Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

This has been a topic dear to my heart, as any of you who follows Karmickids might know, the brat has issues with learning. While they are not specifically any learning disability related, there is definitely the issue of PPD/NOS that has impinged on his learning skills, and slowly but steadily I have been working with him to get him on a level that he can cope albeit tenuously with the rest of the class, and the rather punishing syllabus they seem to have in schools these days.
Therefore, when I broached the idea of a month devoted to spreading information about learning disabilities on the mommy blogosphere amongst few mommies I knew would have the inclination to take time out from their daily routines, and spend time researching the topic, I wasnt prepared for the overwhelming support I got. So here, first, is the thank you. A huge thank you to each and everyone of you who agreed to be part of this month. And a special thank you to DotMom for creating us a wonderful badge.
Here, in no particular order, are the posts on issues relating to Learning Disabilities from the mommy blogosphere.
Disclaimer: Some of these posts are compiled through online research and none claim to be conclusive. None of the mommies who have written for this Awareness month have a medical background in the topic (although some might have personal experience in dealing with a child), and therefore, if anything written seems to ring a warning bell, please do consult a medical professional for appropriate assessment and guidance.

Tharini of Winkiesways wrote on Types of Learning Disabilities, a post that is crossposted on DMC.

Lak concentrated on the self esteem issues faced by a child with learning disabilities in her post.

I wrote on how important it is for parents to work with the child towards dealing with Learning Disabilities. I wrote partly from my personal experience. And partly through net research.

Girl Next Door wrote on treating and managing the Learning Disability.

Itchingtowriteblogs wrote on Unlearning Learning Disabilities.

Art Navy wrote this on Enabling Learning Disabled Parents.

(The operative word, and what Priya also mentioned, and what I also firmly believe in, is early intervention. Use your instincts as a mother and get help for your child the moment you feel there is an issue. Speaking from my experience, I kept getting told that boys speak later, and I was making an issue of a non issue, but my gut instinct that my child did not respond like other children had me making the rounds of pediatric neurologists from 18 months to find out what was wrong with him. And the brat started speech and occupational therapy at 19 months. Early intervention, I cannot stress enough, is the key.)

Ceekay, the dear, gave us two posts on ADHD and on a very important topic, namely that of Being an Advocate for your child. I feel the second topic is vital for parents who deal with educationists who insist on slotting children into categories, and neglecting children they feel dont make the grade. You have to push for your child, and by that I dont mean you need to be a Momzilla, but you need to work with your child's teachers to bring out the best in your child and make sure your child gets the opportunities he or she deserves.

Sue drew on her personal experience with her brother to talk about the stress examinations cause. And the bitter truth that the examination system often doesnt account for intelligence.

Priyainsuburbia talks about how she and her daughter have come a long way, drawing on her experiences with her daughter's speech and language delay. A post that really touched my heart, seeing as the brat was also struggling to speak full relevant sentences till age 3 and a half. Now of course, he doesn't shut up.

There are a couple of more posts scheduled, and we will update this list when they come up.
I do hope this month has been educative and informative to all the blog mommies. Do write back with your feedback.

Managing LD

Girl Next Door who blogs at Girl-Next-Door has the next post in the series Learning Disability Awareness month

She says "Once you have a diagnosis, what's next? Is there a cure for LD? It depends on how we define "cure"! If a cure to you means ensuring a successful, independent life for your child, then ABSOLUTELY YES!! With proper help and guidance, your child can learn to adapt to living with LD and go on to accomplish their dreams. I prefer to use "Managing" rather than "Treating" LD."

She has excellent points on how to manage the condition

One of her points say "Any site I checked emphasized on - "EARLY EARLY EARLY!" Early Intervention! Because otherwise, it can have a snowballing effect - if not intervened early on, the child can get frustrated at lagging behind, and that can lead to severe self-esteem problems, and it will take much longer to undo this damage!"

Go over to read the entire text here.

To know more and to contribute to this ongoing event contact Kiran @ Karmic Kids

Advocating for your child

CeeKay who blogs at My Two Cents has the next post in the series Learning Disability Awareness month

She says "A child with learning disabilities needs an advocate more than anyone else. Teachers and caretakers would just as easily recommend the child be pumped full of drugs to make him/her more manageable instead of putting in time and effort to manage his behavior. I am sorry for this harsh judgment because I know there are still many dedicated teachers and caretakers out there who wouldn't take this route. But it is because of those who take the easy way out instead of working with the child that I have formed this opinion"

She also references articles and puts an emphasis on being assertive to advocate for your child

Go over to read the entire text here.

