Parent Journey
Be a first responder for your child
This is an overwhelmingly difficult time with endless information resources, and the decision for how to support your child’s learning disabilities (LD) can be daunting. If we could distill the essentials we have learned as educators and parents, here’s what we’d like to share with you:
Your current school may be encouraging you to “wait and see” or you might be listening to others about the stigma of a special school. Trust your instinct that your child may need additional support and act on it.
Struggling with schoolwork is eroding your child’s self-esteem and creating stress on your family. The earlier you act on getting them the education they need to thrive, the sooner you can get your family back on track to joy.
A neuropsychological evaluation looks at how a person’s brain works, measuring things like attention span, memory, and language skills. PCS requires this test or an IEP with an application. Book this test early because it can take time to get in and then get results. Learn more.
Learning differences are lifelong conditions that require accommodation and the necessary support systems. In the right environment, your child will gain the grit and resilience to self-advocate for how they learn.
Your child is no less intelligent than their peers, they just have a unique learning DNA that doesn’t respond to one-size-fits-all teaching. Getting them into a specialized school, like Park Century, will place with teachers who teach them how they need to learn and grow.
Discovering your child’s learning differences can be emotionally draining. Parents often feel guilt and shame over why their child is not learning at grade level. Honor yourself for starting this journey, and know you will find a supportive community of like-minded parents.
Signs of learning disabilities
Common signs that your child may have learning differences*:
- Challenges reading and/or writing
- Challenges with math
- Challenges paying attention
- Challenges following directions
- Challenges telling time
- Challenges staying organized
- Poor memory
- Clumsiness
*These signs alone are not enough to determine a learning disability. Only a professional can diagnose these.
Your child may also experience:
- Acting without thinking about possible outcomes (impulsiveness)
- “Acting out” in school or social situations
- Difficulty staying focused; being easily distracted
- Difficulty saying a word correctly out loud or expressing thoughts
- Problems with school performance from week to week or day to day
- Speaking like a younger child; using short, simple phrases; or leaving out words in sentences
- Having a hard time listening
- Problems dealing with changes in schedule or situations
- Problems understanding words or concepts
Why LD schooling is so crucial
Students with language-based learning differences struggle in traditional classroom settings that have a “one-size-fits-all” curriculum. Brilliant, neurodiverse children have their own learning DNA that requires a tailored approach to reading, writing, and math. Being wired differently requires innovation and creativity and each lesson can be different for each child.
Before realizing that your child learns differently, you’re fighting to keep your child’s “head above water” with additional tutoring and therapy. Often, there is no time for extracurricular activities like sports and clubs. The stress of not fitting in has a direct impact on your child’s self-esteem and confidence, and raises anxiety.
Your brilliant, out-of-the-box thinker needs a tailored program that challenges, nurtures, and supports not only their academic growth but their social, emotional, and personal growth. Your child needs a school where the faculty and staff are trained to recognize and support every child’s learning profile.
A supportive curriculum helps:
- Develop a positive self-image
- Discover meaningful avenues of expression
- Build character and social skills
- Set realistic goals
- Develop resiliency and self-advocacy skills
- Build a foundation for learning and lifetime achievement
How Park Century supports these goals:
- Smaller classes
- Lower student-to-staff ratio
- Teachers extensively trained and educated to work with students who learn and think differently
- Staff specialists include speech-language pathologists and psychologists
- Tailored and strategic programming for every child
Parents can help their children achieve success by encouraging their strengths, knowing their weaknesses, understanding the educational system, working with professionals, and learning strategies for dealing with specific difficulties.
Early intervention improves a child’s confidence and helps them develop strategies that will enable them to be successful in school.
The research on learning disabilites (LD)
Enacted in 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) protects students with learning differences. IDEA is also the source of much research, including its recent study* of 7.3 million eligible students during the 2021–22 school year. Of those 7.3 million students:
32%
have a disability that hinders understanding or using spoken or written language
19%
have speech or language impairment
12%
have autism spectrum disorder
Source: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Students With Disabilities. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved [date], from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg.
Want to learn LD terminology?
Online resources and book recommendations
We hope to educate and spread awareness about these commonly misunderstood diagnoses and provide helpful articles for parenting in the digital age.
Parent/Guardian Book Recommendations:
- Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz
- The Sound of Hope by Lois Kam Heymann, MA, CCC-SLP
- Thinking Differently by David Flink
- Reader Come Home by Maryanne Wolf
- Explicit Instruction by Anita Archer
- Basic Facts about Dyslexia & Other Reading Problems by Louisa Moats
Common Sense Articles:
Parent/Guardian Resources:
