Has your child recently been diagnosed with a learning disorder? If so, understandably you will be feeling out of your depth. The important thing to remember is that every child will respond differently and no two children are ever the same, even without a learning difficulty. As long as you look at the bigger picture you will do just fine – all children need love, understanding, and patience, that part hasn’t changed. Here are 5 helpful tips for teaching a child with a learning disorder:
Patience Is A Virtue
It is so important to remember that your child won’t necessarily be able to comprehend things on the same level as other children their age. You need to exercise a great deal of patience, especially in the beginning when you’re trying to form a healthy routine. Everyone faces obstacles in life, especially children with learning disorders, your job as their teacher is to encourage them to always climb over any obstacle in their path to greatness.
Do Research
The medical and scientific community are regularly putting together new ways to tackle old problems by delving deeper into the issue at hand. Every year there are new methods and new techniques for assisting both children and adults with learning disorders. Do your research and keep up-to-date on all of the wonderful advancements that are made every year. If your child isn’t enjoying their type of schooling, you need to understand that there are alternate options to consider. Learning disorder teaching techniques are not one-size-fits-all.
The Right Tools Make All The Difference
Your child will need a special set of tools to assist with learning, depending on their specific learning disorder. Make sure you get tools and learning kits to assist them, this is especially true for the trickier subjects like mathematics, so get them the correct math supplies and science supplies for their age group. If your child has the right tools to help them learn that will take a lot of the stress and pressure off of you both.
Be Your Child’s Biggest Fan
Your child has a lot going on, from school to friends to navigating family life – make this hurdle a lot easier for them by being their biggest fan. If you approach your child’s learning disorder with optimism, patience, and a good sense of humor, then your child likely will too. Your influence over them is at its most critical level in the early days after diagnosis, so you need to be nothing but supportive and encouraging.
Set Goals Together
Encourage your child to reach for the stars and to dream big, but make sure they start small. Setting smaller and more attainable goals will go a long way in getting them to stay focused. Positive reinforcement is ideal for children with learning disorders, more often than not your child will take a while to wrap their heads around the idea that they aren’t exactly like the other children their age, so allow them to embrace that through their goals and plans.
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