family MATTERS
Learning abilities in the age of FCAT
| , | , |
HOW TO SUPPORT CHILDREN WHO HAVE SPECIAL LEARNING NEEDS
BY DR. ANDREA CORN
Dear Dr. Corn: When our son was in second grade he was evaluated by the ,school's psychologist. At that time' 'we learned he had /I learning disability as his reading, writing, and spelling skills were far below grade level. After several meetings, we decided it would be best if
he repeated second grade. While this was a very difficult decision, there was an improvement in his academic abili ties. We know his Individualized Edu cational Plan (IEP) will be of tremen dous assistance when he takes the Florida Comprehen sive Assessment Test (FeAT) next spring. Since our son, now in third grade, has dys lexia, he is entitled to receive special
accom~odations, including extended time to take the test. Still, one of our main concerns is our son's lack of confidence. Besides receiving accommodations for his learning disability; what else we can do to help him?
You have already taken the most important step: to have your son's intelligence and academic achievement evaluated. The foundation for your child's knowledge, his willingness to learn, and his developing feelings of competency begin with understanding where his particular strengths and weaknesses lie.
Generally speaking, children who are diagnosed with a learning disability are of average to above average intelligence, even though they have diffi culty processing and understanding oral or written information correctly. According to the National Institute of Health, up to15 percent of the U.S. population has som,e form of a reading and/or writing difficulty.
Parents whose children have been doing poorly academically should heed your story. A learning disability cannot be outgrown; rather specialized accommodations must be made to facilitate learn ing. Children with underlying learning disabilities at greatest risk to do poorly on the FCAT.
