18 Feb 10, Thursday: Learning disability (LD)

First of all, children with learning disabilities are normal and if not more, then as gifted and talented as the rest of the kids out there; having understood and accepted this truth is perhaps half the battle won for parents of children with LD.
Raising a child with LD has its fair share of challenges and heartaches but ask ANY parent and they will tell you that raising a child is literally no child’s play (no pun intended). The worst you can do for a child with LD is ignore or deny it; studies show that children who have received the right kind of help earlier on in their lives have been able to not only cope better but maximise their potential in the long run.
The first obvious signs that parents should not ignore are delayed milestones such as speaking later than most children, pronunciation problems, trouble with letters and alphabets, slow vocabulary growth etc.
We are indeed blessed that modern medicine offers several simple tests and procedures by which physical ailments (erroneously interpreted as LD) can be ruled out; for example, a pre-schooler unable to read alphabets may simply have poor vision which prevents him from seeing what the teacher writes on the blackboard.
Having said that, if your child is diagnosed with LD, there is nothing to fear; today, we have a pool of specialists, experts and trained professionals and caregivers who can open up the world of knowledge and opportunities which were earlier not easily available for children with LD.

The stumbling block continues to be acknowledging and accepting that your child had LD and needs special care; ironically, the main problem is not that the child has LD but that the parent is unable to accept the same; counselling (for the parent) is a must in such cases.
Your child (irrespective of disabilities) cannot thrive unless he has YOUR unconditional love, acceptance and support; without these key ingredients there really is no hope and therefore no help.