LEARNING PROBLEMS ?

Having a learning disability doesn't mean you can't learn. But you'll need some help and you'll need to work extra hard. If you have a learning disability, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia (serious trouble with math), remember that you are not slow or dumb.
Learning disabilities happen because of the way a person's brain takes in and processes information. As a result, people learn differently. The trick will be figuring out how you learn best.
There are people who know how to do just that. Your parents and teachers can help you and they can find you a learning specialist or a school psychologist. These professionals can help figure out what a kid's learning problem is — and come up with ideas for how to make it better.

What Are Learning Disabilities?

Learning disabilities aren't contagious, but they can be genetic. That means they can be passed down in families through the genes, like many other traits we get from our parents and grandparents. Someone with a learning disability probably has other family members who have had some learning troubles, too.
Kids with learning problems are sometimes surprised to find out that one of their parents had similar troubles when he or she was in school. But kids today have an advantage over their parents. Learning experts now know a lot more about the brain and how learning works — and it's easier for kids to get the help they need.
Dyslexia (say: dis-lek-see-uh) is a learning disability that means a kid has a lot of trouble reading and writing. Kids who have trouble with math may have dyscalculia (say: dis-kal-kyoo-lee-uh). And people who have trouble forming letters when they write may have dysgraphia (say: dis-graf-ee-uh). Other kids may have language disorders, meaning they have trouble understanding language and understanding what they read.
It can be confusing, though. What qualifies as "trouble" enough to be diagnosed as a learning disability? Reading, doing math, and writing letters may be tough for lots of kids at first. But when those early troubles don't fade away, and it's really difficult to make any progress, it's possible the kid has a learning disability.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is sometimes thought of as a learning disability but it's not usually considered one. Why? Because most kids with ADHD can learn in school without special assistance, even though they may be easily distracted or have trouble sitting still in class. Although ADHD itself isn't a learning disability, researchers believe kids with ADHD may be more likely to have learning disabilities.

How Do I Know if I Have a Learning Disability?

It's very hard for a kid to know if he or she has a learning disability. But kids don't have to figure all this out on their own. What a kid needs to do is tell someone. Start with your teacher and your mom or dad.
Even if you feel a little shy about it, tell them what kinds of problems you're having in school. Maybe you read a chapter for homework and then can't remember anything you read. Or in class, maybe everyone else seems to follow along easily, but you get stuck and don't know what page everyone is on. You might open your book to do an assignment and have no idea where to start.
Kids with a learning disability might also answer "yes" to many of these questions:

• Do you struggle in school?
• Do you think you should be doing better than you are in school?
• Is reading harder for you than it should be?
• Does your head think one thing but your hand writes something else?
• Is writing slow and really hard for you?
• Do you make spelling and other errors when you write?
• Are you having difficulty with math?
• Is it hard for you to keep your notebooks and papers organized? Do you end up losing or forgetting them?

But even if you say "yes" to some of these questions, you won't know for sure until you visit a school psychologist or a learning specialist. They can give you some tests to spot any learning problems you might have. They'll also be able to identify what your strengths are — in other words, what you're good at! Once a psychologist or learning specialist figures out what your learning problem is, you both can start working on solutions.
A kid might work with a tutor or specialist or even go to a special class. But often, kids with learning disabilities can continue in their regular classrooms and there's no reason they can't do normal stuff, like participate in school activities and sports.
Though some kids might feel shy about having a learning disability, it can be a relief to finally know what the problem is. Then, the kid doesn't have to feel as worried and upset about school — because he or she is learning how to learn in new ways. The psychologist or learning specialist might even give you a learning plan — then you can see what the strategy is for helping you learn. They can even offer help with organizational skills. If you're not organized, it's hard to get any schoolwork done.

What You Can Do About Learning Disabilities

Finding out you have a learning disability can be upsetting. You might feel different from everyone else. But the truth is that learning disabilities are pretty common. And if your learning specialist or psychologist has figured out which one you're facing, you're on the right track. Now, you can start getting the help you need to do better in school.
But for this special help to really work, you'll need to practice the new skills you're learning. It may take a lot of effort every day. That can be a challenge, but you can do it. Soon, you'll enjoy the results of all your hard work: more fun and success at school.



