Learning Differences

By the time my youngest child was in preschool, it was evident he was struggling to recognize letters and link sounds to words. Two of his older brothers had already been diagnosed with learning differences, so the red flags were clear to me: Letters had no meaning to him and no amount of time with flashcards were making them any more identifiable. By elementary school, even though he could articulate thoughts and make connections verbally, reading and writing continued to elude him. By age 6 he was formally diagnosed with dyslexia, along with ADHD, and began working with specialists to learn to read and write. It was a long journey, but today he is a huge fan of fantasy fiction, with books stacked across his room. If you are worried about your child’s academic performance, read on for some typical signs to look for in LD students.

To steal from (and slightly alter) the movie Good Will Hunting: “My boys are wicked smart.” Today, as young men, my boys are physicists, rocket scientists, mathematicians and so much more. And yet, they did not all graduate at the very top of their classes. Intelligence, ability and grit do not always translate to top grades in school. Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities can get in the way of succeeding in the classroom. The key is helping our kids recognize and appreciate their abilities while at the same time learning to tackle the obstacles that learning disabilities may put in their way.