Having a learning disorder like dyslexia, dyspraxia, or attention deficit disorder can make life difficult for many children. They may find they have a difficult time keeping up with their peers, and as a result they may find it difficult to make meaningful connections that are so important for young children’s social, emotional, and mental development.
Children with learning disorders also face a number of discrimination and stigma that will affect their development.
Bullying & ostracisation
Children who face bullying and social ostracisation are particularly vulnerable. When they are already struggling to keep up and connect with their peers, the bullying robs them of a chance to make friends, build connections that are necessary for healthy mental, emotional, and social development. It keeps them separate from their peers and can make the child’s ability to learn even harder.
Unfair judgement
The stigma that people with learning disabilities may be “dumb” greatly affects the child’s belief about themselves. This judgement combined with the bullying and ostracisation can cause children to develop an unhealthy view of themselves and leads them to fall into a low self-esteem trap that can be difficult to overcome. Low self-esteem negatively affects the child’s ability to learn, and robs them of their willpower and enthusiasm, making meaningful intervention more difficult.
The labels we attach to people with disabilities of all types can haunt them for the rest of their lives. At the end of the day, educators and parents want their children to be able to learn, become productive members of society, and be able to live independently and find for themselves a happy life.
However, adults and educators sometimes fall into the trap of thinking the same way about children with learning disabilities. It often requires more effort and time to teach and educate them, and as a result, adults sometimes just to the conclusion that the child may not be very bright. This in turn makes it difficult for them to see how to best work with the child to their benefit.
Parents and educators have a duty and responsibility to ensure that children have the best possible path to learning and development. Even with so many obstacles in the way, there are methods of dealing with these issues so the child can rekindle their enthusiasm for learning.
Join us at College of Allied Educators to see how you can develop an understanding of the different types of exceptional children, their needs, and the different special needs programmes and specialties that are available to you, for them.
CAE’s 12-month Advanced Diploma in Special Education course trains educators and parents in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of these needs and the basic principles and practices of effective teaching and learning. The programme is highly practice-oriented to ensure that what you learn in class can be applied to children with special needs under your charge.
CAE’s Diploma in Learning Disorders Management & Child Psychology programme is designed specifically to train potential teachers, parents and caregivers to identify, detect and support children with special needs, such as Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyspraxia, and Dyslexia.
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