Learning Difficulties Are Not Learning Imposibilities: Prepare For A Challenge.
December 8, 2016 by ThySista
Filed under Education, Health & Wellness, Opinion, Tech/Internet, Weekly Columns
(ThySistas.com) We are blessed to live in a time where learning difficulties in children are recognized. For decades, children who struggled at school were just dismissed as stupid, languishing behind their peers with no hope of keeping up. It is a constant relief that in the modern age, we are now able to recognize learning difficulties – and adapt education to suit different needs.
There are a variety of conditions that fall into the group. ADHD; Autism Spectrum Disorder (which includes the well-known Asperger’s Syndrome, which Einstein himself suffered from); dyslexia; dyscalculia – and the list goes on. If you find yourself in the situation where your child is diagnosed with one of these conditions, 
it can be a difficult thing to digest. We all want our kids to have the best path in life, so it can be troubling to think there is a road block in their way.
Fortunately, there are ways and means to smash through that blockage. You just need to recalibrate the way that you see their lives, and find the means to support them to be the best that they can be.
- Stop Dreaming of Their Future
We all do it. We imagine our children in their future occupations, delighting at the idea of them finding a vocation that they truly love. We may even have our own ideas about the fields they should pursue.
These daydreams need to stop when you learn your child has a learning difficulty. It may be painful, but accepting that they may have a trickier journey is an essential. You don’t want to exert pressure in the wrong areas. Instead, just hope they will find something that makes them happy.
- Consider All of Your Options
There are a lot of things you can do to help support your child through their education. For example, your school may be understanding, but they might also not know how to cope with a child with different needs. It’s worth considering training programs such as Eaton Arrow Smith and similar establishments that specialize in dealing with these issues.
Learning difficulties are difficult to predict and tricky to manage without experience; it might simply be beyond the training of teachers at your current school. This doesn’t mean they have to leave traditional schooling and their friendship group permanently, but can help equip them to cope better in the future.
- Help Your Child Understand It’s Okay To Be Different
With a condition like dyslexia, many parents fall into the trap of trying to encourage their child to “push through it.” This is akin to telling a cancer patient to just “push through it” – no one has that much control of their body and mind!
Instead of lecturing about coping skills, be understanding and encourage your child to see themselves as different – but still wonderful. Your faith can help with this, especially the concept that God does not give things to people that they cannot handle. Explain they may find things more difficult, but that just means that they will have a unique experience.
It may be a long road to navigate, but it will be all the more rewarding in the end.
Staff Writer; Regina Love
