Parent Strategies
Building on Strengths
Tips on Helping
Your Child Succeed
By Dr. Susan Baum
Professor of Education, College of New Rochelle
Co-Author, To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled
Most children with learning disabilities are
creative and very smart. They may become experts in particular
topics or have a strong interest or passion or a special talent
they pursue. These are the things that parents must nurture, that
will allow their children to be successful.
Is your child a whiz with Legos®?
Has she started her own business making cookies? Is he intensely
interested in world hunger, the plight of the homeless, or saving
the whales?
Parents need to support those
activities —
- to demonstrate that they are valued,
and
- to help develop a child's sense of
self-efficacy — the conviction that "I can do it."
To promote your child's
abilities:
- Try a variety of activities to
explore your child's interests: athletics, drama, music, dance,
Scouts, community service, school math or science clubs
- Show that you value what she cares
about — attend her games or concerts, ask questions — and listen
to the answers!
- Build family time around his
interests: take him to the auto show, a basketball game, or the
reptile exhibit at the zoo.
- Don't use his interest to punish or
bribe him, e.g. forbidding him to play unless he finishes his
homework.
Read more about Dr. Susan
Baum’s advice on supporting children’s interests and
talents in the Smart Kids with LD New Member Information
Kit, available to all who Join Smart Kids!
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