Help at Home
Parenting a child with learning differences can be challenging. FOCUS offers these tips and support suggestions to make life at home easier for both parents and the child.
Learn all you can about your child’s learning differences and make sure your child is assessed by a qualified medical professional. You’re here and that’s a great start.
Become an advocate for your child: work collaboratively with your school but don’t be afraid to ask for needed support/accommodations. Establish regular communications with people close to your child’s learning.
At home provide clear, consistent expectations, direction and limits but remember that children with learning differences may lag their peers developmentally by as much as three years so set realistic expectations. http://www.kidsinthehouse.com/special-needs/add-and-adhd/parenting-tips/setting-realistic-expectations-for-your-childs-disability
Join a support group to share experiences and exchange tips with other parents facing similar challenges. Link to support group
Identify your child’s strengths and build on them. Often we spend so much energy trying to “fix” our children’s weaknesses that we forget to celebrate their strengths. A strength-based approach is important both at home and at school. http://www.kidsinthehouse.com/special-needs/add-and-adhd/parenting-tips/the-best-approach-to-managing-learning-differences
Help your child become a competent reader. As many as 80% of students with learning differences have reading problems. Reading difficulties often become more difficult to remediate over time so early intervention is critical. Many struggling readers can go on to become competent readers after receiving the appropriate remediation in the early grades.
For tips to share the joy of reading at home see “10 Things you Can do to Raise a Reader” at Reading Rockets.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/10-things-you-can-do-raise-reader
If your child is a struggling reader and is well below grade expectations look for a reading remediation program.
Summer Intensive Reading Program
Make time for sport. Often kids with learning differences spend more time on homework leaving less time for sport – don’t let this happen.