Talking About Learning Disabilities - Página 2

Believe It or Not

The following is a brief list of opinions that were gleaned from the Roper Polls and other more recent sources, including NCLD's "help box" (NCLD encourages you to share your questions and concerns with us!). Try to imagine how you would respond to these statements, and if necessary, do some follow up to ensure that you are "in the know" and well-prepared to talk about LD:

• FACT: 8 in 10 adults think that "people with learning disabilities are just as smart as you and I — their minds just process words and information differently."
  Think about it: in the same breath, the polls reported that two-thirds of adults associate learning disabilities with mental retardation and with physical disabilities such as blindness and deafness.
• FACT: Almost half of the people surveyed think that learning disabilities are actually a result of laziness.
  Think about it high-achieving people with LD, such as recipients of NCLD's Anne Ford Scholarship Award. Their personal essays will dispel any myths about LD and laziness!
• FACT: Half also think that learning disabilities are caused by "the home environment."
  Think about it: consider, for example, a student with dyslexia — a language-based learning disability in reading — who, from the very early school years, struggles to learn the alphabet, has great trouble "sounding-out" words, and is a horrific speller, yet can perform with speed and accuracy in math, has wonderful problem-solving skills in science, and is an outstanding artist. Perhaps early learning opportunities and ongoing support at home contributes to this student's profile, but a genetic predisposition and brain-based information processing certainly have more to do with their struggle than their home situation.
• FACT: There is no difference between learning disabilities and learning differences.
  Think about it: Wrong! While "disability" is not a pleasant word, it is still a necessary label to unlock special education services and support in schools. It also differentiates between those who struggle because of LD and those who learn differently because of bilingual or cultural issues, stressors in the family and community, economic factors, inadequate teaching, psychiatric and behavioral disorders, disorders of attention, sensory impairments and other such factors.

Problem...Solution...Action!

I'm sure you can see how important it is to both "talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk" when it comes to learning disabilities. Remember, your message to those who want (or need) to know more about LD should be clear and precise, and you should be prepared to:

1. Offer a statement of a problem:
   
   
   • The risk for learning disabilities is rarely addressed during the pre-school years
   • Parents are not sure how and when to bring up concerns about LD in their children

    

2. Suggest a solution to the problem:
   
   
   • Have your child screened for early signs of struggle in reading
   • Create a meaningful dialogue between parents and school personnel and agree upon a time-specific plan to answer questions and address concerns
     

      

3. Recommend specific action:
   
   
   • Be sure to provide lots of emergent literacy skill-building opportunities in areas such as print awareness, early writing and linguistic awareness
   • Know your rightsand be prepared to negotiate and cooperate to secure the services and support you need to help your child.

      

Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D. is the Director of LD Resources & Essential Information at the National Center for Learning Disabilities.