Hey Teacher, My Child Can’t Read

Learning Disabilities take many forms. While the majority of LD cases involve reading issues, other forms of learning disabilities interfere with: writing, speaking, listening, thinking/reasoning, processing information and spelling. These learning disabilities often go unnoticed by teachers while parents often know that there is a problem. We suspected that our daughter Hannah had some sort of “problem” when she was in kindergarten. She did enough to get promoted but she never ever passed a spelling test or completed a sight word list. It did not become apparent to her teachers until 1st grade when she began to fall behind in class.

The irony lies in the fact that even though Hannah could not keep up with her classmates, she was actually a brilliant thinker who could grasp the most complex of ideas. The simplest example of this is in Mathematics….Hannah understands the concept of multiplication but don’t ask her to multiply “5 x 5″. She can’t do it correctly very often. She is also very talented in Art and creating stories.

If you suspect that your child has a problem with one or more of the skills listed above you need to speak to your child’s teacher, school psychologist, principal, etc. Make sure that your concern is taken seriously. If you do not get the answers or results that you need then seek out other professionals at the school. You may also consult with your child’s pediatrician or your personal physician for suggestions.

Understand that as the parent you are your child’s advocate in the academic and medical world. Later when your child is assigned to a specialist then you will have a very important person to also be an advocate for your child.

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