As a parent who may be living with a child who processes and works at a reduced pace, it can be difficult to convince teachers that your student is being overwhelmed by school work. You are spending hours on homework!
It is not just homework that takes time, but getting dressed or finishing a meal in a reasonable amount of time is a daily challenge. You can’t even explain how frustrating it is to live with this youngster! At school, when a student is slow to finish a task, she simply gets left behind as the class continues to move forward. When you talk to the teacher, he feels as frustrated as you do.
ADHD and learning disabilities frequently co-exist with a slow work pace or processing speed. A study at the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital found that two thirds of children with slow processing speed also had ADHD, and around one third had a learning disability. While many students with LD and ADHD get extended time for work or tests at school, extended time is only part of the solution. As one mother explained, “The teacher is only giving him extra time to do what he can’t do!”
How can you move past frustration to a state of acceptance and advocacy? You need some tips and language to be able to communicate with educators and advocate for your child whose pace, in many areas, is slow when compared to peers. Join other parents on Monday evening March 19, 2018, when Dr. Ellen Braaten, Director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, will discuss: “Parenting Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up” at the Cooper Creek Event Center in Blue Ash.
For more information and to reserve a seat for the program, please visit www.Springer-LD.org.
Blogger Mary Ann Mulcahey, PhD, shares her expertise in assessment and diagnosis of learning disabilities and ADHD, and the social/emotional adjustment to those issues. If you have questions, please contact Mary Ann at .