Public schools are required by law to identify and address learning and behavioral issues that interfere with a child’s ability to learn. Private, religious, independent, and home schools are not held to the same standard. However, in recent years, some private and religious schools have increased the support and accommodations they are willing to offer their students.
Regardless of the type of school your child attends, providing effective help for a child with language-based learning difficulties (LBLDs) requires a high level of involvement on your part.
Your child will benefit greatly by having you as his or her number one advocate.
A good place to start is with an understanding of what your child’s challenges are. You probably already have a sense of these difficulties, but when learning challenges become significant and the demands of school consistently exceed your child’s capacities, expert advice is often essential.
Here are common indications that your child might benefit from an assessment and interventions.
- Your child dislikes school and frequently asks to stay home.
- Your child appears extremely anxious before school.
- You child complains about school and hates doing schoolwork.
- Your child appears to be unclear about what he or she is learning at school and hates discussing school.
- Your child routinely gets very low grades.
- Your child struggles to maintain any level of organization.
- You and your child spend many hours completing homework and studying for tests, but he or she is not able to master skills or learn content.
- Your child’s teacher reports that your child is struggling to keep up in class.
- Your child’s teacher and you have implemented a number of strategies to help resolve your child’s struggles, but after a month or two the strategies are not helping.
If you suspect that your child’s skill level is significantly below what it should be, it’s time to ask for help.
This article is excerpted from Helping Your Child with Language-Based Learning Disabilities (Strategies to Succeed in School and Life with Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, ADHD, and Auditory Processing Disorder), by Daniel Franklin, PhD; published by New Harbinger Publications (2018). Available at Amazon through this link: Helping Your Child with Language-Based Learning Disabilities. Dr. Franklin is a Board Certified Educational Therapist and the founder of Franklin Educational Services.