HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD

What if your child seems to be suffering from a learning difficulty?

First, have tests carried out to rule out any hearing or visual impairment. Then ask for a medical check-up. If the learning difficulty is confirmed, your child will need your emotional support. Remember that his intelligence is not in question.

Children who have learning and reading disabilities constantly experience failures in school because these children are labeled as having behavioral problems.

Many children with learning disabilities develop behavior problems. This is due to the fact that many of these children have hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder and also because they are frustrated with the constant difficulties they experience in school.

Children with learning disabilities have normal intelligence but have problems with some aspects of learning. Reading impairment, often referred to as dyslexia, is one of the most common learning disabilities.

Children with reading disabilities cannot learn to read well without direct, expert instruction. The regular curriculum at school just won't work.

Weak readers learn differently from readers who learn easily. Children who are poor readers have difficulty understanding how to “get the sounds out” and remembering them later. They cannot easily recognize unfamiliar words and translate them into a word they recognize by sight. They must thus try to find what these new words are several times in a row, which makes reading a daunting task. It is not enough for children with reading problems to learn the sound of words, they must also learn to remember them when they encounter them.

You can:

• Raise your concerns with your child's teacher and school principal and request that your child be assessed in a timely manner to determine what he needs. These people are your best allies in getting help for your child. Do not accept that it takes months before having it assessed. You could try the refrain technique while being pleasant. " Thank you for your help. But you know, my son needs help. When will it be assessed? » Once he has been assessed, you will need to advocate for his treatment.

• Read to your child for fun. Don't make it a chore but a moment of relaxation.

• Find areas that could help your child succeed and get them involved. It could be sports or music;

• Find out how he learns best and try to encourage that kind of learning. Maybe he needs his math presented in words rather than written out at length.

• Take advantage of any special programs offered by the school your child attends, such as remedial classes. Seek the cooperation of his teacher. He could perhaps allow him to sit in front of the class, give him more time to do his homework, provide him with both written and verbal explanations, or favor oral interrogations. As children with learning difficulties are often distracted and disorganized, it is possible to provide a spare set of school books at home. A computer with a spell checker could also be available in class or for homework.

• Engage in short but daily reading sessions. Better to have a child with dyslexia read aloud, which will give you, the parents, the opportunity to advise and correct him. However, start by reading aloud yourself, making sure that he follows. Then read the same text aloud together. Finally, ask him to read on his own. Make sure he puts a ruler under the line he's reading and uses a highlighter to mark difficult words. This daily exercise can be done in just fifteen minutes.

• There are practical ways to teach math: measuring quantities to make a recipe, using a ruler when doing carpentry, running errands, and more. Graph paper and diagrams can be helpful in solving a problem. As for writing, you can use large grid paper and thick lead pencils, or even magnetic letters placed on a metal board.

• You can win the battle!

• You will make your child stronger if you encourage any talents or abilities he may have. Congratulate him, and reward each of his successes, even minor ones. Split important tasks into smaller ones, more within reach; he will thus experience the pride that there is in succeeding. Use pictures or diagrams to visualize what remains to be done to complete a task.

   

  Certainly, knowing how to read, write and count is fundamental for a young person. Rest assured that, with the right motivation and support, your child can learn — even if they do it differently and sometimes a little slower than others.

There are also helpful strategies to adopt with a child who suffers from attention deficit. Before talking to him, make eye contact. Make sure he has a quiet place to do his homework, and that he takes frequent breaks. Channel his hyperactivity by assigning him tasks that involve physical activity.

Treatments for reading problems work. Treatment for reading problems should:

• Start as soon as possible before the child has fallen too far behind.

• Use intensive methods. The regular reading program at school is not enough. Half an hour of special education once a week is not enough.

• Be long term. If the problem is severe, a few weeks of treatment is not enough. Sometimes, specific interventions spread over 9 to 12 weeks that are repeated over several years will be preferable.

A private clinic might help if you can afford to pay for these services.

[Notes]

The risks of suffering from dyslexia and hyperactivity are three times higher in boys than in girls.

A DIFFICULTY BECOME AN ASSET

“When I looked at the words on a page, all I saw was a tangle of lines. As if they had been written in another language. They only made sense when someone read them aloud. The teachers thought I was lazy and insolent, or that I didn't make any effort and didn't listen in class. Nothing could be further from the truth. I listened and tried very hard. But the principle of reading and writing escaped me. On the other hand, other subjects, such as mathematics, did not pose any problems for me. So I quickly learned to favor sports, technical skills, art and crafts, in short everything that was not related to reading and writing.

“Later, I chose to work with my hands by becoming a skilled worker. It is thanks to this that I had the privilege, on five occasions, of participating in the international construction program. Given the effort that reading requires of me, I generally memorize what I read. Therefore, instead of seeing my difficulties as a weakness, I see them as an asset. ” — Peter is dyslexic.

Children are often very good at “taking notes” in the form of drawings, while listening attentively.