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