Does Your Child Have a Learning Disability?

1. Does Your Child Have a Learning Disability?

2. Objectives • What is a learning disability? • Common symptoms • Testing and diagnosing • Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) • Legal rights • Strategies for success • Your objectives

3. What is a Learning Disability?

4. Learning Disabilities • Spoken language • Written language • Mathematics • Reasoning • Memory

5. Common Symptoms: Preschool A preschooler with a possible learning disability may: • Begin talking later than peers • Have trouble finding the right words when talking • Have difficulty following instructions • Display extreme restlessness • Interact inappropriately with peers • Have significant coordination problems

6. Common Symptoms: Elementary School Aged Children The symptoms of a learning disability may become more obvious at the elementary level, he/she may: • Have difficulty learning the connection between letters and sounds • Confuse simple words • Transpose numbers or letters • Have difficulty following simple directions • Be impulsive and lack planning skills • Have excessively poor handwriting and/or trouble gripping a pencil effectively • Have difficulty understanding the concept of time

7. Common Symptoms: Middle And High School Aged Children As school work becomes more demanding, a child in middle or high school may exhibit any of the previous symptoms plus some of the following: • Inability to follow lectures and/or take effective notes • Difficulty organizing written material • Trouble comprehending reading material • Frustration with learning foreign languages • Inability to understand math processes, such as equations

8. Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Child • When does my child typically display unusual behavior? • How often does my child exhibit the behavior and how long does it last? • Where does the behavior usually occur? • Does my child’s behavior seem to be influenced by others? • Does my child’s behavior seem to be influenced by other factors?

9. Testing For A Learning Disability How to request testing for children: • Under the age of three • Over three but not enrolled in school • Enrolled in public school • Enrolled in independent (private schools)

10. Diagnosing a Learning Disability

11. What To Do If You Disagree With The Diagnosis You can request: • Other professionals (within the school or district) be brought in to listen to your concerns • Another evaluation by a private psychologist at the expense of the school system • An administrative review of the process used to evaluate your child, in which you will be able to bring your concerns before the board of education • A due process hearing

12. Individualized Education Plans (IEPS)

13. Academic Accommodations • Extended time on exams • Books on tape • Auxiliary aids • Educational resource room • Study skills instruction

14. Educate yourself and your child Identify helpful strategies Help your child develop self-advocacy skills Open the lines of communication Have your child evaluated on a regular basis Create routines for schoolwork Consider hiring a tutor Create an effective study space Create opportunities for success Keep the lines of communication open Listen to your child Help your child plan for the future Attend support groups and seek out other means of support Strategies for Success

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