How Parents Can Help Students With Learning Disabilities Cope With Academic Challenges?

Learning disabilities cannot be cured, but they can be treated successfully and children with LD can go on to live happy, successful lives. – Anne Ford.

Parents of a child with learning disabilities (LD) face numerous challenges including social discomfort, emotional stress, financial problems, grief, blame-game, depression and stigmatisation to name just a few. The process of helping the child gain a good sense of self-esteem, resilience and confidence can be both rewarding and extremely perplexing (read fatiguing) to both the parent and the child.

The most testing and difficult part for the parents is really to first and foremost understand that the child is not to be blamed. It is not his fault. They assume that the child is being non-cooperative, stubborn, lazy, playful, irresponsible but do not realise that he is genuinely going through a difficulty! Being respectful of that can help you effectively assist your child.

In this article, we will explore various coping strategies that parents can use to support their child's academic journey by using effective ways (to find or create resources or join like-minded communities, provide different worksheets, make posters, mind maps, flashcards etc…) to supplement the school teachers, special educator's role at school or at after school classes, thereby helping the child develop confidence and autonomy in his own abilities.

As parents we need to understand one thing, Learning Difficulty is not a Disability.

Awareness and Complete Acceptance

The parents need to gain complete awareness and be accepting of the child’s academic challenges and understand their diagnosis and prognosis. They need to understand that this can be heart-breaking for the little child and so their approach needs to be one of confidence, compassion, empathy and helpful and not one of sympathy, pity or preferential treatment that makes the child ‘regress’, ‘dependent’ or worse practise ‘learned helplessness’. Awareness of the exact condition, how this impacts his learning process, how to collaborate with the school to create an effective support system and where do we step in as parents is critical.

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Early Intervention is Powerful

A detailed formal assessment of the child from a licensed clinical psychologist, special educator, certified centre helps understand the specific difficulty level. The recommendations and interventions provided help the child move forward and the report can also be shared with the school to be sent to the board for special allowances (extra time in tests and exams, use of a calculator for maths, deletion of language other subjects etc..) depending on his level of difficulty. A strong support network of professionals, support groups, and other parents who share similar experiences helps parents come to terms and assist the child. Online forums provide valuable insights, resources, and emotional support in addition to expert guidance and tailored interventions.

Collaboration with Educators

Effective regular communication with teachers and school staff is crucial to ensure that the child's needs are met in the classroom and beyond. Be actively involved in your child’s education and progress. Clear, open communication with teachers, where parents can discuss their child's fears, challenges and concerns is supportive. Only then will the special educators and the remedial staff develop and design individualised education plans (IEPs) to address the child's specific learning goals and provide necessary support.

Create Customised Tools

Creating personalised resources can be a powerful way to guide children with LD towards success once you have identified their learning style.

• Children can be visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learners and knowing their primary learning style helps in aiding them with the appropriate tool for learning.

• Identify goals and areas where your child needs additional support and focus on their strengths and interests while addressing their specific difficulties. Appreciate the child’ effort and do not demotivate them. No labelling, name calling or being non-appreciative of their effort.

• Worksheets, Mind Maps, Colour coding files or drawers, highlighters, books on tape, calculators, tape recorders, visual aids or a background colour on a computer screen are all very useful tools, used with discretion keeping the child’s need and the learning difficulty and learning style in mind.

• Today technology is a boon, online (free) educational sites, provide countless resources with downloadable pdf versions of worksheets and mind maps that can be also further customised if needed.

• Tools like Canva, MindMeister, and Coggle offer user-friendly interfaces for creating visually appealing materials.

• Encourage active participation of your child to co-create these resources. Their difficulties, inputs and creativity can make materials more enjoyable and meaningful to them. A routine helps greatly. So does goal setting.

• Review their progress and adjust their resources from time to time as per their specific needs. Flexibility is key as their capabilities, grasping power and comprehension levels might change and since learning is dynamic, it is best to review the same with their teachers via regular class assessments and evaluations.

• Find external, extra resources on educational websites, mobile apps, and various other supporting groups and communities, online platforms that offer interactive learning tools, games, and activities customised for different learning styles.

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These supplement classroom learning and provide a fun and engaging way to practise skills.

Do not shy away from seeking professional help from educational therapists and child psychologists who are professionally qualified and specialised to support children with learning disabilities and mental health issues that might stem from being ‘different’.

They can offer personalised intervention plans and strategies best suited to the child's needs be it – academic skills, emotional challenges, psychological or even physical disturbances.

Counselling helps provide them a safe, non-judgemental environment where they can safely share their innermost fears in complete confidentiality and resolve these challenges.

Parenting a child with learning disabilities can be tough as it requires round-the-clock acceptance, patience, planning, goal-setting, dedication, and resourcefulness! It can be exhaustive especially if you do not see progress despite all of the above but remember you are not alone! Remember to practise self-love and self-care and acknowledge the child’ unique strengths and capabilities so that they can tap their full potential and lead meaningful lives.

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