To know more and to contribute to this ongoing event contact Kiran @ Karmic Kids

What you can do as a parent if your child has LD

Disclaimer: This post is compiled through online research. In no way does it claim to be comprehensive, exhaustive and put together by an authority on the topic. If you suspect your child has a learning disorder, please do consult a specialist on the topic immediately.
When Tharini of WinkiesWay came up with the Food Allergy Awareness Month, a few months ago, I thought this was a brilliant way to bring the blogosphere together to create awareness about topics that needed awareness spread about them and my immediate thought was that it would be wonderful if we had something on similiar lines for Learning Disabilities. I grapple with it on a daily basis albeit on a mild scale with my son. He has not been tested for Learning Disabilities, but he is definitely slow to pick up.
In this era of acute competition, with school syllabuses incredibly fast paced and unforgiving, what is a parent to do when his or her child is confronted with a system of learning that is beyond their abilities? Or if they are highly intelligent, yet unable to process specific information. I've tried to put together a guide to how you can work with your child at home, apart from the help your child should receive at school and a professional special educator if required.
First, if your child has been diagnosed with a learning disorder, learn as much as you can about it.
Figure out how your child learns best. What are their special skills, talents, and interests? This information can help you motivate and foster your child's learning. Be open to other ways of learning. The senses, movement, and listening are all ways of gathering information. What works best for your child?

Encourage your child to work on their special talent. When they can really shine in some area, it helps them feel like a success.

Give your child unconditional love and support.

Accept your own mistakes. Model for your child that mistakes do not equal failure! Show your child that mistakes can be useful and lead to solutions.

Help your child understand their learning problems and talk about them. Focus on coping skills.

Help your child stay strong in body and mind by providing good food, enough rest, play, and family outings.

If you're having trouble coping, get professional counseling. It can be tough handling difficult behavior from your child and difficult feelings of your own.

Join a support group for parents of kids with LDs. A support group can help you feel less alone, get information, and learn strategies from other parents.

Helping your child with his or her school education.
The first step is to get involved.
Involve your school with your child's learning issues. Speak to the teachers and the coordinators. Ask teachers how you can help provide consistency and how you can reinforce and expand on what's going on in the classroom.Talk with your child's teacher about both academics and behavior.Plan homework strategies with your child's class teacher.
Help your child with their homework to the best of your ability without applying too much pressure on your child.

Provide an organized home with time and a place for study.Ensure your child understands and values the need for a good academic record and works towards it.
Inculcate good study skills and independent studying habits.
According to research, children whose parents are involved in their education benefit all round with:
Better grades

Better attendance

Higher graduation rates

Better self-esteem

Less drug and alcohol use

Less violent behavior

Fix a daily study routine which makes study time an integral part of your child's day. Have a fixed spot for study.
Keeping tabs on kids’ after-school activities and making sure they are supervised.S

howing your kids you value learning, self-discipline, and hard work.

Setting realistic, but high goals and standards for your child.

Guide and supervise TV viewing, read aloud, take educational trips with your child, having books as an integral part of your child's life, and doing interesting activities that stimulate your child's mind.
Going to the school regularly, so your child will view home and school as being connected, and will view school as an important part of the family’s life.

Self Esteem issues can crop up with children who have learning Disabilities. It is your role as a parent to ensure that you reassure your child to develop a strong sense of self worth, by reassuring them, working with them and building on their unique talents and skills.

Tips for how children with learning disabilities can succeed at school

Ways to help a student with a learning disability succeed at school

Accommodations - these can be as simple as being seated in the front row, having extra time on tests, or can involve electronic equipment and auxiliary personnel

Compensatory strategies - ways to use their cognitive strengths to offset weaknesses. If they have poor auditory memory but strong visual memory, have them draw or write down the instructions

Special education - instruction taught by specially trained personnel in smaller classes which focuses on working on specific skills

Self-advocacy skills - empowering students to ask for what they need in order to learn in the most effective way. Motivate the child to ask questions if they don’t understand the instructions

Working with your child at home

When you work with your child at home on academic and life skills, you help them recognize their own strengths and increase their self-esteem. Examples of activities you can implement at home fall into several categories – accommodations, organization, critical thinking, and emotional support.

