“How do you help someone who has learning disabilities?”

Learning disability means that a person does not function equally well in all areas. Some skills may be very strong while another areas of competence may be quite low. I help people identify their strengths and develop coping skills to compensate for their weaknesses.

Hello, 

Thanks for your concern for the person with the learning disabilities. This question is best answered by a licensed school psychologist, and in case the person is an adult and in university/college, then at the counseling center they may have an expert on this issue. So, I would suggest search appropriately, depending on the age of the person with the learning disabilities. 
Take care and remain safe. 

Dr. Lata Sonpal

Hi,

Thank you so much for your question regarding learning disabilities, which is one of my specialties. There are several kinds of learning disabilities. One of the most common is a specific learning disability in reading and reading comprehension, known as dyslexia. Another is dysgraphia, which is trouble with writing and written expression. A third common one is dyscalculia, or a math disorder. Sometimes people have several different ones. There are other learning conditions, including ADHD and executive functioning weaknesses (including planning, organizing, self monitoring, and staying on track) that have a significant effect on learning.

The way to treat learning disorders is to have accommodations or support in the workplace, school, and home settings. In college and School, there are learning specialists who can also support the person with their assignments and tasks. For example, every college has a learning disability center. In order to be diagnosed with learning disabilities, the person has to finish psychological or psychoeducational testing, in order to receive specific recommendations for accommodations.

Thank you,

Dr. Siddique

Hi there! It's all about patience since individuals with disabilities process information at a gradual rate than the normal population. More practice and repetition of any kind tends to help individuals with disabilities feel less irritated with themselves especially when it comes to problem-solving. This is a start but I hope this helps.

Hi,

Thank you for your question. While there is no cure for specific learning disorder, there are many ways to help someone who has learning disabilities to improve reading, writing, and math skills, including to explore visual, auditory, and kinesthetic multimodal learning styles, to practice various strategies (repetition, mnemonic devices, visualization), and to explore new adaptive responses for self-awareness and self-confidence. Treatment usually includes both strengthening the skills and developing a learning strategy tailored to take advantage of the person's strengths. For example, repetition and mnemonic devices might make it easier to memorize a math formula, and drawing a picture to illustrate a word problem might help to
visualize what is being asked. Treatment for specific learning disorder often also involves multimodal teaching. If the person has trouble comprehending a subject with his or her eyes and ears alone, other senses such as touch, taste, and even smell can play a role in the learning process. Similarly, learning to convert one sort of problem into another format may help (e.g.,
changing a traditional math problem into a word problem). A learning specialist can help determine the services or accommodations a person might benefit from. Psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy in particular, may also be helpful in treating the emotional and behavioral problems that can accompany specific learning disorder.

For *impairment in reading*:

· *Special teaching techniques.* These can include helping the person learn through multisensory experiences and by providing immediate feedback to strengthen the person's ability to recognize words.

· *Use of technology.* People with impairment in reading may benefit from listening to books on tape or using word-processing programs with spell-check features.

For *impairment in written expression*:

· *Use of technology.* A person can be taught to use word-processing programs or an audio recorder instead of writing by hand.

For *impairment in mathematics*:

· *Use of memory aids*. Rhymes and music are among the techniques that can be used to help a person remember math concepts.

I hope this has been helpful!

Best,

Jenna Torres, PsyD

Hello and thank you for the question,

There are educational services for individuals with learning disabilities. The school should be able to provide resources for students with disabilities. For adults with learning disabilities, there are county and state resources available to help with locating employment and training. Texas Work Force Commission has a website that is helpful for adults and the school can help with children/students.

Thank you,

Patricia Harris | MA, LPC

This link is a good resource...
https://ldaamerica.org/info/adults-with-learning-disabilities-an-overview/#:~:text=Typical%20strategies%20and%20accommodations%20that,in%20school%20or%20job%20training.
or
https://ldaamerica.org/adults/