Most psychologists agree that coming to terms with the reality that your child has a learning disability is a tough thing to accept. However, parents also need to consider that their child's disability may be something other than merely a brain disorder. Consider if you will issues with eye-sight and hearing. Children who have trouble hearing might appear to be slow learners in the classroom, in day care, or kindergarten, but there may be nothing more wrong with them than the basic hearing issue, and once that is taken care of they can compete and do well in the classroom as any other child.
Therefore, parents need to make sure they get the proper tests done in advance of exiling their children into a special education category, where they may not belong. So, on one hand parents need to face the facts and admit there is a real problem and get over that issue, but on the second hand, they should not merely accept it before all the hard choices they will have to make. After all, it might be a year or two before the special education teachers realize that the child is perfect in every way except for a minor eye problem or hearing issue.
Luckily, our schools and therapists are getting much better at all this, so, generally speaking after taking a few tests with some professionals early detection is completely possible. Another issue is that often children experience learning disabilities which are temporary, and with minor modification, or working through other issues as described here. Perhaps the take-away here is to seek the right help early, and if you think your child is not responding correctly, or having trouble that other children aren't - then it behooves you to get the appropriate experts to figure out what is going on.
Indeed, it may be nothing, or it very well could be an easily correctable problem. These things need to be thought out, and you as a parent in this situation need to have a plan, so that your child gets the appropriate education. Sticking a kid in a special education class when they don't belong can have devastating effects and curtail learning due to a low challenge environment.
Now then, here is what I recommend; seek professional help early, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Be skeptical of anyone who tells you your child can't make it in a regular classroom without proper tests and proof. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this
Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 23,500 articles by mid-day on June 23, 2011 is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off..
