Could my daughter have a learning problem?

[droodledoo]

My daughter is 6 years old and in 1st grade.  She is a loving, intelligent child who wants to fit in and please. She is having trouble with her school work.  No matter how much time and effort she puts into it, she can't keep up with the other students and has trouble concentrating.  Some noises upset her to tears and we have an awful time getting her to dress appropriately for school.  She says her clothes bother her.  She doesn't fit any of the Attn. Def. profiles.  The school doesn't want to test her because they lack the facilities.  The teacher agrees that something is wrong, but she can't put her finger on it.  What can I do?  I want her to have a good education and I think the time to take action is now, before she begins to feel bad about herself.  Help!

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Under federal guidelines, school systems must evaluate children if there is reason to suspect the possibility of a learning disorder or some other condition which interferes with learning. Your daughter may well display a learning disability and/or sensory integration problem. Try to speak with a student services staff member, a school psychologist, guidance counselor, etc. who might be in a position to guide you re: the process for obtaining an evaluation.

[leila]

My comments didn't appear, so I hope I'm not duplicating here.  Please, if you haven't already done so, get your daughter's eyes tested.  I spent a year in a class for retarded children (as they were called then) because no-one had realised that I was falling behind because I could not see properly - I was short-sighted.  It is so simple to get an eye test, and so important.

best of luck with your daughter,
Jule

[bcrfowler]

My son now 17 has a learning disability problem.  LD kids have a higher IQ, but can't learn by regular methods.  When he was small he had a hard time concentrating.  He had a hard time with reading and I know there are different types of LD.  I'd push the LD testing.  It can't hurt her, and if she does have a problem you can only help her.  We are from a small town, and our school has an excellent program.  Although I've found alot of the teachers didn't want to recognize the LD kids.  Without the program he would have been lost.

[mam40359]

I teach myself as well as have a 6 year old.  I work extensively with the special education services.  First of all, don't let anyone lable your 6 year old with a learning disability.  At this point testing can only show a developmental delay unless there are profound problems.  However, you can insist that testing be done for the developmental delay.  If the school does not do this (make sure it is in writing) you have a couple of options.  You can have the testing done at a qualified psychologists office (your own expense of course) or you could ask for a copy of parent's rights and let them know you will be contacting an advocate (helps settle disputes in sp. ed.).  Most schools do not want an advocate involved and will test.  Once your child has been tested and you have the results you should stay involved in your child's education.  Make sure modifications are listed and followed through with.  Testing is not a quick process.  There must be 6 weeks of documented interventions in the classroom and then a STAT meeting (called by different names) should occur between you and the school to determine if the interventions have been helpful.  If they are working the team may elect to continue with interventions and monitoring.  If they are only minimal or not successful at all the child is then referred to an Admissions and Release committee for testing.  Most places have 60 days from this point to complete the testing process then another meeting will be scheduled to discuss the results.  Whatever you do don't give up on your child.  At times schools and teachers do not want to deal with testing for disabilities because it is work.  This attitude can be changed with a parent who is genuinely concerned with helping the child rather than looking for an excuse for bad parenting.  Good luck and gather info, info, and more info!  An informed, concerned parent makes all the difference in the world for a child with any kind of learning difficulty!

[lynetteley]

From a total non-professional, sounds like sensory integration which the Dr. touched briefly on. Sensory Integration is an area that is sometimes difficult to diagnosis--especially from a school district that may not have an occupational therapist on staff to test and evaluate. A test called the Peabody and another test called the VMI are usually administered by an Occupational Therapist to help determine if there is a sensory motor planning problem. I have a 6 year old boy who has sensory integration dysfunction. He is sensitive to noise, tastes, materials and clothing tags, as well as many other areas involving the "senses". There is a wonderful book about sensory integration disorder written for us non-professionals called The Out-of-Sync Child by Judith Kranowitz. It will give you an idea if this is something you may want to explore further. The good news is that there are many relatively easy therapy techniques to help kids who are experiencing this disorder. Good luck! Lynette