While studying dyslexia a few years ago, I had a revelation! Kids with dyslexia learn to read, write and calculate math differently! Their brains process differently by utilizing more areas of the brain compared to typical students. This is why it takes them longer to process the information.
This caused me to think about the label "disability". The prefix "dis" is defined as a "lack of" or "not". The prefix "dys" indicates something "bad or difficult". So the label "disability" or "dysfunction" is describing our population of children and adults in a negative light. When the school district qualifies your child for special services, they might use a category called "learning disabilities".
A few years ago I read an article that described our kids as a group that learns differently. Instead of saying "learning disabled", they said they learned differently. I love the idea of describing what our kids CAN do instead of defining them by what limits them.
Now let's imagine we are in their world. You go through your day with someone walking beside you all day long talking into your ear. Someone else is following you rubbing your back with sandpaper. You have to walk using roller skates. You are doing your best to get your work done, but you are continuously called into your boss' office for lack of focus and production. This is a similar scenario for a lot of our children. Now imagine you have learning differences on top of all of this! Your irritations are coming from the outside as well as from the inside. I would be a nervous wreck. Now you can understand why these kids act out and cry a lot!
But this dear population doesn't know any other way of life - that is until they get diagnosed. Then they can start receiving support through various therapies, medication, supplements, chiropractic care, and educational therapy support.
If you've noticed your child isn't enjoying school and the teacher has told you she sees issues that need to be addressed, don't hesitate! After checking with your pediatrician, if you see no results, then head to a neurologist. It may be time to explore if they have learning differences or other issues such as Sensory Processing Disorder. Along the way, you can discover their many wonderful abilities!