Improving Communication with your Child with Learning Disabilities

Specific Ways to Improve Communication

As simple as it may be – the first suggestion is “believe in your child”. Parent’s attitudes about their children and their capabilities have a powerful effect on how children view themselves.

If you view your child as someone who is capable and responsible, that child usually has similar views. However, children who do have learning disabilitiesmany times have parents who view them as fragile, needing help, scared and other more negative characteristics. Children absorb that negative view too easily and many times can be easily accepting of low achievement and not wanting to try without help or try at all. That is where if you believe in your child, you are modeling the behavior for them to believe in themselves. If a child feels capable and accepts themselves for who they are, they are more willing to listen and follow through with what is being communicated to them.

It is important to find your child’s strengths and play on those.

It is so easy to focus on the weaknesses our children have because we want them to be the best possible. If we even look at the word “learning disability”, it has the word “disability” that implies the child is disabled in some manner and cannot do something or somethings well. It is so easily forgotten that each child with a learning disability has some real interesting, and unique attributes and characteristics about them that need to be focused upon.

Many times that attribute may be that child’s energy and enthusiasm. Several children with learning disabilities excel in the arts, drama, music and other creative endeavors. Many of these children are imaginative. It is important to discuss the strengths that your child has on a daily basis with him or her on what they did well. When a child feels they can excel at something, they are able to “hear” things parents are saying more so. Conversations can go easier and smoother when a child feels good about themselves.