Learning Disabilities

My four year old is scheduled to begin kindergarten this fall. For many parents, it is an emotional time for them. They dont want to admit that their baby is growing up or perhaps they cant wait for their children to finally be starting school. For me, it means an upcoming time of worry. You see, my husband has struggled with ADHD his entire life. As an adult, hes finally learned to channel and control it. We knew that there was a good chance that our children could inherit this disorder. While doctors hesitate to make a diagnosis for ADD or ADHD until children are of school age, my daughter is clearly starting to show signs. Her preschool teachers have remarked that she is amazingly smart, but she has no attention span. Weve noticed this at home as well. And so, my worries for the upcoming school years have begun.

Having learning disabilities isnt as uncommon as it used to be. When I was in school, anyone showing signs of learning disabilities was put into special education immediately. If you thought that you had some learning disabilities, you might not have even spoken up about it because you didnt want to enter into special education. Nowadays, teachers, parents and doctors are a lot more educated about these learning disabilities. They learn how to deal with them and help our children move forward in a healthy and motivated manner. It is estimated that almost four million school age children and teens have some type of learning disabilities. Twenty percent of those four million have a type of learning disability that makes focusing on their schoolwork a challenge.

Diagnosing learning disabilities can sometimes be incredibly easy and other times incredibly difficult. Some children may outwardly show their disabilities and it is apparent to everyone who is around the child. Other children are better at covering up their learning disabilities and it may not be apparent until they are in their teens or even later in life. However, as parents, any signs of learning disabilities should be addressed immediately. If your childs teacher mentions any concerning behaviors, it should also be looked at immediately. There are many ways to deal with and overcome the challenges that are affiliated with having these learning disabilities. There may not be a cure for any of the learning disabilities but there are many ways for our children to grow up and become the wonderful individuals that they are meant to become. Seeking out professional medical advice from doctors is the first step that should be taken. Perhaps there are medications that can be taken. Learning assistance can be
assigned within the school districts from teachers or aides who are trained to teach students with disabilities. Seeking out personalized help is the best solution within the schools. Hiding the learning disabilities isnt only a huge challenge, but it will have a negative affect on any learning and growing that your child could be utilizing.