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