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SickKid.Net - Learning Disabilities (cont.)

What should a parent do?  If you have concerns about your child’s learning skills, especially if learning troubles were present in yourself or your extended family, jump at the chance to prevent later problems.  Ask for the school to perform an evaluation, or seek out a private professional to do it for you.  Understand, however, that many school districts will not label a child as having a learning disability until they have already failed.   And yet, the research shows that helping children with reading problems means we must identify them before the age of nine.  Waiting too long for an evaluation can also lead to feelings of despair, anger, and fear in the child.  Don’t wait, it’s too important.

Where can you turn for help?  The first place to start is with your child’s doctor.  Make sure they can see and hear well.  Rule out any medical problems that can be fixed (like chronic ear infections).  Next, ask the local school to perform an evaluation.  Schools are required to identify disabled children as early as age three – speak up!

If you are concerned that your child is having troubles in a certain area of learning, ask for information about that type of learning.  Ask librarians, teachers, counselors, tutors.  Look up local support groups, and check out the web sites for the National Center for Learning Disabilities (www.ncld.org), and ldonline (www.ldonline.org).

The most important thing you can do, however, is to love your children and let them know that you will be there to help them, all the way through school, and beyond!

© 2000 Christopher J. Nicholls, Ph.D.