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| What is a Learning Disability? People with learning disabilities have difficulty processing information. They cannot always make sense of what they receive through their senses, even though their sight, hearing and other sense organs are all intact. The messages they receive are broken, scattered and jumbled. Individuals with learning disabilities are distractible. They pay too much attention to too many things. Their senses are constantly bombarded with stimuli — too many for them to process. This creates a world of confusion. At age 7 or 8, they are well behind their peers in maturity, frequently displaying much younger social behavior. They crave center stage and need constant recognition of their existence. Such limited processing skills and social immaturity cause a student to feel miserable in school. They are blamed for "not trying hard enough" and told to "grow up" and "pay attention." Because they are misunderstood, this child is often thought to be angry, willful, unmotivated and intentionally not performing well. Unfortunately, this very frightened child cannot, rather than will not, perform well at school. Before too long, their world seems a series of mistakes, one after another, all totaling personal disaster. Such feelings deal a heavy blow to a child's self-esteem. There can be no greater tragedy than the waste of a young man or woman's talent and creativity. Yet even today, thousands of our children — born with the intelligence and talent to build great bridges, create new art, triumph in the business world or succeed in the professions — are being written off by a society that brands them as "slow," "unteachable," or "behavior problems." Bright children with learning disabilities have the ability to learn as well as anyone else, they simply learn differently. What are some of the signs of a learning issue? Learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders have many faces. While all people are unique, some common characteristics may help to identify these differences. Can you and your student relate to the tendencies and comments listed below? |
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Spotty performance on IQ or achievement tests — high in some areas, low in others. "He's very bright — he's just not trying hard enough." |
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Distractibility — difficulty staying on task. "If she would just pay attention she would do fine." |
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Poor coordination and motor skills. "All kids go through an awkward stage." |
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Impulsivity and poor decision making. "He'll grow out of it." |
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Classroom performance. "She just needs to apply herself." |
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Poor organizational skills. "All kids are messy and disorganized." |
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Inconsistent homework performance. "He's just being lazy." |
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Difficulty keeping friends. "He relates better to adults." |
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| What are the most common Learning Disabilities? Because the field of learning disabilities is complicated, we've provided the following names and brief definitions of a variety of learning disabilities to help you better understand your child and his or her needs. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Serious and persistent difficulties in attention and focus. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Serious and persistent difficulties in attention and focus that falls into one of three types/categories: |
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Inattentive |
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Hyperactive |
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Combined Type |
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| Auditory Processing Deficit The inability to process oral language in a meaningful way, which in turn affects comprehension. Dyscalculia Difficulty in understanding or using mathematical symbols or functions. Dysgraphia Difficulty in producing legible handwriting with age-appropriate speed. Dysnomia A marked difficulty in remembering names or recalling words needed for oral or written language. Dyslexia A significant difficulty in managing language (speaking, reading, spelling, writing). A person with dyslexia may see letters, syllables or words upside down, reversed, blurred, backwards, or otherwise distorted. Dyspraxia A severe difficulty in performing writing, drawing, buttoning, and other tasks requiring fine motor skills, or in sequencing the necessary movements. This may also affect vocal sequencing needed for basic speech. Expressive Language Disorder The inability to express thoughts verbally. This includes difficulties with word retrieval and may also affect a student's written work. Executive Dysfunction The inability and or delay in the process of complex, meaningful information. Phonological Processing Disorder The inability to understand the sound/symbol relationship causing deficiencies in word recognition and spelling. Receptive Language Disorder The inability to process and store information correctly which causes difficulty with information retrieval. Visual Motor Integration Difficulties (VMI and Visual Agnosia) The inability to take visual information and transfer it into written form, i.e. difficulty in copying notes from the board or drawing objects in art class. What is the tuition? Is there financial assistance available? Lawrence is a not-for-profit school and is dedicated to maintaining the lowest possible cost to parents. As with most privately funded education settings, an education at Lawrence is a substantial but valuable investment into the future success of a student. Tuition assistance often plays a significant role in the ability to attend Lawrence School. We encourage all families who think they may qualify to apply for aid. Is transportation provided? Currently Lawrence does not have a school transportation system because of the breadth and span of communities from which students travel. Many families from the same communities form carpools. Do you accept students with Autism? Lawrence does not accept students for whom the lead diagnosis is Autism. Do you serve students with behavior disorders? Lawrence does not accept any student for whom the lead diagnosis is a behavioral issue. Do you accept students who are developmentally handicapped? Lawrence only accepts students who have average to above average IQ, therefore many students who are developmentally handicapped would not be an acceptable fit for our academically challenging program. Are you a boarding program? No, Lawrence is a day school for students living in the Northeast Ohio area. Is Lawrence a Charter school? No, Lawrence is a private, independently run school. Does your school offer extracurricular activities? Currently Lawrence Upper School has a growing extracurricular program offering activities in the areas of sports, theatre, science, and community and school service. Does Lawrence have a dress code? The current Lawrence dress code is based on clothing offered through the Lands' End catalog. A catalog is distributed to all parents and guardians at the time of student enrollment. |
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