A learning disability is defined as a permanent problem

that affects a person with average to above average

intelligence, in the way that he/she receives, stores,

and processes information. There are many wrong ideas out there about

learning disabilities. For example:1) A learning disability will go away in time.

Unfortunately, this is not true. The good news is, you can

learn ways to get around the problem. For example, kids who

have trouble taking notes in class, like Michele did, can

record the class on audiotape. Other students can make copies

of the notes they have taken for them. The teacher can make

copies of the notes they are lecturing from. Or, when the notes

are written on an overhead transparency during the lecture,

they can be copied after class and given to the student. For children who have trouble reading, tapes of many of the

textbooks are made available through the publishing companies.

At one school where I taught volunteers did the taping.

We also used tapes that were recorded by a company called

Recordings for the Blind. 2) A person with a learning disability has a low IQ.

Again - not true. A person with a learning disability has

an average or better IQ. There are many people who are very

smart, but for some reason, they cannot learn as well as their

IQ suggests they should. I tell my students that having a

learning disability is really a compliment because it means

that they are very smart! Unfortunately, because a negative

by-product of a learning disability is often low self-esteem

they don't always believe me. So remember, the self-esteem

issue is as important to deal with as the learning

disability itself!3) A person with a learning disability is just lazy.

There has to be a reason why the person with LD doesn't learn

the way he should. Perhaps his brain doesn't process the

information the right way. He may process information much

slower than other people. Or he may not process what he sees effectively. Some people can't process what they hear as well

as what they see. Other people can't remember information unless

it's repeated again and again, and some people have real trouble getting the information out of that filing system they have in

their brain. Typically people with learning disabilities

work harder than others - but with lesser results. It's not

about hard work - it's a learning disability. 4) A person with a learning disability can't do anything right.

Even though a child may have a learning disability in one or

two areas, it doesn't mean they can't do anything right.

My daughter struggled with a disability in math, but what a

wonderful writer she is! And she has more knowledge about how

to get around a computer than many people have - I envy that

ability because I think I have a learning disability in

that area! I've known students who, even though they struggled

with math or reading, were excellent around heavy equipment or automobile engines or carpentry or drafting. Many could do

things with a computer that seemed impossible. The important thing is that, if your child has a learning

disability, or even if you suspect he might have one, learn

everything you can so that you will know what to expect and

what not to expect from him as well as from his teachers and

his educational program. That way you will be able to

understand and help him in the best way possible. While none of us wishes our child to have a learning disability,

if he or she does, recognizing and dealing with that fact is the

intelligent approach to take. It's only when we recognize the

truth about our child's condition, that we can learn how to

maximize his or her abilities and minimize their dis-abilities. Want to be an advocate for your child? Read

"10 Ways You Can Advocate for Your Child with a Learning

Disability" at http://www. ldperspectives. com/freeinfo. 6. asp. For more up-to-date plain talk about learning disabilities,

please visit us at www. ldperspectives. com. About the AuthorSandy Gauvin is a retired educator who has seen learning

disabilities from many perspectives - as the parent of a

daughter with learning disabilities, as the teacher of

children with learning disabilities, and as an advocate

for others who have diagnosed and unrecognized

learning disabilities. Sandy shares her wisdom and her

resources at www. LDPerspectives. com.

Author:
Sandy Gauvin