One of the best and easiest ways to inform yourself about your child’s learning disability is by reading a good book on the subject. There is a ton of literature available about learning problems, so it may be a bit of daunting task to choose something to start with. Luckily, there are many informed parents and specialists out there who have already waded through this flood of information, so you don’t have to dive in on your own. The following is a list of written resources that have made it past the critical gaze of those in the know:

1. No Easy Answers: The Learning Disabled Child at Home and at School, Sally L. Smith, $23 (paperback), available at Amazon.com

This has been the book that parents of learning disabled children have turned to for more than fifteen years now. Smith is the parent of a learning disabled child, the founder and director of the Lab School, and an education professor at the American University, so she’s extremely well-qualified to write about this subject. The book covers a wide range of information, including a look at how learning disabilities are diagnosed and tips on how to make sure your child is getting the education he or she deserves. The updated version includes sections on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ADD, and ADHD.

2. All Kinds of Minds: A Young Student’s Book About Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders, Melvin D. Levine, $28.70 (paperback), available at Amazon.com

Even though this book is geared toward young readers, it’s a valuable resource for both parents and children to learn from together. Levine is a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and a staunch child advocate. Here, he introduces different types of learning disabilities through stories told from the point of view of five elementary school students. Each student talks about their classroom experiences, their struggles and triumphs. This approach will help children with learning problems to see that they’re not alone and that there are strategies that can they can implement to ease their scholastic difficulties.

3. Helping Children Overcome Learning Disabilities: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents and Teachers, Jerome Rosner, $18.95 (paperback), available at Amazon.com

The approach of this book is different from most others on the subject. For starters, the author suggests that parents and teachers avoid using the label “learning disabled” and instead focus on the specific problems that their children or students face. Rosner is a professor of pediatric optometry at the University of Houston and has written several books on working with children who have learning issues. Readers will appreciate his accessible explanations of each type of learning difficulty, as well as his positive and practical solution-based approach.

Have you heard of Albert Einstein or Thomas Edison or Alexander Graham Bell? Of course yes, you know them! They are the great inventors whose inventions are still talked about, and their inventions have paved the way for several new innovations. But did you know what was common to all three of them? They all suffered from learning disability sometime in their lives.

The spread of awareness on issues like learning disability in India is very recent. There is still inadequacy in the rehabilitation services and special education programmes. Even if there are facilities, the lack of awareness prevents them from getting utilized. A better awareness of learning disorder and at the same time a better awareness of culturally acceptable means for treating the affected children can only decrease the burden on affected children, their families and society in India as a whole.

Learning Disability is a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intellectual and social functioning. Arrested or incomplete development of mind might be considered to mean whatever caused the disability occurred in childhood or before.

LD can create a crisis between children and parents, and often the quality of the attachment is affected in a negative way. Parents are special in their own way but parents of special children with disabilities are uniquely special. Always remember that parents are role models for their children, and children are quick to enact the behaviour of their parents. To develop a positive outlook in your child, it is first important to be optimistic yourself. A simple change in your attitude will transform the parenting of your child with a learning disability from challenging to easygoing.

It is important to diagnose learning disability to decide the appropriate line of care. An early diagnosis will help in treating the manageable physical and psychiatric conditions. In some conditions genetic counselling is also required. Besides psychiatrists, even paediatrician, general practitioners and other hospital specialists may also help in diagnosing learning disability.

“The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995,” which came into force in the year 1996, is a significant step in the direction of ensuring equal opportunities for people with disabilities and their full participation in the nation building. This law is a landmark and grants provisions like education, employment and vocational training, job reservation, research and manpower development, creation of barrier-free environment, rehabilitation of persons with disability, unemployment allowance for the disabled, special insurance scheme for the disabled employees and establishment of homes for persons with severe disability etc.

Your positive attitude and your efforts along with proper moral support can successfully help you or your child to overcome this disability. Always remember that even an ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ says ‘I-M-POSSIBLE.’ So, this year on the Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, get yourself abreast of the information on learning disability and measures to overcome it.

A big part of the fear surrounding learning disabilities has to do with misinformation. Sure, parents have a right to be concerned about their child’s well-being when they discover that he or she has a learning disability, but being accurately informed is half the battle. Don’t let the following common misconceptions about learning disorders color your beliefs or those of your child.
1. Learning disabilities are environmental.
This untruth places the blame on parents for their child’s learning problems. Learning disabilities aren’t due to parental neglect; they’re genetic, which basically means that they’re an inherited characteristic, like height or eye color. Because they’re genetic, they’re also due to luck of the draw. For example, just because a child’s father is dyslexic doesn’t mean that the child will be. Learning problems aren’t anyone’s fault, but are the cause of faulty wiring in the brain. So put away the guilt.
2. All learning disabilities are the same.
False. There are many different types of learning problems. Some of the most common ones in this country include dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, auditory and visual perception disabilities, and memory disabilities. While some of them may have similar symptoms, they’re not necessarily related, nor do they required uniform treatments. Even children with the same type of learning disability may respond differently to the same treatment. Thus it’s important to keep individuality in mind when looking at learning problems.
3. Learning disabilities require special education.
Not necessarily. Although under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), children with learning disabilities have the right to special education classes, access to such programs shouldn’t be seen as a blanket solution to these kinds of problems. Whether or not a learning disabled child should be put in a special education class has everything to do with the type and severity of his or her disability. Many special education programs at public schools are created to cater to mentally retarded students, not those with learning disabilities. For those with mild to moderate scholastic problems, extracurricular assistance via tutors or learning centers that are specially trained to deal with these kinds of disabilities provide all the help that is needed.
4. Learning disabilities denote lack of intelligence.
Definitely not! Many learning disabled students are just as bright (if not more so) as students without scholastic problems. Children with learning disabilities simply have a harder time processing certain types of information (i.e. letters, numbers, sounds, etc.). In fact, many students with learning problems have created ingenious ways of overcoming the obstacles they face, such as enhanced creativity or memorization skills. The important thing to remember is that learning disabilities have nothing to do with intelligence. A learning disabled child may score extremely well on an IQ test, but still have trouble working with number sequences. Such problems are entirely due to issues in information processing, not overall brainpower.