Ways to cope

Take frequent breaks when doing homework

Accommodate for the child’s primary learning style by allowing them to pace around, listen to background music, attach visual displays to the walls, or wear earplugs or headphones if distracted by noise

Provide a computer for written assignments if the child has difficulty writingOrganizationModel and teach them how to make “to do” lists and prioritize their homework

Set aside a regular time each week for organizing workspace, belongings, schoolwork, and activities; make a game of it or provide a reward

Give your child a task that requires organization: grocery shopping required for a recipe, planning a birthday party on a budget, using a map to figure out the route from one place to another

Critical thinking

Play games of strategy

Talk about current events and ideas with multiple points of view

Encourage all sorts of age-appropriate reading and writingEmotional supportPraise your child for the positive qualities they exhibit during the whole process of doing homework not just when they finish their homework

Engage them in social problem-solving: how to resolve conflicts with friends, teachers, and kids who may be bothering them at school

Encourage activities that your child enjoys and excels inKeep open lines of communication so your child feels comfortable discussing feelings with youLet your children know that you enjoy their company by playing and talking with them. It’s important not to ignore other children in the family. Many activities geared for learning disabled children can include and benefit children without disabilities as well
Set reasonable expectations

Try not to expect more than the child is capable of doing, but expect the best that he or she can produce, with and then without assistance. Many young children with learning disabilities have significant problems with visual-motor integration. Some do not know how to hold a pencil or draw the simplest figures. In these cases, an occupational therapist or specialist in learning disabilities may be needed. Parents can, however, assist by having children draw figures in sand, make designs with finger paint, etc.

Introduce mathematics as a meaningful, pleasurable activity, not a rote memory skill. While most parents play simple counting games and sing number songs (all of which are helpful), we also recommend activities which strengthen the language of mathematics and one-to-one correspondence. Some children with learning disabilities have difficulty counting systematically; others have difficulty with words such as more, less, few and other relational terms. Encourage children to help estimate, measure, pour water or milk, not only to learn some of the quantitative terms but to help them acquire certain visual- spatial-motor skills.Simple games with dominoes can be used to match quantities, to strengthen counting skills and one-to-one correspondence. When reading to children, have them note the numbers of the pages and say them. Some youngsters learn to count, but they do not learn how to read numerals.Seriation (ordering objects according to size) is an important aspect of mathematics which parents can encourage. When children are given pots and pans of various sizes to stack in order, they are learning the rudiments of seriation. When they stack various size rings on a peg they also learn about the smallest and largest figures.

Simple problem solving can begin with activities such as setting the table. How many more forks do we need? Do we have enough spoons? These same types of activities can be used when playing games-- Do we have enough players, cards? etc. Many simple board games with dice are excellent ways of teaching counting, one-to-one correspondence, and turn taking.
Above all, be an involved parent. You are the only person who can truly hone your child's potential to its maximum. And you are the rock your child will turn to for reassurance.

Compiled by Karmickids.

(This article is compiled from online research)

Delay & Early Therapy for LD Awareness Month

Priya who blogs at PriyainSuburbia has the next post in the series Learning Disability Awareness month

She says "No one knows the cause of delays / disabilities in development. . . What we do know, is that earlier children are diagnosed and the earlier children are provided with appropriate help and therapy - the better their overall outlook for leading a normal life. Learning Disabilities usually span a spectrum. And really, a vast number of children are perfectly normal. However, if at all you suspect a problem, then its in the child’s best interest to get help as soon as possible. Here’s what to do and not do if you suspect an LD:"

She has very good points there to grapple with the fact, to get help and to deal with the situation.

Go over to read the entire text here.

To know more and to contribute to this ongoing event contact Kiran @ Karmic Kids

Types of learning disabilities

[This post is written by Tharini of Winkie's Way and crossposted there.]

DISCLAIMER!!!

Before reading further, please note that the info presented here is purely cursory information based on some online research. It is by no means conclusive and if you feel that your child exhibits one or more of these warning signs, it does not mean that he/she suffers from a learning disability! Thank you.

March has been dedicated to awareness of learning disabilities in children in our little slice of the blogosphere. To be frank, I have no experience or knowledge about learning disabilities. But that should not stop any of us from understanding more about what it is, because being educated is being empowered. And when Kiran gave us a list of topics to address I chose 2. Namely, types of learning disabilities and warning signs that parents and teachers need to watch out for.

