If you have just found out that your child has a learning disability and feel upset, you are not alone. Many parents, when faced with this revelation, go through feelings of anger, guilt, rage and grief. This does not make you a bad person. It is important to understand that your feelings are normal so that you can move forward and get your child the help he or she needs.
It’s Not Your Fault
The first thing you need to understand is that your child’s disability is not your fault. It doesn’t mean you are a bad parent or have done something wrong. On the other hand, it is okay to feel guilty. This is natural and normal. Being guilty over your feelings of guilt will not help. By recognizing that learning disabilities have many causes can help you move forward and seek the right education for your child.
Your Child Is Not Unintelligent
A learning disability does not necessarily represent a lack of intelligence. It also does not mean unto itself that your child is incapable of learning or that they cannot someday go on to college and achieve great things. Many famous people and world leaders have learning disabilities. All that a learning disability means is that you may need to seek alternate means of educating your child so that they can have the same opportunities as everyone else.
The Right Diagnosis
Getting the right diagnosis for your child will enable you to seek the correct special education decisions for your child. This is vital to ensuring that your son or daughter has the ability to learn alongside other kids and overcome their disability to achieve success in life.
Types of Learning Disability
There are many types of learning disability, and each one will present differently in your child. Some of the different kinds of learning problems include:
Reading: dyslexia and other reading disabilities generally mean that your child has difficulty recognizing or ordering letters, and connecting them with verbal communication. Sight reading and extracurricular reading and comprehension exercises can often be applied to overcome this problem.
Math: Some children have difficulty working out the relationships between numbers and the concepts that involve mathematics skills, from basic arithmetic to more advanced disciplines. These issues are addressed by adaptive teaching and multisensory teaching tips, including tactile learning.
Writing and Composition: Writing difficulty is often, but not always, tied into reading issues. Writing drills and development of fine motor skills as well as critical thinking and comprehension exercises can sometimes help these problems.
Behavioral Problems: If your child is experiencing behavioral problems or conflicts at school, they may have a learning disability. Having them tested and diagnosed can often improve behavioral issues and emotional health. Once you and your child know the root of the problem, addressing it can improve environmental symptoms.
If your child is in need of psychological assessments, Edmonton area help is available. Check out our learning disabilities page and give us a call today for an evaluation to get your son or daughter back on track!
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