>>>
>>> AS
>>> AS AREA STUDENTS BEGIN THE HOLIDAY BREAK, NOW
MAY BE THE TIME TO ASSESS
REPORT CARDS.
REPORT CARDS. IT MAY SHOW
SIGNS THAT YOUR CHILD IS
STRUGGLING.
STRUGGLING. >> WE SAT DOWN WITH AN
ACADEMIC COORDINATOR AT
OAKWOOD SCHOOL AND EMILY MILLER
WHO WAS A SPECIAL
EDUCATION TEACHER AND FORMER
OAKWOOD STUDENT TO
LEARN ABOUT THE EARLY SIGNS OF
LEARNING DISABILITIES
LEARNING DISABILITIES AND WHAT WE AS PARENTS CAN DO.
>> JANINE, HOW PREVALENT ARE
LEARNING DISABILITIES
LEARNING DISABILITIES WITH THE KIDS?
>> THERE ARE ABOUT ONE OUT OF
FIVE CHILDREN IN THE
CLASSROOM STRUGGLING WITH
LEARNING DISABILITIES.
LEARNING DISABILITIES. >> THAT INCLUDES DYSLEXIA OR
WHATEVER ELSE?
WHATEVER ELSE? >> LANGUAGE-BASED LEARNING
DISABILITIES.
DISABILITIES. MORE
MORE
MORE THAN
MORE THAN 20% OF THE CHILDREN HAVE
LEARNING DISABILITIES
LEARNING DISABILITIES BUT A LARGE PERCENTAGE HAVE
DYSLEXIA OR
DYSLEXIA OR LANGUAGE-BASED LEARNING
LANGUAGE-BASED LEARNING DISABILITIES.
DISABILITIES. >> IT IS HARD TO KNOW JUST
LOOKING AT A STUDENT IF
THEY HAVE A DISABILITY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE THE STUDENTS ARE VERY
SMART AND CAPABLE AND THEY ALSO
HAVE THESE
HAVE THESE COMPENSATORY STRATEGIES TO
COVER UP FOR THE FACT
THAT THEY ARE STRUGGLING.
A LOT OF THE STUDENTS
THAT HAVE DYSLEXIA ARE VERY
INTELLIGENT AND SMART
AND IT IS NOT EXPECTED THAT
THEY ARE STRUGGLING.
THEY SEE THEMSELVES STRUGGLING
AND THEY SEE OTHER
PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO LEARN SO
QUICKLY AND IT CAN
REALLY AFFECT THEIR SELF-
ESTEEM.
ESTEEM.
ESTEEM. IT IS SOMETHING WE
WANT TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR.
>> EMILY, YOU HAVE A PERSONAL
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. YOU ARE A
YOU ARE A
YOU ARE A TEACHER NOW.
TEACHER NOW. YOU HAVE YOUR MASTERS.
BUT YOU HAD A
LEARNING DISABILITY.
LEARNING DISABILITY. >> I DID.
>> I DID.
>> I DID. I HAD THE COMMON RED FLAGS AT
AN EARLY
AN EARLY
AN EARLY AGE.
AGE.
AGE. I
AGE. I HAD A HARD TIME LEARNING MY
ABCS.
ABCS.
ABCS. MY
ABCS. MY MOM
MY MOM
MY MOM HAD A FAMILY HISTORY OF IT.
AND I HAD ARTICULATION
ISSUES.
ISSUES.
ISSUES. AND IN KINDERGARTEN, I WAS
DIAGNOSED.
DIAGNOSED. AFTER BEING IN THE SCHOOL
SYSTEM FOR A LITTLE BIT,
MY PARENTS DECIDED TO TAKE ME
OUT OVER TO OAKWOOD
WHICH IS A SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN
WITH LEARNING
WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES.
DISABILITIES. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE SUPPORT I
NEEDED AND I LEARNED THAT THE
LEARNING DISABILITY
LEARNING DISABILITY WON'T GO AWAY.
I CAN LEARN STRATEGIES TO HELP
ME
ME
ME COPE.
COPE.
COPE. >>
COPE. >> LEARNING THEM EARLY ON IS
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. LIKE THE
LIKE THE
LIKE THE EARLY INTERVENTION IS CRUCIAL.
>> THAT IS KEY.
YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP AN
EYE OUT FOR THE RED FLAGS.
AND WHEN YOU SEE THEM,
YOU WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
EARLY INTERVENTION OUT
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. IF
THERE. IF YOU WAIT TOO LONG, THE GAP
WILL START TO
WIDEN AND IT REQUIRES MUCH MORE
INTENSIVE
INTENSIVE
INTENSIVE INTERVENTION FOR LONGER PERIODS
OF TIME.
OF TIME.
OF TIME. IF YOU CAN
GET AT THOSE RED FLAGS AND
START EARLIER RATHER THAN
LATER, THEN THE INTERVENTION IS
LESS CHALLENGING.
LESS CHALLENGING. >> WHAT ARE THINGS WE SHOULD
BE LOOKING OUT FOR?
>> YOU WILL BE LOOKING FOR IF
YOUR CHILD WAS
DELAYED IN LEARNING TO SPEAK.
IF THEY HAVE LIKE
EMILY, EXPERIENCING MIXING UP
SOUNDS AND WORDS.
ALSO NOT BEING ABLE TO LEARN
THE ALPHABET VERY
EASILY OR ASSOCIATE THE SOUNDS
WITH THE LETTERS.
MAYBE THEY CAN RECOGNIZE THE
LETTER B. BUT THEY ARE
NOT ABLE TO ASSOCIATE THE TWO
THINGS TOGETHER.
THINGS TOGETHER. ALSO
ALSO
ALSO IF
ALSO IF THERE IS A FAMILY HISTORY OF
DYSLEXIA LIKE EMILY
WAS SAYING AS WELL, THEN THERE
IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY
THAT YOUR CHILD WOULD HAVE IT.
>> EMILY, YOU ARE PROOF THAT
WITH THE RIGHT
SUPPORT AND JUST RECOGNIZING
WHAT IS GOING ON, YOU
CAN SUCCEED AND YOU HAVE GONE
ON TO DO INCREDIBLE
THINGS AND YOU ARE NOT LETTING
IT GET IN YOUR WAY.
>> I THINK THE POWER OF
KNOWING AND HAVING A
DIAGNOSIS AND KNOWING THAT YOU
ARE NOT STUPID.
I
I
I THINK
I THINK IT IS THAT YOU LEARN
DIFFERENTLY.
DIFFERENTLY. AND THAT IS
HELPED TO EMPOWER.
BEING IN A SUPPORTIVE
ENVIRONMENT WITH TEACHERS THAT
HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING
AND HAVING PARENTS THAT
UNDERSTOOD, THAT REALLY MADE
A DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE.
>> BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, WHAT
ARE SOME QUESTIONS
PARENTS SHOULD BE ASKING?
>> I WOULD SAY PARENTS SHOULD
TALK TO THE TEACHERS
AND DON'T JUST ASSUME THE
TEACHERS WILL COME TO
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. I
THEM. I WOULD SAY THAT PARENTS SHOULD
BE ASKING THE
TEACHERS, HOW IS MY CHILD
DOING?
DOING?
DOING? TALK ABOUT HOW IT
SOUNDS WHEN YOUR CHILD IS
READING.
READING.
READING. AND KEEP IN
MIND, WHAT YOU ARE HEARING WHEN
YOUR CHILD IS HOME
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU. AND THE TEACHERS OR THE PARENTS
COULD
COULD
COULD TALK TO THE CHILD'S TEACHER OR
SOMEONE IN THE
SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IF