3 Things Everyone Should Know About Learning Disabilities

What do you think of when you hear the phase “learning disability”?

 

Many people associate learning disabilities with low intelligence, laziness, lack of success, and not being able to learn. Sadly, the people who make these associations include the very children and adults that have been diagnosed with a learning disability. As a special education teacher, I know these stereotypes are not true.

 

My job as an educator is not only to teach the curriculum, but also find out how the child learns best, to teach them how to learn and be curious, to build self-confidence, to make sure they know they are not any less because they might learn differently, to find what they are good at and incorporate that in all learning environments, and to work with parents so they understand their child’s learning difficulties and how they can support them at home. Teaching is so much more than reciting information in the hopes that kids will retain it.

 

So, here are three things everyone should know about Learning Disabilities:

 

1. Many children who qualify for special education services under learning disability have average or above average IQs.

To put it as simply as possible, having a learning disability means that a child’s academic performance is lower than what they are capable of doing. There has to be a gap between these two variables. In this case, the school tests the child’s IQ and their educational performance. If there is a large enough discrepancy, then the child is eligible to receive help to find out how this child can have a more successful education. To have a big enough gap between these variables, IQ usually needs to be average or above average. The saddest cases I have come across are those where the student’s test results come back and their IQ was too low to not have a sufficient gap, leading the student to not receive special education services and the individualized help that might help their education turn around. Instead they continue to be in a classroom with 20 other children trying to survive and hoping to be invisible throughout the school day.

 

 

2. Having a learning disability does not mean you cannot learn, it means you learn differently.

A large classroom with 20 other students and one teacher who needs to deliver the curriculum as fast as possible and as broad as possible so every single child in their classroom can understand the content is not an ideal learning environment for anyone. That being said, some students have a harder time learning in this setting and with this amount of educational support than others. Students with a specific learning disability might learn best when in a smaller group, when given more repetition of the content, when given more time and engagement opportunities during the lesson, or other accommodations or modifications they might need to be able to learn and retain the content being taught. These small changes can make a huge difference in a child’s learning experience and lead the student to having academic success.

 

3. Students can have difficulties in one area and excel in others.

A student who has difficulties in reading, can be very good at math, and vice versa. A child who struggles with reading comprehension can be a fabulous artist, mathematician, or public speaker. Many people focus so much on what the child is struggling with that they forget to foster what the student is talented in. Yes, the difficulties need to be addressed and supported, but if anyone spends their whole school day focused on what they “can’t” do, learning becomes very difficult. Instead, incorporate those talents into the struggles and let the students learn how they learn best. Also, let the student foster what they are good at, since in the long run it builds self-confidence and a happier, more successful educational experience.

 

Having a learning disability comes with so much baggage — most of which comes from misinformation and not knowing how to help these students achieve their goals. Let’s change our negative ideas about this topic so more children can believe in themselves and get the support they need to reach their potential. If you think your child might learn differently and isn’t reaching their potential academically, consider talking to their school about testing. Small tweaks in their education can make a world of difference.