Learning Disorders Community Group

Learning disorders affect how a person understands, remembers and responds to new information. People with learning disorders may have problems •Listening or paying attention •Speaking •Reading or writing •Doing math Although learning disorders occur in very young children, they are usually not recognized until the child reaches school age. About...

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Developmental & Learning Disorders
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What areas does your child have challenges in?

deleted_user
deleted_user
My son has challenges in every aspect of his life: speech, language, comprehension, preception, processing, memory, ocular, writing, attention even physically. It's labeled as Global Dyspraxia or Sensory Motor Based Processing Disorder. He just mastered his first set of jumping jacks in PT--which for him is a big accomplishment. He still has a way to go before he actually does them with speed and accuracy--but hey he at least completed a set, using both arms and legs together. For a bilateral discoordinated child thats very difficult to do.

I'm not so concerned with his physical challenges as I am with his Intellectual/Cognitive ones. I'm not sure how to help him. I have found some of the techniques they are teaching him at school are hindering him rather then helping him. Take for instance--before he started school we knew he had difficulties holding a pencil--so we happen to use contractor pencils at work which are the fatter ones, so we brought them home for him to use. He seemed to do better. At school they refused to allow him to use them and made him use pencils with grips--he's still struggling to use the "regular" pencils with the grips. We also noticed that once he entered school the way he formed his letters was not the way we taught him as a Pre-k kid. He was taught the "typical" way of going from top to bottom. In school someone had the brains to teach him to go from bottom to top which made his letter writing worse then it was before. It's been a challenge to get him to go back to the "typical" way--but his speech therapist along with his father and I "re-training" him. The speech therapist told him the next time she see's him she doesn't want his a's to 9 laying down--LOL My cousin suggested using slant boards by taping two binders together--we tried that but he didn't do so well with it. Anyone else have any suggestings in helping him to write? Not only that--how many have kids with Visual Processing issues or Ocular Motor Issues that have trouble reading and writing? What have you found to benefit your kids with these conditions?
deleted_user
deleted_user
I used to use a ....not sure what it's called....but it's a rubber pencil holder you put on the pencil to rest your finger and thumb appropriately on the pencil. The school must allow those. I would imagine under the ADA your son would be allowed that. It really does train your son to hold the pencil. I'm not saying he's suddenly going to write beautifully; my handwriting is still atrocious, but it can help.
Perhaps anxiety is making his slide backwards in terms of his writing. I doubt he forgot what he learned.
I'm afraid when I was in school, I don't think we did anything special to help with my handwriting, except just had me practice on special lined paper with the --- in the middle of two lines which guided me lettering. Sorry! If I can think of something, I'll let you know!
deleted_user
deleted_user
He uses the pencil grips, that is what you are referring to, but they have not helped him. They have not incorporated the special lined paper for him. I know what you are talking about and I need to pick up some, so I can ttry it. Maybe it would help with his sinkers and fliers as the speech therapist has told him--LOL she calls any of his letters that fall below the line sinkers and any that are above the line fliers. When he makes his a's the look like lazy nines who don't want to stand up.---( : His teacher put his reminders at his desk for sinkers, fliers and spaces, because he writes every letter at a different size so there is either a ton of space between the letters or no space so he crams in the remaining letters. This is where we are hoping OT will help. Monday is the big day for his eval--I can't wait. I will tell you how it goes.
mellywil
mellywil
Sowle, I homeschooled mine just to do so & get to see them more. I researched a ton of our educational system & how it even became the "traditional" way we know it today. Therefore I learned a lot of how much incorrect notions & rules are actually hurting not helping our children, LD or not!!! Be proud of what he is doing as I can see you are, but ALWAYS let your son know YOU are his parent above all others,teachers included! Let the teacher(s) know the same!!! Confidence is key , not how & when he masters this or that by their timeline!!! It will come when it can along w/ the appropriate teacher(s) for him!!! My children actually skipped grades when I did send them to a private school & this was simple the headmasters advise, & guess what Sowle, I never taught them in a traditional manner nor w/ the run of the mill expected tools or curriculum, nor on a precise daily schedule, that just didn't work for us. They had no problems when going back to traditional school!!! I know there is someone out there for him & his needs & I know you know he is truthful in the struggle & battles he endures to please them, all he has to be pleased w/ is his self, that's the confidence which inspires learning the techniques he will come to know that allows him to learn w/ less stressors!!! I will be praying that this will come to u guys soon!!! god bless you girl!! And wow-way to go on those jumping Jax!!!:)))) MeLisa
deleted_user
deleted_user
That is one thing I am extremely worried about--his self esteem and confidence. We have been hearing him say more and more that he's stupid and can't do it. We instill in him that he can do it, and that we don't want to hear him say he's stupid because he's far from it. Who is stupid are the ones that saying it about him, and I swear if it's coming from kids in his class, I am going to blow. I got a letter from the teacher in his agenda book that the principle is splitting him and his buddy Logan up at lunch time because she does not want them getting to buddy buddy with each other, for they need to seek out other friends.--this is coming from a principle who does not know my son, just started in August, does not know his challenges within a social environment. Last year we never had an issue with the principle because he knew my son in school and outside of school and saw how he interacts with kids, and therefore was very helpful last year. How dare she keep my son from sitting with someone he feels comfortable with. Now, what do I hear from him--I sat alone at lunch today because I was told I couldn't sit with Logan. Or I was put with those two horrible boys I don't like at lunch today, and they wouldn't leave me alone so I could eat my lunch.( for him to say this-1 is a huge challenge, 2 means he's really bothered by it because normally he doesn't say anything about school) Needless to say I have a meeting at school next week to address this situation.
deleted_user
deleted_user
It's so easy to compare yourself to others, and unfavorably, of course, and to dim out your parent's positive attention. I hope you can resolve things with Logan, because having a buddy at school is crucial for his self-confidence. That principal seems so out of touch with kid's needs.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have to update you on the Logan issue--My son thinks he's so clever--he started sitting across from Logan at the table because in his mind the school doesn't see them as sitting together--He's so funny--every day he comes home saying--" mommy they haven't caught me yet"--He's too much!!! But at least they are leaving him alone and he's able to sit with his buddy still.

This principle the school got to replace the one that retired is really setting a bad example for herself--she has made some decisions that are going to come back to bite her and frankly I hope they do.

At the meeting the issue in the lunch room was never addressed because the principle never showed for the meeting. It's probably for the best because she would not have liked what I was going to say to her.
deleted_user
deleted_user
My son has problems identifying certain words. He does read, but he can't tell "hear" from "dear" sometimes.