| Question: |
My daughter is 5 yrs old. I am not usually a nervous parent about schooling. I understand that every child is different and learns at their own pace. I am just a little worried. She is having a really hard time learning letters and numbers. We started school in Aug. and have been trying to get her to recognize #s1-9. She still can't recognize all of them. She has trouble with 3, 6, 9 and sometimes 7. I know 6 and 9 are easy to mix up, but like I said, we've been on this for months! The other day I did see a breakthrough. She was doing a worksheet where she had to count and fill in the correct # and she knew the correct answers, she just wrote every single one of them upside down! I was excited she knew them and don't really feel I should worry about them being written wrong. I just don't know if that would be a clue to a learning disability. And as for the alphabet, she's getting better but we still have a long way to go. I started off this year using the same techniques I used last year for my son but that didn't do much with her so I just started getting creative with different games and worksheets. She definitely requires more repetition than her brother did. I guess my question is: When should I worry about a learning disability? My mom, who is a seasoned homeschooloer, says to relax and give her more time. She's not that far behind. I just don't want to miss something and her fall really behind. |
| Answer: |
Dear Parent,
Thank you for your question!
I think you're doing a great job as teacher and parent. You are doing well at deciphering your child's needs and abilities.
Your daughter is still at a young age to be learning her letters and numbers. It sounds as though she needs a little extra practice and review when she is learning. However, this doesn't mean that she has a learning disability by any means. [Also, reversals of letters and words is very common at this level.]
If she were seven or eight, and had made little progress learning these concepts after a year of daily work, then there might be more reason to evaluate her abilities.
Generally, learning disabled or low functioning children have pronounced problems in many different areas, i.e. physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively. It is important to remember that the average child does not always learn everything right away. Sometimes you will need to alter the way in which you present the material or provide extra practice and review. The average child is also not always self-motivated. Very few children in general, are always self-motivated, quick to learn and remember in most subjects, and easy to teach.
It can be difficult for you when you have children with completely different learning patterns. And if one of your children is very bright, it may appear as though the other child is slow, even though he/she is actually very normal. So, when you are teaching your children, it's important to remember that they each have a unique learning style, and respond accordingly to the child when you are teaching. [And it sounds like you are already doing that.]
The beauty of homeschooling is that you can have that one-on-one time with your child, and really get to know his/her gifts and needs. Too many 'average' children in public school can get lost in the shuffle when the teacher's attention focuses on the bright children and the ones with very pronounced learning disabilities, to the disadvantage of the children in the middle.
You're probably right, that relaxing and giving her more time will help. Enjoy your time with your daughter. It sounds as though you are coming up with games and activities that she can enjoy. It's so important to ensure that your child enjoys learning, because it really can affect their future in the following grades. Also, as you have guessed, a large part of her learning will involve practice and review. The more senses that she uses in her learning, the longer she will remember.
If you find that your daughter is still struggling with these same concepts after 6-8 months, you might consider having her tested.
God bless you and your family!
Laura Nicholson
|
