If you have a learning disorder what did you do in high school to make yourself successful?

Question

If you have a learning disorder what did you do in high school to make yourself successful?

Answer 1

My son took honors classes. They were more hands on oriented and filled with classmates that were there because learning was important to them.

He practiced strategies that worked for him. Read the summary of the chapters. Look at the questions at the end of chapters. Then you know what you are reading about. It helps your comprehension. You learn what is important about that chapter.

On state tests he read the questions first and predicted an answer. Then he eliminated the ones he knew were wrong. Sometimes he had to read parts of passages, but very seldom. This way he was not overly tired at the length of the tests.

He also previewed chapters by reading headings, subheading, picture captions, studied any figures that showed charts, etc., and sometimes the first couple of sentences under a heading.

He practiced scanning for answers to questions.

Answer 2

In order to make myself succesful in school I usualy just need a quite place to work

Answer 3

My husband and his sister both had learning disorders in school  She is severly dyslexic and was told over and over that she would never graduate, let alone go to college.  She not only graduated and went to collge, but graduated college with honors.  What I learned first and foremost from them is tell your students to NEVER listen to any negative comments anyone might say.  There is much more awareness now, which helps.

My husband also says that when you do find something that works..do it, even if it is not the norm.  He has a hearing problem where he can not process what he hears.  His teachers would argue with him that he needed to sit in the front row of the class.  He had found that he worked better at the back of the class, because he could see where the sounds were coming from and was able to filter what he needed to hear.  If it works for your students..let them stick with it.  Sometimes the things that are out of the box are what work best.

It may take someone with learning disorders longer to process what they are learning, and longer to do the work...but tell your students to never let it get them down.  My husband also said that the kids in his special ed classes ended up doing better after high school and adapted to college better than the kids in his gifted/talented classes (he was in gifted and talented and special ed classes), because they always had to work and never gave up.  College work was not a shock to them.

The fact that you are reaching out shows that you care for your students.  That alone can be a huge help and give your students encouragement.  When I was in high school and my life was not condusive to being sucessful..it was knowing that my French teacher was always there that gave me to push too keep going.  I did graduate ended up doing better in college than any of my high school teachers would have imagined.  

Keep Smilin

Jenn

www.steelstringblues.com