Information For Parents Of Children With Learning Disabilities

Learning Disability Assessment - Pros And Cons

Learning disabilities are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and schools are required to provide resources including testing for children who suffer, or may suffer, from a learning disability ...

Learning disabilities can be quite insidious.

Many children are never properly diagnosed, and those who are, often struggle for years before they are ever tested for a learning disability.

This is truly a shame as learning disability assessment is the right of every child.

Learning disabilities are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and schools are required to provide resources including testing for children who suffer, or may suffer, from a learning disability.

Parents and students must advocate for themselves. Learning disabilities are usually caught informally, by noticing discrepancies between demonstrated intelligence and actual classroom performance. Often students with learning disabilities are creative and show obvious signs of intelligence, yet they struggle with tasks such as writing or math.

Students with learning disabilities may also claim to "hate school." The learning disability can cause frustration and anger, as well as ostracizing and social problems. An undiagnosed learning disability should always be considered as a root cause for behavior problems or under achievement.

Learning disability assessment is fairly simple but must be performed by a qualified clinician. School psychologists can administer learning disability tests, but are often overworked with a backed up caseload. School overcrowding means that there are not always enough resources to go around and children tend to be categorized, with the most serious cases given priority. If you have the money, you might wish to take your child to a private psychologist for learning disability tests.

Learning disability tests vary according to the specific learning disability for which the child is being assessed. A combination of standardized tests, both oral and written, along with hearing and vision testing are usually administered as an official set of learning disability tests. It is very important to ensure that the problem is definitely a learning disability as opposed to a hearing, visual, or other physical disorder.

A learning disability assessment allows children to receive a diagnosis of a specific learning disability, which is necessary in order to receive full benefits under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Based on the specific learning disability, your child will become eligible for individualized resources and special programs. Additionally, each specific learning disability has its own set of proven strategies for management.

It is important, however, not to be too caught up in labels. Ultimately, a learning disability is a very personal thing, and those who have learning disabilities must learn the strategies that work best for them. Learning disability assessment will provide your child with the resources he or she needs, but integration of the learning disability as simply a part of the child's life should be the ultimate goal.

Next article: An Introduction To Language Based Learning Disabilities

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