All children need support, encouragement, and love from their parents, as it reinforces self-confidence and enables them to keep going when things get tough.
Many children with learning disabilities struggle in school before being diagnosed, which can make them feel unmotivated and insecure. Educators can’t afford to stop the lesson or repeat it for one child, as there is a lengthy curriculum that needs to be taught in a short period of time.
Receiving extra support, whether it’s homework help or verbal reassuring, can greatly help your child succeed in both their academic and social life.
Understanding how to recognize the signs of a learning disorder is essential when trying to provide the appropriate support for your child at home.
What is a Learning Disability?
Having trouble reading, writing, and solving math problems are all signs of a learning disability.
This neurological condition affects the brain’s ability to send, receive, and process information. These processing problems interfere with learning skills such as organization, time-planning, attention, and other cognitive operations.
A common misconception about learning disabilities is that they only affect an individual’s academic ability. However, a person’s relationship with friends, family, and coworkers can also be impacted.
There is a wide range of learning disorders, each type having its own symptoms and challenges. Finding ADHD, dyscalculia, and dyslexia resources for parents can be incredibly challenging, as there’s no set treatment for these disorders.
Focus on the Strengths, Not Just Weaknesses
Everyone has things that they’re good at and things that they struggle with.
A learning disability only represents one area of weakness, but it’s important to remember that there are many more areas of strength that compensate for it. Focus on the activities that your child excels in, nurturing the skill and making it even stronger.
Nevertheless, weaknesses shouldn’t be pushed aside and ignored but should be worked on and improved. Practice makes perfect, which is why plenty of time should be allocated to enhancing their skillsets.
Praise Effort Rather Than Outcome
Focusing on your child getting the wrong or right answer can be extremely discouraging for kids with learning disabilities.
Try having a good attitude and praising effort while your child completes their tasks, as it motivates them to do their best.
Saying things like “I like how hard you’re trying to figure out this math problem,” or “ I’m really proud of you for completing this page!” boosts self-confidence and encourages them to continue doing well.
Provide Breaks In-between Tasks
It has been proven that people do better and work longer when they take short breaks between each task.
For children with learning disabilities such as ADHD or dyslexia, it’s best to sandwich difficult tasks between easier ones. For example, if your child enjoys reading more than solving math problems, start by doing some of the reading, take a break, then have them complete the math assignment.
Always try to end the day with them completing their favorite subject’s homework, as it leaves a positive impression after a long day.
Exercise breaks can also help refresh and restart their brains, increasing their productivity when they return to the task at hand.
Overcome Learning Disabilities With Waystone Psychology
Learning disabilities have a huge impact on our daily functioning that can affect the people around us.
Although there’s no cure for learning disabilities, learning coping strategies and working towards improving reading, writing, and concentration can help make life a little easier.
Our expert psychologists will work with your child to improve their skills using a specialized approach that is suitable for their specific learning style.
Reach out to us to learn more about our ADHD and dyslexia resources and begin the journey towards well-being.