by Allison Hickman

Created on: September 10, 2008

Is it a Learning Disability or More

It seemed like our daughter was continually getting reprimanded at home for incomplete, simple tasks; such as, cleaning her room, setting the table, or even getting dressed. One evening when she expressed great frustration because she could not get out of the tub, dry off and get dressed by herself bells and whistles went off in my head. I realized that she was not carrying on because she didn't want to get out of the tub and get ready; she couldn't without constant supervision and guidance.

There were other incidences that we questioned and when explored further they lead to the conclusion that our daughter was indeed suffering from a learning disability. She had learned to accommodate her short-comings by memorizing instead of learning the skills that helped in the development of reading and writing. While at home she had a list of chores to complete. She would only perform the chores that were done on a daily basis as opposed to the jobs that were random, like putting her clean laundry away when called for. We were forced to put all guilt of the past yelling matches aside so that we could focus our attention on the testing and diagnosis of her disability; mild dyslexia.

In educating ourselves about our daughter's disability, we have discovered ways to help her perform to her potential in school without her feeling signaled out. This was crucial for self esteem. The following suggestions and comments have been retained through her doctor as well as teachers and self performed research on dyslexia.

1. Keep in constant contact with your child's teacher regarding progress or obstacles. If you feel your child's needs are not being met or recognized, don't hesitate to go to the school counselor for assistance. Not all teachers are familiar with dyslexia's complex traits and may need some background information to help them understand better what your child is experiencing.

2. It is important for the entire family, including extended family, to express support for the child. They need to be aware of what dyslexia is and the obstacles that it imposes on a child. For instance, when we would ask our daughter to carry out a task in front of family and it lead to a conflict because it appeared she just didn't want to do it, the family would be very surprised at her "spoiled" reaction as well as our tamed one.

3. Children with dyslexia tend to be more nervous and up tight; therefore, an environment that is loud or involves a great deal

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>