Why is the child LD?
There seem to be many causes that may be responsible for learning difficulties.
Maternal health during pregnancy, complications during childbirth, difficulties soon after birth, high fever, meningitis, oxygen deprivation to the brain etc., and hereditary factors are some of the often-quoted causes.
It is often acknowledged that LD is caused more due to glitches in the software of the brain rather than in its hardware.
Problems like Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and Attention deficit disorder [ADD] are said to be caused by biochemical imbalances in the brain.
Professional help and how it works
The first step is to meet a special educator who will conduct a preliminary interview (intake) with the parents to gather information about the child
Based on the information, the special educator will recommend a psychological assessment or screening test for the diagnosis of the child's area of difficulty
If the test confirms a learning difficulty then the special educator/psychologist recommends the ideal kind of remediation suitable for the child.
Remediation is of two kinds:
- One-to-one tutoring or remediation given on an hourly basis after school hours twice or thrice a week.
- Full-time remediation given to children with severe difficulties in special schools catering exclusively to children with special needs.
Remediation involves individualized lesson plans customised to meet each child's requirements combined with one to one tutoring. It consists of exercises in reading, spelling rules using specialized phonic methods, sentence and paragraph writing strategies, activities to enhance thinking and reasoning skills, comprehension and arithmetic.
Unlike regular tuition classes the emphasis here is to enhance study skills, language arts, memorizing strategies, attention span and overall personality.
What schools need to do
Schools must realize that the dyslexic child's reading, writing, spelling, comprehension, arithmetic skills often range from considerably below to far below the norm. Learning difficulties or specifically dyslexia – be it mild, moderate or severe – cuts across class, age and intelligence and all schools will have some dyslexic children. In fact it is believed that every class has at least one dyslexic child.
All teachers in primary and secondary schools therefore need to be made aware of and trained in the teaching methods, which are most effective with such children.
We need to understand that difficulties in reading, writing, spelling and handwriting may have nothing to do with intelligence and such learning difficulties can be found in a person of any IQ from low to very high. They are however easier to spot in a brighter child because his academic difficulties seem to surprise both parents and teachers. The brighter the child, the more frustrated he can become.
Lack of awareness may lead to labeling the child as stupid or lazy, leading to the child carrying a discarded identity and behaving in just that way.
What the teacher can do in class
LD children need to be taught how to learn. A sympathetic and positive approach can alleviate the child’s anxiety
Appreciate the effort of the child rather than the results – the process than the product.
Begin every lesson with an outline of what is going to be taught.
Establish links between the current lesson and the ones done before. This is useful for all children.
Contrary to the majority of children, the LD child often learns visually. So use both visual and auditory tools and methods to teach a lesson.
Avoid using negative words, threats and labels in the class. They can never help to motivate any child nor is the teacher going to feel any happier.
Establish eye contact with this child while you teach. Talk in brief sentences, especially while giving instructions and do it in a moderate voice.
Make the child sit in front of the class, next to a high performer.
Educate other teachers and other parents so as to build support for the child.
Ignore minor misdemeanors and overlook spelling errors, handwriting and neatness when you want to enhance content learning. Wind up your class with a recap of what was taught.
Encourage the child to answer orally whenever possible and praise him lavishly. Believe in the child.