You've been writing since you were a little kid. It started with scribbles and crayons and now it's pens, pencils, and cursive with all those swooping, swirling letters. Some kids love handwriting and others hate when it's time to put pencil to paper. Why?
Maybe a parent or teacher has complained about your handwriting: "Be neater!" "Too messy!" "I can't read this!" Oh dear, that's no fun. You're trying to get it right, but you can't get your thoughts down neatly.
The good news is that just about everyone can improve their handwriting. But first, let's take a moment to think about just how complicated writing really is. It's not like sneezing or breathing, which your body does for you without you even thinking about it.

How Handwriting Works

With handwriting, your body and mind need to do many different things all together and in the right order. Your shoulder needs to stay steady while your wrist and elbow move in just the right way. Did we mention your eyes have to follow what your hand is doing? And that's not all. You need the brainpower to know how words and letters are supposed to look and make decisions about what you want to write — Is the answer to Question 4 "flipper" or "flapper"?
So with all that going on, you can imagine that different kids have different problems when it comes to handwriting. Sometimes a medical problem is a reason that kids struggle with writing. For example, kids who have attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD) find it hard to sit still and focus on what they need to do. They might write too fast or start answering a question and forget to finish it. Kids who have trouble with their muscles, like those with Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, also could have difficulty writing.
But lots of other kids have writing woes, too. Are you one of them? Or maybe you would just like to make your already-OK handwriting a little bit better.

The Five Steps

Here are five steps that really work!
1. Get a Great Grasp
Try this — hold your pencil at the top near the eraser and try to write your name. Pretty tough, huh? But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier. The best way to hold a pen or pencil is to let it rest next to the base of your thumb. Hold it in place with your thumb, and your index and middle fingers. See the photo below.
2. Let the Lines Be Your GuideLined paper is your friend! Those lines can help you create letters that are the right size and proportion. Proportion means that one thing is the right size compared with the other. So your lowercase "a" should be half the height of a capital "A."
Be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should stretch from the bottom line to the top one. Lines also can keep you writing straight instead of uphill or downhill. When you don't have lines, like when you're creating a poster, you can use a ruler and draw light pencil lines so your title will be the right size and look perfectly straight.

3. Slow DownIf your writing is hard to read or you erase a lot, try slowing down a little. For some kids, going slower solves the problem. If you rush, it's hard to control where you stop and start your letters, and you end up making more mistakes. Did you ever erase so hard it ripped a hole in the paper? We hate that!
4. Lower the PressureSome kids press down really hard when they write. That makes it harder to make the smooth lines needed for writing, especially cursive. Try easing up, don't grip the pencil as tightly, and let your pencil mark the paper without going all the way through. You'll break fewer pencil points, too!
5. Play GamesSay what? You heard us right. Games can improve your handwriting. Lots of games require you to write or draw pictures. So even though it's not official schoolwork, you're still using the skills you need to control your pencil better. To have better control of how your hands move, try games like Jenga or Don't Spill the Beans.
And if you want to strengthen the muscles you need for writing, you can also do that while you're playing board games. How? Use a clothespin instead of your fingers to pick up your game piece and move it around the board.
After a long board game, how about some imaginative play? Pretend you're a movie star or famous athlete. Now, what do you do when your fans rush up to meet you? Give them your autograph, of course!

You Might Need Extra Help

If you try these tips and still aren't seeing improvement, you can always ask for help. Tell your teacher and your mom or dad that you're having trouble. Some kids have occupational therapy to help them with handwriting skills. But many kids can improve their handwriting if they work at it with the help of a grownup.
Adults can encourage you and give you fun ways to practice, practice, practice. Your parent or teacher can be a kind of coach, cheering you on. And when you notice your handwriting is getting better, what should you do? Use that wonderful writing to write your coach a thank-you note