What is a Learning Disability?
All children have the potential to learn. However, children's minds work in different ways. For some children, learning to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations is extremely difficult due to a learning disability. Despite a child having average or above average intelligence, these learning disabilities may have an effect on making friendships, on concentrating, on being able to remember and on the ability to understand and use language. A child may have difficulty processing information in sequential order; therefore, experiencing difficulty with organizing ideas and materials. Another child may have difficulty processing information simultaneously, which may result in being unable to perceive a shape and/or a concept as a whole. Some learning disorders can have an effect on how the brain processes information that comes in visually, or processing information that comes in aurally.
Another kind of learning disorder makes it difficult for a child to solve problems and reason with abstract information. Some learning disorders affect the way the child's muscles work. Messages that are not being sent clearly from the brain to the muscles can make writing difficult and also cause the child a great deal of difficulty with certain sports and activities in social situations.
All too often students have more than one kind of learning disorder. Therefore, careful screening through formal evaluations and continual on-going classroom observations must occur to determine a child's strengths and weaknesses and how the child processes information. In other words, it must be determined where the child is stuck and what is successfully working for that child.
What are the causes of Learning Disorders?
We are not sure what causes learning disabilities. We do know that it frequently has to do with differences in the way a person's brain works. Often when speaking to parents of children with learning disorders we find that these disorders seem to be prevalent in families. A brother or sister, father, mother, cousin or uncle and aunt may have also experienced learning disorders. An accident or illness earlier in life may have caused the difficulty, but it is quite difficult to pinpoint that as being the cause of the learning disorder.
What are the emotional and behavioral aspects of a learning disability?
From the time a child emerges from under the covers in the morning until he returns to that same security at night, he strives to be successful and to avoid humiliation at all costs, especially with peers. If a child learns easily and is successful in the eyes of his peers, his teachers and his parents, then school is an enjoyable experience. If the child does not learn easily and is not successful, he or she may suffer a loss of self-esteem, self-worth, confidence and motivation to learn. Helping the parent and child to understand and accept not only the learning disorder, but also the strengths of the child, is the beginning of knowing that learning disorders can be worked on and compensations can be made.
Where can a parent get help?
The following is a list of professionals who can help you and your child understand the learning disorders:
- Classroom Teacher - By working with the teacher, you and the teacher, can develop an understanding of the learning problems your child may be experiencing.
- Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant - They can help develop a learning profile that describes your child's strengths and weaknesses. Psychologists - They can help you understand your child's learning problems as well as personal problems.
- Psychiatrists - They can help deal with family problems and with the child's feelings. They can also prescribe medicine.
- Speech/Language Pathologists - They can help diagnose and improve a child's language skills.
- Occupational Therapists - They can evaluate and remediate sensory integration and motor skill disorders.
- Neurologists - They, along with pediatricians, can take a closer look at how your child's nervous system is working and any problems related to it.
- Pediatricians and Family Doctors - They can often help you in understanding your child's learning problems or refer you to a professional who can help you. Developmental pediatricians specialize in children with learning disorders.
Referring a Student to the Child Study Team
Q. What are some signs that a child may have a learning disability?
A. If a child has difficulty retaining material, has trouble understanding directions, has difficulty remembering facts, or has speech or behavior problems, in a traditional setting, he or she may have a learning disability.
Q. What can a parent, or school personnel, do after suspecting a learning disability?
A. In the East Greenwich School district there are school-based committees called I&RS, consisting of teachers, administrators, Child Study Team members, etc., who address academic or behavioral problems.
When a student is referred, interventions and strategies are implemented, documented, and evaluated for effectiveness.
Q. If these interventions or strategies prove ineffective, what is my next procedure?
A. If after a reasonable period of time, typically three months, the interventions prove to be ineffective, then a written request should be made for a Child Study Team review. (This can be made by the IRS chairperson, teacher, parent, etc.)
Q. How long must I wait for a Child Study Team review?
A. Within 20 days of receipt of the referral, the Child Study Team (including the parents) will convene and review data.
Q. What is discussed at the initial meeting?
A. Concerns will be expressed and a determination made whether the referral is acceptable. If the referral is accepted, evaluative data to be collected will be determined according to the presenting needs.
Q. How long does the Child Study Team have to complete an evaluation?
A. The Child Study Team has 90 days from the day a parent gives consent for completion of the evaluation to placement of the student in an appropriate program, if necessary.
Q. What if it is determined that the referral in not appropriate?
A. If it is determined that the referral is not appropriate, general education interventions will be comprehensively developed by the I&RS team. Responsibilities for these implementations will be designated to all involved parties within the general education faculty and staff with the Child Study Team functioning as consultants.
Q. What is an IEP?
A. The IEP (Individual Educational Plan) will describe the type of program, the instructional and behavioral adjustments to be made for the child, and the location of the place in which the child should be educated. Parent, team members, and the child’s classroom teacher develop the IEP for the student. |