For Parents
Disclaimer Notice
The professionals told the parents she would "grow out of it," so they waited another year.  Baffled
by their problems, parents seek advice but often in the wrong places.  Even if they have raised
other children who were academically successful and even if they are convinced that parents are
experts in knowing their own children, their self-confidence vanishes.  They feel helpless as they
suffer with, for, and because of these youngsters. And another year of failure goes by, leaving its
scars on a sensitive mind.

From infancy, parents should be checking the child's progress against the norms for his age
group, using any good reference on child development. If there are continuing deviations, they
should discuss them with a trusted professional.  Most school districts have pre-primary
diagnostic clinics and special education programs, if needed.  Early remediation is best, but later
is better than none ... even much later.  

Not one person of normal intelligence should be sent into today's job market without basic
academic and social skills. Yesterday's person with a learning disability entered a simpler society,
often at a younger age.  Some who were unusually gifted and talented became famous:        













We do not hear about the rest, whose talents and intelligence may have been lost to the world, but
who could nevertheless make a living with their hands.  Today's person with a learning disability
enters a highly lingual, educated society.  Credentials that he may not be able to obtain stop him at
the threshold of the career of his choice, and his second choice, and on down the line.  How many
are we losing, and what will happen to them in an increasingly computerized job market?
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Jewel
John E. Morgan  
Princess Beatrice of England
Albert Einstein
Henry Winkler
Woodrow Wilson
Roseanne Bar
Pablo Picasso
 Thomas Edison
Jay Leno
Bruce Jenner
Walt Disney
Hans Christian Andersen
August Rodin  
Bob Weir
Chuck Close

See more...
 Danny Glover
Winston Churchill
Susan Somers
Stan Walters
Nelson Rockefeller
P. Buckley Moss
Tom Cruise
Leonardo DaVinci
Why Is There An Information Gap?
  • Tradition:  Years ago people with learning disabilities were thought to be retarded, slow learners, emotionally impaired, or just
    plain lazy. If they were not expelled, they were often ignored or placed in hodgepodge "special rooms" and eased through the
    grades to "graduation."
  • Resistance to change:  Change involves making waves in the status quo, extra effort, and some risk. It requires new kinds of
    action on the part of parents, who may be hiding their problem, and professionals, who have other things to do. Often the wheel
    neither squeaks nor gets the oil.
  • Lack of communication:  Any scientific information is released to and absorbed by the public at a very slow pace. Acceptance by
    the professional world lags even more. Meanwhile youngsters must grow up, often to face the adult world without survival skills.
  • Lack of Information:  Beginning teachers are not educated about learning disabilities. They must learn on the job, too often
    being taught by parents.

How Much Does It Cost To Educate A Person With A Learning Disability?
  • Very little, compared to the cost of not educating a child. In every community offering appropriate services, examples of
    successful remediation can be found, some in college, and some in the adult world as independent contributing citizens.

  • Public schools are required by law to provide persons with learning disabilities with a free, appropriate education. Good school
    systems are working in compliance with the law. Good professionals are dedicated to careful diagnosis and quality
    remediation. Programs and services for them are mandated through high school age and beyond and should be available.

Finding The Right Educational Program
  • Pinpoint the problem.  Meet with the teacher.  Arrange for a thorough physical evaluation, including vision and hearing acuity
    and perception.

  • Write a letter to the school principal relating that your child may have a specific learning disability and requesting a
    comprehensive evaluation, to be followed by an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) meeting.  Keep copies of all
    correspondence with the school and a record of the dates and contents of all telephone conversations.  You may legally have
    access to your child's file at the school and may request copies of his records.
While the term “he/him or she/her” is used in an article, the information relates to both male and female unless otherwise specifically stated.
All rights reserved.   LDA of Indiana.
Helping Families & Professionals Connect with Information, Training and Resource Since 1969