Clear and Appropriate AssignmentsWritten by Sandy Gauvin
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6) Have student begin homework in class so you can check to see if he is doing it correctly before he goes home. 7) Remind student of due dates periodically. They may have it written down, but many students with learning disabilities have trouble with organization and may not have it as a current assignment. 8) Allow students to work together on homework. This can help child get reinforcement of information from his peers, and it can also help promote social skills. 9) Establish a routine at beginning of year about homework assignments. Be consistent and fair about reinforcing that routine. 10) Allow student to tell you at beginning of class time if he was not able to complete his assignment. There are valid reasons for not completing an assignment. Perhaps student just needs more reinforcement in that skill. Ensuring that student can understand and complete assignments goes a long way toward boosting his self-esteem. He feels good because 1) he was capable of completing assignment, as did other kids, 2) he knows he has pleased teacher, 3) he has pleased himself, and 4) he has that much more information in his brain. Increased self-esteem will encourage him to take risks with searching for new answers and contributing to class discussion. And that will earn him more respect from his peers, as well as from himself. He will be a happy, successful student. For more plain talk about learning disabilities, please visit us at www.ldperspectives.com.
Sandy Gauvin is a retired educator who has seen learning disabilities from many perspectives - as the parent of a daughter with learning disabilities, as the teacher of children with learning disabilities, and as an advocate for others who have diagnosed and unrecognized learning disabilities. Sandy shares her wisdom and her resources at www.LDPerspectives.com.
| | Understanding The ReportWritten by Sandy Gauvin
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This way, when you go into meeting, you will be more prepared. 3) Take notes as you discuss report. If you take notes from discussion, then you will have ready information to take into meeting, and you won't be bogged down having to find information in report. 4) If you still have trouble understanding, you can contact your state Learning Disabilities Association. They will have answers for you and they may be able to suggest someone to go to meeting with you to help you understand what is going on. 5) Know that it's okay to take someone into meeting with you for support. Facing a group of professionals can be scary, whether you have a college degree or not. Having support with you can be very comforting, and if that support is someone who understands process better than you, that's a bonus! Remember, you are NOT alone in this process. You have a team of people who are there to help your child be successful. And working together as a team is best way to make that happen. But, you have to play an active role in that team in order for your child to get best services possible, and that may mean searching out people who can help you understand and take charge. For more plain talk about learning disabilities, please visit us at www.ldperspectives.com.
Sandy Gauvin is a retired educator who has seen learning disabilities from many perspectives - as the parent of a daughter with learning disabilities, as the teacher of children with learning disabilities, and as an advocate for others who have diagnosed and unrecognized learning disabilities. Sandy shares her wisdom and her resources at www.LDPerspectives.com.
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