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When I was in school 30 or so years ago, I remember being
sent across the school to work with younger kids on my writing. Dyslexia was a new and misunderstood
phenomenon, and they didn’t have a program to help me. My brother was taught how to read lips and
was diagnosed with auditory dyslexia, something that does not even exist. We have come a long way in 30 years. This is a great thing, but we still have to
be aware of the information and disinformation that is out there.
Once you have
become involved in the world of learning disabilities, you will begin to
explore and try to educate yourself. As you discover new programs and
methodologies, make sure you look into each for their research and
reputation. Any program can say they
have research to back them up. Check to
see what kind of research and who did it.
Was it a reputable independent researcher? It is interesting to see some companies do
the research on themselves and on a very select few clients. Let me be clear: disorders such as autism, turrets, ADHD, etc.
to date do not have cures. There are
wonderful programs that can help children control behaviors and improve their
ability to attend to tasks which enable them to learn more easily, but there is
no magic cure. Unfortunately, there are
people out there who are willing to prey on the desire of parents and educators
who want to fix rather than assist our special needs students.
When parents first
learn their child has a disability, there is a mourning process they go
through. They see the loss of the child
they thought they were going to have as they come to embrace the child they
were given. As with any mourning
process, it takes different people different amounts of time to go through the
stages. Some parents stay in the denial stage
for much longer than others. Others stay
angry and will take it out on the teachers and care givers. Others come to
acceptance very quickly and look at the child as who they are and can plot a
new course easily. Whichever path a
family is journeying on, the more information they have the better. There are groups on the web, school district
support groups, social services, and religious organizations today that did not
exist 10-20 years ago. Use these tools and support both as educators and
parents, but use them wisely not blindly.
If something seems too good to be true, look into it and be sure it is
credible and reliable. There are some
amazing programs out there, but unfortunately there are some you need to be
wary of as well. Be sure to share what
you learn both good and bad with others who might need your guidance. This journey is a journey of a community and
with special needs kids they saying it takes a village is never truer.
You can follow me on my Facebook page: Special Kids, Special Teachers, Special Hearts
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