The Students Learning Disability ~ Health Assistant

No one ever said school was a breeze. Almost all of us experience different challenges at school, but some have mental and physical limitations that make coping more difficult. These are called learning disabilities. Learning disabilities interfere and affect our ability as a students to read, write and speak, or compute mathematical problems. Sometimes these can even hamper students social skills. But having a learning disability should not prevent students from pursuing their dreams. Moreover, it does not mean that a student with a learning disability is stupid! The genius Albert Einstein was once diagnose with a learning disorder, but it does not affect him, look at the mark he made for himself in history. A learning disability simply means that your brain functions differently from the rest.

Learning Disability = Language Learning Disorder. When a student have a hard time associating words with pictures and actions.A student find it hard to grasp abstract concepts and complex ideas.

Here are symptoms of Language learning disorder,

Its difficult for a student to follow directions.
A student say certain words with ease, but if they use it in a sentence, the words get slurred.
A student easily retains memories of past experiences, but not lessons learned in class.
A student cannot rephrase a statements that need clarification. Explaining things seems hard for him.
A student find it hard to understand what the person is telling. It has to be repeated several times before the meaning dawns on him.

Here's what you can do about it,

Stick to one language when conversing with people.
Inform your teachers and friends about your condition so they accommodate you with the following:

When giving instructions, they must be repeated to you in exactly the same way it was rephrased the first time.
Sit in front of class and stay away from your "more active" classmates.

Study or review for an exam alone.
Highlighting your notes or certain phrases in your book will help you a great deal.
When reading, do it segment by segment. Read one sentence carefully and make sure you understand it before you proceed to the next.

Learning Disability = Attention Deficit Disorder. When a student are over active, easily distracted, and very impulsive. It is more commonly known as ADD. Another term is ADHD - ADD compounded by hyperactivity.

Learning Disability = Attention deficit disorder,

A student enjoys day dreaming in class and fail to listen to important pointers. A student are branded as the " student who never pays attention in class" but he/she just can't help it.
A student find it hard to control your emotions. You have sudden outbursts when confronted by slightly frustrating task.
A student easily distracted and have difficulty filtering information.
A student is very restless. When someone ask him a question, he/she answer right away without waiting for the other to finish from talking. You can't keep still and prefer to roam around the corridors than sit through hour-long class discussion.

Here's what you can do about it,

Always sit in front of the class so it's easier to focus on the teacher. Take down notes diligently and maintain eye contact with your teacher during class.
Stay away from your more active and talkative classmates during lecture and exams, so you can pay more attention to your tasks at hand.
It is more beneficial for you to study alone than in groups, or hire a tutor to help you figure out the more difficult concepts in school.
It is good to put structure in your day. Set up a definite schedule for you to follow. Use a planner to write down guidelines that will motivate and direct you to finish assignments for the day.
You can ask your close friends to give you social feedback to keep your behavior in check.

Learning Disability = Dyspraxia. When a student experience difficulty in motor planning. A student have a hard time coordinating appropriate body movements in a given task.

Here are symptoms of Dyspraxia,

Always break the tip of a lead pencil
A students actions are very uncoordinated that they often break things and are branded as clumsy or a klutz.
A student sometimes get confused as to which hand ti use for a certain activity.
A student experience great difficulty during movement activities, like in PE classes. A student find it hard o follow directions.

Here's what you can do about it,

Expose yourself to simple, repetitive gross motor activities like climbing, simple aerobics, dancing, swimming, jumping (use a jump rope). These activities give you sensations that will help you become more aware of your different body parts.
Inform your teachers about your condition. You can ask for one on one (with classmate or teacher) sessions away from the rest of the class during PE. Or, your art/home economics teacher might be able to set aside a few minutes to monitor your performance.

Learning Disability = Dyslexia. When a student have trouble reading and understanding written words. Also, writing and spelling them out.

Here are symptoms of Dyslexia,

A student sometimes reverse words and letters (p to q, b to d) and jumble pronunciations.
A student must read the same material over and over again before he/she can grasp the meaning.
A student need to point out words for he/she to follow what he/she is reading.

Here's what you can do about it,

Inform your teacher about your condition, so they may accommodate you with the following:

Instead of copying notes from the blackboard, ask for a hand out of the lesson so you can focus on listening during lecture time.
If possible, request for oral exams instead of talking the usual written exams.
Tape classroom discussions/ lectures, transcribe or listen to the tapes when you get home

Highlight or underline important notes.
Summarize, recite what you have learned to yourself or to a teacher or classmate who can validate your learning's.

Learning Disability = Dysgraphia, When a student have difficulty coordinating his arm and hand movements, particularly in writing. A student can be doing well with other fine motor activities, but continue to experience problems in others.

Here are symptoms of Dysgraphia,

A student have difficulty in spelling and writing composition.
When forming letters, what may come as automatic hand motions for others does not for a student who suffers from dysgraphia, thus a student end up with a nearly illegible handwriting.

Here's what you can do about it,

Inform your teacher about your condition, so she may give in to these possible request:

Instead of lugging around a binder or a notebook for note-taking in class, bring a laptop.
Record classroom lectures.
Ask a copy of the lesson.
If possible go for oral exams.

If you display a symptoms of learning disability, seek help. Ask your parents to schedule an appointment with a psychologist so he or she can diagnose your disorder. You might be asked to take some tests to determine if there is a need for special education classes. Take action don't just sit there and forever be scolded for not paying attention in class. Don't allow other classmates and teachers to label you as a slow learner. Prove them wrong, school is not just aplace wherein we can strengthen our skills. It also a place wherein we learn from our weaknesses and find ways to deal with them.