Now you can identify the underlying causes to your child’s learning problems
Learning Disability
Screening Tool
Dyslexia? Learning Disabilities? Learning Problems?
The Learning Disability Screening Tool gives you a way to identify and understand your student’s individual learning strengths and weaknesses. It fills the gap between what you know about teaching your child or students and what you need to know to teach those who have dyslexia or difficulties with learning. Also gives you the language you need to advocate for your student’s needs.
Think Your Child May Have Dyslexia or Learning Disabilities?
Now, you can find out at home.
Are you frustrated because your child has experienced difficulty in school and you are not sure how to help them? You may not understand why they are having learning problems, but you know your child is struggling. You may wonder if your child has a learning disability or dyslexia and if their school has addressed their individual needs.
Many of you may have attended either a student study team meeting or an IEP meeting, trying to get help for your child. The meetings are often stressful and may even be difficult. You may leave the meeting befuddled and uncertain on what the next step is. You may still wonder how to help your child with dyslexia or a learning disability.
Lisa P. writes: “I attended an IEP back when my daughter was in public school. The one thing I remember is that they threw a bunch of test result numbers at me with very brief/insufficient descriptions of each and the meeting was late in the day and very rushed. I left feeling they had very little hope for our daughter and my resulting emotions were quite shocking to me.”
Many of you are aware that children learn in different ways and at different rates of progress. You may notice that your child is struggling more than you think they should even though you have tried to help them by explaining the subject matter to them several times. This can lead to frustration for both you and your child.
Background on Learning Problems, Learning Disabilities, and Dyslexia
- Learning difficulties affect up to 1 in 3
- Learning disabilities or dyslexia affect 1 in 5
- Most learning problems are never identified
Students with dyslexia, learning difficulties, or learning disabilities may often exhibit the following traits:
- They feel like a failure. They don’t smile much anymore either.
- They feel stupid. They don’t see the point of even trying, no matter what they do, they feel it’s not good enough.
- They dread going to school. School isn’t fun or interesting; it’s hard!
- They may get frustrated with schoolwork. They know everyone else does everything much easier and they know it’s so much harder for them to do their own assignments and then get lousy grades on them.
- They may feel that their work isn’t going to be good enough so they stop trying.
- They may ultimately not be able to get into the college of their choice or get the job of their choice.
In my 35+ years of experience as an Educator, Learning Disabilities Specialist, and Board Certified Educational Therapist here’s what I’ve learned. Sometimes children are having a slight learning problem at school. The problem might not be so great that a parent would seek help, but it is enough of a problem that the parent and child experience frustration when their child is doing their schoolwork. Sometimes children are having serious difficulties with their schoolwork and you know they need help, but you are at a loss how to help them.
It’s my professional opinion that many teachers and parents do not accurately diagnose these learning problems because they are not specifically trained in the areas of learning disabilities or dyslexia. Many children go through school with their educational challenges not being met. It is my mission to give parents and teachers the knowledge to be able to identify and to rectify the learning difficulties and learning disabilities their children may have.
Common Signs or Indicators of Learning Problems, Learning Disabilities, or Dyslexia
- Take too long to do their work? It seems to take them all night to do what looks like a simple assignment.
- Have a hard time getting their work done in the allotted time?
- Spend hours doing schoolwork? They often have to stay in at recess or bring their schoolwork home in order to get it done.
- Know they have an assignment, but cannot remember what it is? And it’s too late to call a friend and find out what the assignment is.
- Have trouble understanding the directions?
- Work up to their abilities?
Finally, there is a way to find out if your child actually has learning problems, dyslexia, or learning disabilities.
Bonnie Terry has developed an assessment tool that can be done online with Bonnie to screen their own child for possible learning problems, learning disabilities, or dyslexia. The comprehensive informal neuro-developmental behaviorally-based assessment is very easy to do online with Bonnie Terry to get a clearer understanding of your child’s learning issues. You will be able to see both your child’s strengths as well as their weaknesses. Once you have the knowledge about your child’s learning difficulties, you become the ‘expert’ on your child. You now know what has been holding your child back and you can now be pro-active and address your child’s learning disabilities, learning problems, or dyslexia.
