My child is struggling 
Now that my child has 
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Ben Foss:
- Talk to your child early and often about what you know about their LD. Engage them, show them the numbers, reinforce that they are smart and they will do well.
- Get formal identification of their LD for your child. An education psychologist or a learning specialist at your school can point you to the right resources. If they do not want to offer testing, look for a way to get the documentation on your own. This can be expensive, but it is critical to get services, to understand your child’s specific profile and to establishing a history for
accommodation on testing. - Use assistive technology such as books on tape or talking computers early and often. Exposing your child to language and getting them comfortable with the tools they will need helps them stay on grade level. Microsoft Windows has a basic speech engine built into it – look in the Control Panel under “Speech.” Same with Apple computers. It will allow them to try it out and see if they like it. It takes 10 minutes to set up and will give your child the ability to read an email or a website on the spot.
- Seek out mentors in the LD community for your child. Show them the films at www.headstrongnation.org/documentary, reach out to other parents in your schools, look for local college mentoring programs and so on.
- Self-determination is the highest goal for your child. My parents told me I could go to Yale or win a Nobel Prize. Some of us can do great things and some of us cannot, but the key is that it should be up to the person with LD to decide what that looks like. Teach your child to think about themselves as agents of their own destiny.
NCLD: What are some specific tips for teens and adults with LD?
Ben Foss: Come out. It is critical that you experiment with being public about who you are and see what it feels like not to hide on this issue. It can be scary to tell people that you are part of a label that is associated with being lazy or stupid.
I have felt this sting. The day I turned in my thesis at Stanford Law School, a classmate laughed out loud at the registrar’s office because I had the term learning disabilities in my title. "They can’t articulate anything!" I looked at him and explained that I had a learning disability. He was embarrassed and apologized. I could have laughed with him and hid, but I would have been doing damage to myself. The key to this is finding a community of people who get your experience. Tell your best friend about your experience. Tell your siblings. Work your way up to telling a teacher you trust. Then try a new teacher. Rehearse and develop a script that tells specifics, is honest and works for you. Eventually, you will be comfortable talking to strangers about it. And then other people with LD will start coming to you, allowing you to be part of something larger. It is a good feeling and is the most important accommodation you can have.
As part of coming out about this, I like to show people the raw version of what it looks like when I write. Below is my last answer with out the benefit of spell check, and the three passes I make through it with text to speech (think Steven Hawking voices) reading it back to me to allow me to improve the grammar. In a public forum like this, there will also have been a copy edit by a non-LD person. See the raw version below to understand where I start on this stuff and remember this is today – I have a JD/MBA from Stanford, and I spell terribly.
...come out. It is criticla they you experiment with being public about who you are and see what ifeels like not to hide on this issues. It canbe scary to tell people that you are of part of a lable that is assocated with being lazy or stupid. I have fel this sting. The day I turned in mt thesis at Stanford Law Schoo, a classmate laughed outloud at the registras office bcause I had the term learning disabilities in my title. "They can;t articulate anything!" I looked at him and explained that I had a learning disabilitie.s He was embarassed and appologized. I could have laughed with him and hid, but I woud have been doing damamge to myself. The key to this is finding a community of peopel swho get you experieicne. Tell you best friend about your experience. Tell you syblings. Work you way yo to telling a teacher you trust. Then try a new teacher. Reherse and develo pa script that tells specifics, if honest and work for you. Eventually, you will be comfortable talking ro stragers about it. And then other people with LD will start coming to you, alloing you to be lart of something larger. It is a good feeling and is the most important accomidaiton you cna have.
Additional Resources
Bookshare.org
Learning Ally
The Intel Reader Community
