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myth: all
learning
disabilities
are the same. fact: ?no two children are the same,? david says. ?with dyslexia, it?s a very broad con- tinuum?some are seriously impaired, some are only mildly impaired.? ?accommodations are creative and individualized,? says mire. ?each one is different for each child.? myth: learning disabilities are more com- mon in people
with low intelligence. fact: ?to have a diagnosis of a learning disabil- ity, you have to have an average or above average iq,? says mire. ?dyslexia is often called ?the unex- pected reading problem? because it may occur in a very bright child,? says david. ?it?s not related to intelligence, socioeco- nomic level, or culture?that one in five is worldwide.? myth: glasses can help fix learning disabilities, particularly dyslexia. fact: ?it has nothing to do with vision,? says david. ?it?s about language processing. it?s an issue with phonemic awareness? understanding that words are made up of sounds. so therapies like special glasses or colored filters are not approved for treating dyslexia.? myth: accommodations at school give an unfair advantage. fact: accommodations are necessary to give kids with learning disabilities a fair chance. ??ere is a big problem in this state with people telling kids not to use their accommodations because they should try to do it on their own,? says mire. ??ese people mean well, they just don?t have the training or the understand- ing about learning disabilities. it would be like telling a child who wears glasses not to wear them so that they can give their eyes a chance to work on their own. we wouldn?t say that giving glasses to children who need them is unfair to those who don?t need them.? ?according to the americans with disabilities act, people with learning dis- abilities are supposed to get accommoda- tions,? mire continues. ?accommodations for reading are easy to do, they are not very expensive, they are the right thing to do, and the law says they are the right thing to do.? myth: learning disabilities are only a problem in school settings. fact: learning disabilities can affect people in many ways throughout their lives. ?a lot of highly successful people have dyslexia,? says david. ?but again, it?s about access to intervention. among the incarcerated population, there?s a high incidence of reading disorders and people who didn?t finish high school and don?t have skills because they never got the services that they needed. we?re trying to educate the public so that we can make sure that every child gets a truly appro- priate education.? ?raising awareness about learning disabilities is especially important in our area, where we have a lot of poverty,? says mire. ?it used to be that you could work hard and earn enough to support a family, but in today?s world, you have to have an education to get a good job. so if we don?t educate people, it hurts every- one because more people go to prison, more people are on welfare, and more people are unhappy. ?e world would be a much better place if all kids got what they needed.? for resources about learning disabilities, visit greater baton rouge learning dis- abilities coalition (gbrldc.org) and louisi- ana key academy (lakeyacademy.com). ? we know what kids with learning disabilities need, but it?s been a real challenge to get that information to the parents and into the classrooms. july 2016 | brparents.com 57
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