A person with a learning disability has an average or better IQ. There are many people who are very smart, but for some reason, they cannot learn as well as their IQ suggests they should. I tell my students that having a learning disability is really a compliment because it means that they are very smart! Unfortunately, because a negative by-product of a learning disability is often low self-esteem they don't always believe me. So remember, the self-esteem issue is as important to deal with as the learning disability itself!

3) A person with a learning disability is just lazy. There has to be a reason why the person with LD doesn't learn the way he should. Perhaps his brain doesn't process the information the right way. He may process information much slower than other people. Or he may not process what he sees effectively. Some people can't process what they hear as well as what they see. Other people can't remember information unless it's repeated again and again, and some people have real trouble getting the information out of that filing system they have in their brain. Typically people with learning disabilities work harder than others - but with lesser results. It's not about hard work - it's a learning disability.

4) A person with a learning disability can't do anything right. Even though a child may have a learning disability in one or two areas, it doesn't mean they can't do anything right. My daughter struggled with a disability in math, but what a wonderful writer she is! And she has more knowledge about how to get around a computer than many people have - I envy that ability because I think I have a learning disability in that area! I've known students who, even though they struggled with math or reading, were excellent around heavy equipment or automobile engines or carpentry or drafting. Many could do things with a computer that seemed impossible.

The important thing is that, if your child has a learning disability, or even if you suspect he might have one, learn everything you can so that you will know what to expect and what not to expect from him as well as from his teachers and his educational program. That way you will be able to understand and help him in the best way possible.

While none of us wishes our child to have a learning disability, if he or she does, recognizing and dealing with that fact is the intelligent approach to take. It's only when we recognize the truth about our child's condition, that we can learn how to maximize his or her abilities and minimize their dis-abilities.

Article Keywords: Special Education

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Special Education... Journal Of Special Education Reading written journals on special education can help, for the articles can give you an in-depth insight to the true nature of teaching special children and what is involved. You will read about things you need to know as a teacher, parent, or specialist handling children with special needs. This is because the journals are written by scholars, recognized individuals and key persons in the field. The Journal of Special Education is a written periodical that tackles the subject of special education. In it, you can find comprehensive discussions, reviews and commentaries, sample interventions in dealing with special children, outlined procedures concerning special students and timely research and in-depth analysis on matters concerning special education. You do not need to buy published journals on special education just to get your hands on one, for there are available sources and links online that contain reliable research and discussions. Sample articles that you can find in online journals are practical applications and strategic teaching methods that you can use to educate special children formulated theories that address key issues on teaching children and individuals with special needs, source of advocacy or integrated network listing of disability and educational information, comprehensive guide on teaching individuals with special needs and selected reviews and data that can guide you in determining the needs of your students. These are only some sample contents that you can obtain in electronic journals regarding special education. Whatever resource you use, the ideas and concepts gathered, plus the solutions presented, can help you become sensitive to the needs of your students and be quick in responding to them. Special Education provides...