But before we get into any of all that....let us first clarify our understanding of what learning disabilities in children really are about. Some individuals, despite having an average or above average level of intelligence, have real difficulty acquiring basic academic skills. These skills include those needed for successful reading, writing, listening, speaking and/or math. These difficulties might be the result of a learning disability. It is basically a condition when a child's achievement is substantially below what one might expect for that child. Learning disabilities do not include problems that are primarily the result of intellectual disabilities, emotional disturbance, or visual, hearing, emotional or intellectual disabilities.

Many children with LD have struggle with reading. The difficulties often begin with individual sounds, or phonemes. Students may have problems with rhyming, and pulling words apart into their individual sounds (segmenting) and putting individual sounds together to form words (blending). This makes it difficult to decode words accurately, which can lead to trouble with fluency and comprehension. As students move through the grades, more and more of the information they need to learn is presented in written (through textbooks) or oral (through lecture) form. This exacerbates the difficulties they have succeeding in school.

What are the types of learning disabilities (LDs)?

LD is a broad term. There are many different kinds of learning disabilities. Most often they fall into three broad categories:

Reading disabilities (often referred to as dyslexia)

Written language disabilities (often referred to as dysgraphia)

Math disabilities (often called dyscalsulia)

Other related categories include disabilities that affect memory, social skills, and executive functions such as deciding to begin a task.

Here is some general information on the more common forms of LD. We will not get into too much of detail, and restrict this to an overview understanding of the types of LDs.

Dyslexia (difficulty reading)

Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. Reading disabilities affect 2 to 8 % of elementary school children.

To read successfully, one must:

Focus attention on the printed symbols
Recognize the sounds associated with letters
Understand words and grammar
Build ideas and images
Compare new ideas to what you already know
Store ideas in memory

A person with dyslexia can have problems in any of the tasks involved in reading. Dyslexia is not due to either lack of intelligence or desire to learn; with appropriate teaching methods, dyslexics can learn successfully. Remedial reading specialists have developed techniques that can help many children with dyslexia acquire these skills.

However, there is more to reading than recognizing words. If the brain is unable to form images or relate new ideas to those stored in memory, the reader cannot understand or remember the new concepts. Other types of reading disabilities can appear in the upper grades when the focus of reading shifts from word identification to comprehension.

Dysgraphia (Writing difficulty)

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper. Just having bad handwriting doesn't mean a person has dysgraphia. But if a person has trouble in any of the areas below, additional help may be beneficial.

>Tight, awkward pencil grip and body position
>Illegible handwriting
>Avoiding writing or drawing tasks
>Tiring quickly while writing
>Saying words out loud while writing
>Unfinished or omitted words in sentences
>Difficulty organizing thoughts on paper
>Difficulty with syntax structure and grammar
>Large gap between written ideas and understanding demonstrated through speech.

Dyscalculia (Difficult in Math)

Dyscalculia is a term referring to a wide range of life-long learning disabilities involving math. There is no single form of math disability, and difficulties vary from person to person and affect people differently in school and throughout life.

Since math disabilities are varied, the signs that a person may have a difficulty in this area can be just as varied. If a person has trouble in any of the areas below, additional help may be beneficial.

>Good at speaking, reading, and writing, but slow to develop counting and math problem-solving skills
>Good memory for printed words, but difficulty reading numbers, or recalling numbers in sequence
>Good with general math concepts, but frustrated when specific computation and organization skills need to be used
>Trouble with the concept of time-chronically late, difficulty remembering schedules, trouble with approximating how long something will take
>Poor sense of direction, easily disoriented and easily confused by changes in routine
>Poor long term memory of concepts-can do math functions one day, but is unable to repeat them the next day
>Poor mental math ability-trouble estimating grocery costs or counting days until vacation
>Difficulty playing strategy games like chess, bridge or role-playing video games
>Difficulty keeping score when playing board and card games.

Other related conditions

Many aspects of speaking, listening, reading, writing, and arithmetic overlap and build on the same brain capabilities. It is not surprising that people can be diagnosed with more than one learning disability. There are many disabilities that are related to learning disabilities. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) makes it difficult for children to control their behavior and pay attention.

[This has been a very brief overview of LDs. More exhastive information can be found at http://www.ldonline.org/]

GENERAL WARNING SIGNS OF LDs

Warning signs may differ depending on whether it is a preschool child, or elementary school or secondary school.

