Homeschool Your Child with a Learning Disability / Disabilities

Learning Disabilities often exist in Twice Exceptional Children - those who are gifted with learning disability. There are many different learning disabilities that can make it difficult for an otherwise bright child to learn at home or school. The National Institute of Health defines a Learning Disability as follows:

"Learning disabilities are disorders that affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements, or direct attention. Although learning disabilities occur in very young children, the disorders are usually not recognized until the child reaches school age."

The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), defines Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) as "a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia."

According to the IDEA federal laws, Specific Learning Disabilities are NOT "learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage."
34 Code of Federal Regulations §300.7(c)(10)

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Some children have processing problems which interfere with the storage or retrieval of information. Your child can have difficulty with short-term memory (holding information in his head long enough to manipulate it or work with it), long-term memory (getting info into storage for access at a later time), exective functioning (planning, sequencing, organizing, etc.), memory recall or other processing difficulties.

Your child could have other specific areas of learning difficulty in reading (dyslexia, occular motor deficiencies, scotopic sensitivity, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, etc.), math (dyscalculia), writing (dysgraphia, fine motor delays), etc.

There are so many possiblities for difficulties, that it is difficult to determine where your child's problem lies. Often it is most helpful to have an independent neuropsychological evaluation by a qualified practioner. Areas of learning difficulty are often created by multiple areas of disability.

Having an evaluation can also help you know your child's strengths and how to teach your child. This site provides information on various disabilities, but always keep in mind that this is not professional advice and no one can 'evaluate' your child without individualized testing and working with your child. Any help you receive here, or in the Yahoo group, is lay advice from people with similar experiences. The information can be helpful, yet you must always keep in mind--Your child is uniquely gifted with his strengths and weaknesses. (continued below..)

Learning disabilities can affect a child's ability to function in any single area of learning, or in multiple areas of learning. Children with learning disabilities are, by definition, of normal or above average intellectual ability. In fact, IDEA used to use a discrepancy formula to identify children with Specific Learning Disabilities, but this practice was ineffective for identifying children with any degree of consistency. The reauthorization of IDEA in 2004 changed the laws so a significant discrepancy between ability and achievement is not required to identify a child as having a Learning Disability. For more about the current laws and identification of a child as having a Specific Learning Disability, visit SchwabLearning's article, "IDEA 2004 Close Up: Specific Learning Disabilities Evaluation and Eligibility".

Helpful Reading List:

Learning Disabilities: A to Z: A Parent's Complete Guide to Learning Disabilities from Preschool to Adulthood

Help for the Struggling Student: Ready-to-Use Strategies and Lessons to Build Attention, Memory, and Organizational Skills

Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook: Ready-to-Use Strategies & Activities for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities

Smart but Stuck: Emotional Aspects of Learning Disabilities and Imprisoned Intelligence

Teaching Learning Strategies and Study Skills To Students with Learning Disbilities, Attention Deficit Disorders, or Special Needs

Look for other Learning Disabilities books

Best Wishes for Success!
SandyKC