When you have a learning disability, it is more difficult to learn new skills, and sometimes it takes you longer to understand certain concepts than it would for someone without a learning disability. School is more frustrating for people with learning disabilities because not all teachers are trained to teach students with learning difficulties. I have a learning disability in both reading and math, and school was more difficult for me because I struggled to understand basic concepts that would come easily for most people. People with learning disabilities need more help academically, and that is okay because even though someone takes longer to understand something, it doesn’t mean that you can’t thrive while living with learning difficulties. It is frustrating to learn new things with a learning disability, and it is even more frustrating when people don’t know how to teach and get upset when we don’t comprehend what the point you are trying to get across. How can you help someone with a learning disability? In this post, I am going to talk about a few ways you can help someone who has learning difficulties.
Don’t yell when I don’t understand something– When you have a learning disability, it takes you longer to understand basic concepts, and sometimes people get frustrated with us and start yelling when we don’t understand something as quickly as someone without learning difficulties would. School was very frustrating to me because the teachers who were supposed to be trained to teach kids with learning difficulties often struggled to explain things in a way that I could understand. When I was going to school, I was in SLD classes (specific learning disabilities), which are classes that go at a slower pace and are designed for people with learning difficulties, because standard classes would have been too difficult for me. Teachers still struggled to explain things to me and sometimes would get so frustrated that they would start raising their voice when I didn’t understand something as quickly as they thought I should. Learning is very frustrating for people with learning difficulties, and saying things in a louder tone is not helpful and only adds to my frustration. The problem isn’t my hearing, but it’s that you didn’t explain things in a way that I can understand. Please don’t yell at someone with a learning disability who is struggling to understand something because we are just as frustrated as you are.
Explain things in a different way- When you are trying to explain something to someone with a learning disability and they are not getting it, that should be your cue to explain in a different way, because repeating the same thing over and over again is not helpful. Sometimes people with learning difficulties need things broken down more simply to be able to comprehend the point you are trying to get across. Find a different way to explain it because you are never going to make progress with kids who have learning disabilities if you keep explaining concepts in ways that are confusing to them. School was frustrating to me because a lot of the time, teachers didn’t understand that their way of explaining concepts was the problem and the reason I was so frustrated.
Find a teacher who understands learning disabilities- My sisters went to private school, but because of my learning disability, private school was not a good option for me, and I had to go to public school to have my needs met. If you want your child with learning difficulties to thrive, it is so important that you find a teacher who understands learning disabilities because not all teachers are trained to teach kids with learning difficulties, and sometimes don’t know how to teach us. Find a teacher who understands learning disabilities, whether that is a private tutor or sending them to a different school that has better options for students with learning difficulties. It can be very difficult for people with learning difficulties to thrive if they aren’t in the right kind of curriculum. Kids with learning disabilities will still struggle academically if they are in the right program, but those struggles will be a little bit less. It is okay if your child needs to be in classes that go at a slower pace, and sometimes it’s necessary for someone to be able to learn.
Be patient– When someone is trying to explain things to me that I am not getting, sometimes people get impatient and start yelling. Be patient and try to understand that people with learning difficulties are not always going to comprehend concepts immediately, and it may take us a little more time. Don’t get mad at people who are struggling to learn because not everyone is going to be fast learning, and that is okay. I hate that it takes me longer to comprehend academic subjects, and believe me, I want to understand what you are trying to say. My learning disability is not my fault, and getting mad at me for not understanding is not helpful and makes me feel like a failure. Take breaks if someone is getting frustrated because a little patience can go a long way!
Figure out what kind of learner they are– Everyone learns in a different way, and it can be very helpful to know what kind of learner you are. Are you a visual learner and need more pictures, or are you an auditory learner and thrive by hearing things multiple times? It can be very difficult to help someone who struggles with learning if you don’t know what kind of learner they are. You might not be making progress in teaching your child with a learning disability because you are using visuals when they don’t learn that way.
When you have a learning disability, school is often frustrating because you can’t learn things at the same pace as someone without a learning disability can. School is harder for people with learning difficulties, but you can thrive while living with a learning disability, and many people are able to get a college degree. Sometimes we may require more help academically to be able to get degrees, but that is okay because it doesn’t matter how long it takes to reach a goal, and the only thing that matters is that you got there. People with Hydrocephalus are more likely to have learning disabilities than someone without the condition, and it’s likely the reason I struggle with learning new things. You can thrive while living with a learning disability, and people just need to learn how to teach us because often, your method is the problem. How would you help someone with a learning disability? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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