PRESCHOOLER

Language
* Slow development in speaking words or sentences
* Pronunciation problems
* Difficulty learning new words
* Difficulty following simple directions
* Difficulty understanding questions
* Difficulty expressing wants and desires
* Difficulty rhyming words
* Lack of interest in story telling

Motor Skills
* Clumsiness
* Poor balance
* Difficulty manipulating small objects
* Awkwardness with running, jumping, or climbing
* Trouble learning to tie shoes, button shirts, or perform other self-help activities
* Avoidance of drawing or tracing

Cognition
* Trouble memorizing the alphabet or days of the week
* Poor memory for what should be routine (everyday) procedures
* Difficulty with cause and effect, sequencing, and counting
* Difficulty with basic concepts such as size, shape, color

Attention
* High distractibility
* Impulsive behavior
* Unusual restlessness (hyperactivity)
* Difficulty staying on task
* Difficulty changing activities
* Constant repetition of an idea, inability to move on to a new idea (perseveration)

Social Behavior
* Trouble interacting with others, playing alone
* Prone to sudden and extreme mood changes
* Easily frustrated
* Hard to manage, has temper tantrums

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Language/Mathematics
Slow learning of the correspondence of sound to letter.
Consistent errors in reading or spelling
Difficulty remembering basic sight words
Inability to retell a story in sequence
Trouble learning to tell time or count money
Confusion of math signs (+, -, x, /, =)
Transposition of number sequences
Trouble memorizing math facts
Trouble with place value
Difficulty remembering the steps of mathematic operations such as long division

Motor Skills
Poor coordination, or awkwardness
Difficulty copying from chalkboard
Difficulty aligning columns (math)
Poor handwriting

Attention/Organization
Difficulty concentrating or focusing on a task
Difficulty finishing work on time
Inability to follow multiple directions
Unusual sloppiness, carelessness
Poor concept of direction (left, right)
Rejection of new concepts, or changes in routine

Social Behavior
Difficulty understanding facial expressions or gestures
Difficulty understanding social situations
Tendency to misinterpret behavior of peers and/or adults
Apparent lack of "common sense"

SECONDARY SCHOOL

Language/Mathematics/Social Studies
Avoidance of reading and writing
Tendency to misread information
Difficulty summarizing
Poor reading comprehension
Difficulty understanding subject area textbooks
Trouble with open-ended questions
Continued poor spelling
Poor grasp of abstract concepts
Poor skills in writing essays
Difficulty in learning foreign language
Poor ability to apply math skills

Attention/Organization
Difficulty staying organized
Trouble with test formats such as multiple choice
Slow work pace in class and in testing situations
Poor note taking skills
Poor ability to proofread or double check work

Social Behavior
Difficulty accepting criticism
Difficulty seeking or giving feedback
Problems negotiating or advocating for oneself
Difficulty resisting peer pressure
Difficulty understanding another person's perspectives

What Impacts a Child's Self Esteem

The first in the line of articles for learning Disability Awareness by Laks of Emotionally HighStrung. Her article is on the topic --

Learning Disabilities and it's impact on a child's self esteem

"A child's self esteem is related to the degree of success experienced by the child. It can be as simple as learning to tie his shoe-lace or as hard as solving complex math problems, depending on the child's age. Each child has his/her own pace at which he/she learns. As a parent we need to understand this very clearly and try not to push the child to achieve things the child is not yet ready to. If the child finds himself not doing things his parents are expecting him to, he translates that as a failure and it is devastating for the child. This translation of success/failure related to self esteem is an internal process. The child will stop believing in himself due to any lack of success he's having at doing things and his self esteem takes a huge blow."

Read the whole article here

If you want to contribute To this awareness campaign please contact Kiran @ Karmic Kids

March is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month...

...on the Mommy Blogosphere.

Through this month, earnest Mommy Bloggers will research and put up posts relating to Learning Disabilities and issues relating to these that affect children.

Do stop by whereever you see our badge up for posts on this topic. (Thank you Dotmom for the lovely badge!)

Desi Momz Club will have an end of the month round up of all these posts. The first one is already up at Emotionallyhighstrung.

The second is up here at Winkiesways

As more posts come up, I will add the links right here. Do read, comment and spread the word.

(Posted by karmickids)