By Louise Masin Sattler, NCSP
Owner of Signing Families

I have long told parents and fellow educators that everyone has a learning disability. In some way or another each of us has a problem learning a skill or completing a task. In my case I cannot knit. No matter how many times my mother attempted to teach me how to knit (a hobby that she has loved all her life) - I failed. My long rectangle scarves all turned into unusable triangular-shaped blobs of wool. Despite my lack of knitting prowess I was able to complete school tasks without much difficulty. However, for others, their specific learning disability does impact their ability to attain academic success and is the cause of severe frustration.

As the school year is starting it will be a happy time for most children. However, about one of every ten children has learning challenges that will impact how they feel within the confines of their classrooms. Imagine, being a second grader dreading that the teacher may call on you to read aloud when you only know a handful of the words. This child begins to shake knowing that some child will snicker as he/she stumbles upon the pronunciations of the simplest of words. I know adults who still recall this scenario and continue to have a visceral response.

Also take into consideration the child who tries and tries to learn to memorize math facts, yet each time he is asked to recite them he mixes the numbers up. Is it 8 X 5 equals 45 or 54? No matter how much the student has tried to memorize the times tables he can’t remember! Worse yet, when he writes his numbers they are reversed in order. His parents are frustrated. He is upset and in many ways will learn to just give up.

How can we help the second grader who can’t read or the child with difficulties learning math concepts? First, parents need to advocate for their child. Sometimes, a child may seem unmotivated or have a poor attitude toward school when in reality she/he is covering up that the fact that they are trying their best, yet are making little progress, if any. Parents who suspect that their child has problems in school should ask in writing for a multi-disciplinary meeting of the school professionals that assist children with learning or behavioral challenges. Included in this letter of request should be reasons why the parents are concerned about the child’s education progress. (As a hint, never include statements such as: “The teacher has it out for all boys in class and only likes the girls”).

Every public school in the United States is required to have a group of people who meet with the parent and teachers to discuss a child’s academic success or lack thereof. Depending on the concerns, the needs expressed will often decide who will participate on the team. In the case of a reading difficulty the team may include the parents, teachers, an administrator, school psychologist and perhaps a reading specialist or another special educator. Together the team will decide what the next course of action should be. Often as a first step one of the team members will observe the child during class time. Also, the parents may be encouraged to have the child’s vision and hearing checked in a more sophisticated setting than the school nurse’s office.

Next, members of the team may be requested to evaluate the child for his/her strengths and weaknesses as related to academic skills, social-emotional maturity, visual perceptual development and intelligence (among other categories). Often this is the role of the special education teacher, speech and language therapists, occupational therapist and the school psychologist. Results of these tests can prove to be very valuable and indicate the best modalities for teaching the child. Also, if there is a statistically significant discrepancy between a child’s cognitive abilities and academic skills then it is possible he/she has a true learning disability. For example, suppose “Jill” has an IQ of 105, which is considered statistically well within the average range. However, her reading test scores were found to be well below the average range and in the 10%ile as compared to her age peers. Thus, “Jill” may be deemed learning disabled (challenged) for reading. Once she has been found to have a learning disability that impacts school learning as compared to her age/grade peers she will have an individualized education plan developed to help assist her (an "IEP"). This plan, according to federal and state guidelines, needs to be within the least restrictive environment and without any cost to the parents. Thus, she may receive extra help within her classroom or outside of her usual classroom in another part of her school, such as a reading assistance room, depending on her needs.

In order to make sure that a student is improving with the programs/accommodations set in place (or other determined interventions), annual meetings are convened with the multi-disciplinary team and the parents. Any child between infancy to 21 can have access within the public school sector for special education. In addition, some private schools honor special education programs and work in conjunction with school districts to provide services (e.g. speech therapy).

In closing, please know that everyone of us has unique talents and also challenges. However, they must be deemed educationally significant in order to be documented as a “learning disability.” If you have any further questions regarding learning disabilities or other educational topics, there are many excellent resources available online. One of my favorites is by the National Association for School Psychologists. Here you will find many helpful articles to assist parents, educators and students so they can learn more about different educational, behavioral and contemporary psychology topics.