Help Your Learning Disabled Child With Letters and Words

When most children are initially introduced to the alphabet, they see each letter as a picture. The letter “T” might look like one stick balancing on top of the other. An “O” might look like a ring. Yet soon a child’s perception begins to change, and the concept of letters transfers from the right hemisphere of the brain to the left–the auditory-linguistic hemisphere. That’s when a “T” becomes an actual symbol that can be associated with a sound. Children with learning disabilities often have great difficulty with this transition in thinking. They are simply “stuck” in the spatial intelligence frame … Continue reading →

Your Child Could be BOTH Gifted and Learning Disabled

Is your child bright and intelligent, yet still struggles in school? Are you often amazed at your child’s creativity and talents, but can’t figure out why certain things aren’t getting through academically? It’s not often understood that a person can be both gifted and learning disabled. We assume that a child who is gifted has no learning challenges, and a child with ADHD or a specific learning disability is “slow.” It’s hard to imagine that both conditions could exist at the same time. But they can. The classification is “Gifted and Talented/Learning Disabled” or “GT/LD.” These children require a whole … Continue reading →

Does Your Preschooler Have a Developmental Delay? Answer These 20 Questions

The following checklist should be used as a guideline to help you determine whether your son or daughter should be evaluated for a developmental delay. This is only a first step in helping you sort out your child’s symptoms and behaviors, using your daily observations. It’s important to remember that all children develop at different rates and they all display problem behaviors at times. What you should look for is an overall picture, or consistent pattern of behaviors or struggles. These questions apply to a child between the ages of approximately two and four. For each one, you’ll need to … Continue reading →

50 People Who Achieved Greatness Despite Having a Learning Disability

In my research, I often come across names of famous people who had a slow start, or struggled with learning difficulties in their childhoods. The list continues to grow, and I am impressed with how individuals, when given the right support and encouragement, can overcome the odds and achieve greatness. If your child is having difficulties in school or with aspects of learning, be sure to share this list. Let your son or daughter know he or she is not alone, and that early struggles are in no way a prophecy of doom. Maybe he can find a particular name … Continue reading →

Children’s Standard Time: How a Child’s Internal Clock Affects Learning

Children do not perceive time in the same way that adults do. Studies have shown that children have a very difficult time segmenting time into parts. This is why the public school system concept of time broken into forty minute sections marked by a ringing bell is often counter-productive to a child’s learning. Just as the child is warming up to the activity and becoming involved, it’s time to change subjects. Maria Montessori described times where some children become completely engrossed in a stimulating educational activity, calling it “the great work.” She said that during these intense periods of learning, … Continue reading →

Could My Child Have Dyslexia?

If your child is struggling with reading, and seems to fall below her peers in writing ability, it’s a reasonable question to ask. However, some children who initially have difficulty with reading and spelling soon catch up to their peers, with encouragement and more exposure to books. If your child does have dyslexia, the sooner you intervene the better. So it’s a good idea to understand the condition and recognize the symptoms. What is dyslexia? Dyslexia is a specific learning disability, which is biological in nature. It is neurological, meaning that it comes from faulty brain functioning. It is genetically … Continue reading →

Specific Learning Disabilities and Your Child

It has been estimated that approximately 5 percent of school-aged children have a specific learning disability (SLD). “Specific Learning Disability” is one of the thirteen recognized areas of disability which qualifies for Special Education, according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). What is a Specific Learning Disability (SLD)? A child having an SLD typically has average intelligence, but has difficulty with processing information in a particular area, such as receiving, storing, sorting, classifying, expressing, and retrieving information. For example, a child may be able to compute a math problem which has just been explained to … Continue reading →