teachers, administrators and therapists is implemented to aid children who have learning disabilities. The PST invites parents to be involved as they discuss the child’s strengths and difficulties and do preliminary screenings, monitor grades and tutor in problem areas. Good communication between par-
ents and teachers is crucial to ensure that a child with a learning disability takes steps in the right direction, Herman says. She suggests that parents speak with their child’s teacher once a week to monitor progress. Herman also stresses the importance
of early detection. “A parent doesn’t need to feel guilty about being over anxious because early detection really has proven that many times children can overcome any developmental milestone that they are delayed in if we catch it early enough.” Children can be evaluated for learning disabilities as early as age 3 in Alabama and Georgia school systems. Byrd remembers a student who
benefited greatly from early detection and close moderation. “We had a student last year that transferred to our school with an IEP in place, and she went from receiv- ing about 15 to 20 percent of the time getting help outside of the classroom to receiving no accommodations and placed gifted.” Byrd says that through building the child’s confidence and assimilating her to the classroom environment, she was able to excel and better cope with her learning disability. Byrd also says that helping your child maintain a healthy self-esteem is especially important. “Parents should build their child up as much as possible and use a lot of positive reinforcement,” Byrd says. “They like to hear that they’re doing a good job.” For example, if a child receives a poor grade on a homework assignment, focus on areas the child did well in and re-teach or go over areas he or she struggled with. Patrick Knopf, director of the pro-
gram for exceptional students at Musco- gee County School District, says parents
can encourage good learning behavior by using everyday activities, like going to the grocery store, as learning opportunities. “They’ll remember the time they went to the grocery store with mom and catego- rized the fruits,” Knopf says. “There’s an emotional connection to the parent.” Another important thing to remem-
ber when dealing with a child who learns a little differently is to have patience, Knopf says, because they may take longer to acquire a certain skill. Also, recognize small successes and bolster your child’s confidence. “You have to work on building those small successes so that the child can go on and be motivated to learn more.” Although it may be difficult to accept
that your child has a learning disability, with early detection, monitoring and positive reinforcement you can ensure that your child will have success, not only in the classroom, but also in life.
AUGUST 2012 | Valley Parent 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20