World of L.D - You are not alone..

It is quite natural for any parent to get upset when they learn that their child has a learning disability. And as i have already mentioned, learning disability is a hidden handicap, as it cannot be seen and understood by others like any other disability. But learning disability is not an end in itself. It is only a condition where the brain processes information related to learning in a different way.

Parents and teachers need to understand that learning disability is a condition and not a disease. There is no cure for learning disabilities but considerable improvement is definitely possible through remedial education and children with learning disabilities can be assisted to lead a successful and happy life.
There's a popular saying "If one door is closed, there is always another door open". Similarly, if a child's capacity in one area such as in academic area is limited, the child may shine in some other area.
Children with learning disabilities usually exhibit some unsual abilities as in singing, dancing, sports, drawing and painting etc..

Some of the well known examples of successful people with learning disabilities are Albert Einstein, Galileo, Thomas Edison, Mozart, John .F Kennedy,Tom Cruise,Agatha Christie, Alexander Graham Bell to name a few.
These people were not essentially labelled as learning disabled because they lived before the term came into existence and before any diagnosis was made but they have exhibited signs related to A.D.D, A.D.H.D or L.D.
These people have not only conquered their disabilities, but also the hearts of millions of people across the globe and have made an ever lasting mark in their fields.
Talking to children about the similar difficulties that these people too had will help him understand that they are not alone and will foster hope thus moving them ahead in life towards the path of achieving their future goals.

It can be very hard for parents when they discover that their child never writes in the class, never copies from the board, is always distracted and distracts other children in the class, never completes any task" and so on...
At home when they open their child's books, they are again shatterd to see red marks all over the book, incomplete tasks of the child, lots of errors in writing and poor scores in the tests.

Initially it is very natural for anyone to think that the child is not interested in studies, has no concentration, always wants to escape from school work, but it actually may be something else..

If a child persists in the same manner, get him or her assessed for various tests like testing for vision, hearing, and then assessment for "LEARNING DISABILITY".
First, if a child is not able to copy from the board or write in the book, it is crucial that he/she be tested for any visual impairment.
Or, if a child has trouble understanding what is being said or asked, it may be due to problem with hearing, hence testing for hearing should be done.
If there are no problems in both, vision and hearing and the problem still continues, then the child may be suspected for "Specific Learning Disability".
The child is assessed in various areas like reading, writing, math by a special educator/remedial educator/ psychologist and actual problem of the child is identified.
Remedial education is then carried out in the problem area by the remedial instructor.

Another important point to be remembered by all the teachers and parents is that it is quite common for children in pre-primary level to exhibit problems that children with learning disabilities usually exhibit like reversals with letters (b/d, m/n, p/q, etc), spacing between lines and several other problems related to learning problems. But these errors should not be mistaken for learning disability until the problem persists beyond class 2, irrespective of repeated correction and adequate instruction in the problem area/s.

This however, does not mean if a child exhibits any of the signs of a learning disability, it can be ignored till the age of 7 years. If a child shows any signs of learning disability, it can be an early indication of a learning problem and appropriate remediation should be carried on to correct the problem. What is to be ignored is labelling the child as learning disabled. Only if the problem exsists even after the child attains 7 years of age and if the tests indicate the prevelance of a learning problem, should the child be considered to fit in the diagnostic category of learning disabilities.