learning disability

How Depression Can Affect People with Learning Disabilities

For many people with learning disabilities (LD), it is hard for them to express what they are feeling. Without being able to effectively verbalize what they need, want, or feel many LD people will let their action speak for them. This can be a sign that something is truly wrong and should not be ignored or thought of as a temper tantrum. Any sudden changes in mood, behavior, or activities could be a clear sign of depression. Another sign is when the LD person can no longer do the things they were previously able to do. Depression is very common among the learning disabled. They are always under pressure and have a hard time with many normal aspects of life. The learning disabled have a hard time making and keeping friends and are often socially isolated. It is all too easy for people to assume the behavior is because of the learning disability and not that the person is suffering inside and in many instances in silence.

Topic: Learning Disabilities

How Individualized Educational Programs Can Help your Learning Disabled Child

The IEP, or the Individualized Educational Program, is a contract that makes sure that all children who are disabled no matter how severe would get free appropriate public education. This will be provided at the expense of the government, even if there has to be adaptations and services provided for your child. This is a requirement called for all schools from elementary up to high school. The law also provides each disabled child to an individualized education program or IEP. It is a written statement that is developed, reviewed as necessary, and revised when needed. It is the contract that tells what services and programs the child is eligible for and how and when they will be implemented. The IEP will include all related services needed for the child. These include any transportation, corrective equipment, and other supportive devices to help the child be at their best. Once your child has been deemed eligible as a result of a learning disability, you have the right to an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). This must go into an effect no later than 30 days after your child was deemed eligible. This is a legal contract with the school that will make sure your child receives all the assistance he or she needs to get an appropriate education. These services are free to the parents and students under the IDEA law.

Topic: Learning Disabilities

Test Taking Tips for Kids and Teens with LD

Test time for any kid can be a horrible experience. For a learning disabled kid it can be so much worse. If learning the material wasn’t hard enough, retaining it can be very hard for many suffering from LD. Make sure you have made any special arrangements with the teacher in advance. If you need a written test made verbal, let your teacher know so they can prepare the test and let you know when you will be expected to take it. Make sure you have any other assistive tools that you require during test, study, or classroom time. These will be there to help you get through the test in the manner that works best for you. If there are any extenuating circumstances that you will need to bring to your teachers attention also have those ready prior to the test date.

Topic: Learning Disabilities

Socializing Difficulties in Kids with LD and How to Overcome Them

All children want to have friends, someone to play with and do things with. Friends are a very important part of growing up and teach them how to socially interact with others. For a child with a learning disability, this is not very easy sometimes. Their LD can keep them from communicating appropriately or have a hard time understanding what other kids want. Parents will need to explain and repeat how friends are met and kept. This can be an ongoing conversation for a child with a learning disability. A conversation worth repeating so your child keeps their self-confidence and self-esteem. Reading books together about friendship is also a good method of reminder.

Topic: Learning Disabilities

Pros and Cons of Compensating for a Learning Disability

A recent trend in special education, rehabilitation, and technology is the development and implementation of assistive technology (AT) devices and services. These assist individuals in compensating for learning and/or physical disabilities. AT devices and services have many benefits for individuals with learning disabilities in regards to life span issues, environmental and academic accessibility, and compensatory strategies. Faculty members in higher education who are responsible for designing teacher preparation programs in LD must explore ways to structure curriculum to better prepare teachers to work with students who use AT devices to compensate for their specific learning disabilities. There are many pros to these devices as the users will say, but many outsiders thing that these same pros are cons.

Topic: Learning Disabilities

Navigating the Math Maze with Dyscalculia

Children with dyscalculia have normal or higher than normal verbal, reading, writing, and memory skills. They excel at the written word. They are great at any subject that does not require higher-level math skills. Their disability and difficulty lies in the abstract concept of time and direction. They find it hard, if not completely impossible, to remember schedules, and the order of past and/or future events. These children find it difficult to keep track of time and usually are always late or tardy. The simple to some task of remembering a name is just not there for these people. They might know the first letter but after that there is a blank. This can make not only the academic world hard, but socializing, as well. Because of their poor coordination, they have a hard time keeping up with the other children especially if the physical direction of the play is quick. When playing games such as cards, sports or the like, they cannot remember the rules. It is easy for them to lose track or whose turn it is and what the score is as well. This can ostracize them from other children who do not understand.

Topic: Learning Disabilities

Auditory Processing Difficulties Can Lead to Future Problems

Life can be tough, especially when it comes to kids. With all the things that need to be remembered and new things to learn, it is easy for a child to become distracted to the point of having difficulties in school. It is easy to assume that a child with an auditory processing disorder has trouble with hearing. This is not the case; the difficulties pertaining to central auditory processing disorder (also called CAPD), are with the cooperation between the brain and the ears. Not hearing difficulties, per say.

Topic: Learning Disabilities

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