The Little Boy Book by Sheila Moore

Author:Sheila Moore [Moore, Sheila]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-83040-1
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2012-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

Could Your Son Be Learning Disabled?

It is easy to overlook differences between children, particularly if our experience is limited to our own offspring. It is disappointing to think that one of our children may have trouble in school, and perhaps especially so when there are signs that might indicate a long-term learning problem. Unfortunately, neither denial nor attempts to downplay a boy’s problems in school will help an LD child.

Parents who have reason to suspect a little boy is learning disabled should first seek educational and psychological testing. These can be done at no charge through the public school system, although in some localities there may be a backlog for such services and testing can take several months. Private examination by a developmental psychologist or educational testing facility is often quicker but can cost as much as $300 to $600. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) is commonly used in such testing. The advantage of this test is that it contains a series of subtests that examine specific abilities. Experts generally agree that a scattering of scores (high in some areas, low in others) is a frequent indicator of learning disabilities. Whenever a significant discrepancy appears between a child’s potential for learning and his actual performance, he may be considered at risk for learning disabilities.

Unless a firm diagnosis is made, many school districts suggest that a child have a physical examination as well. A developmental pediatrician or pediatric neurologist may find symptoms of hyperactivity or learning disabilities that a psychologist can only suggest. Other testing occasionally recommended can include an opthalmic examination, psychiatric consultation, and speech and hearing evaluations. The availability of diagnostic facilities depends somewhat upon the community, but parents would do well to seek experts with an interest in and knowledge of learning disabilities. It is also important to be skeptical of those offering simple cures. For almost all children, a learning disability is a lifelong condition. With proper help, a child may learn to adjust to his difficulties or develop ways to compensate for them. A learning disabled child is learning disabled for twenty-four hours of every day. “He has trouble learning the do’s and don’t’s of life in every situation,” one neurologist points out, “in school, at home, on the playing fields, and in social groups.”

If a positive diagnosis of learning disability is made, it is natural for parents to feel guilty, angry, concerned about their son’s future, or envious of other parents whose children are not different. They may try to blame his teachers (“They don’t understand him.”), his doctors (“Why didn’t someone catch this problem sooner?”), or even each other (“We never had any problems like this in my family!”). It’s important for parents to deal with their feelings, and if need be, to seek help in doing so. How well you handle your own emotions can help your son deal with his.

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