We are increasingly aware of the different learning problems that may arise in the school stage, as society progressed, the need to adapt the contents and how to teach children with this type of difficulty became more important.
Thus, support figures were inserted in schools, which from now on often have specialists, both in therapeutic pedagogy and in hearing and language, however, despite all this progress, in general, another fundamental aspect of the lives of these children is often overlooked. : your emotional health and the care you need in this area. Now the question is: what can we do to support them and not make them feel stigmatized?
“Tell me and I’ll forget it, show me and I’ll remember it, get involved and learn. “- Benjamin Franklin-
When a child has learning problems, it is common for them to suffer for emotional reasons, so feelings of frustration, sadness or anxiety can arise, of course, we should not forget that these emotional problems also occur in children who do not have them. have difficulties in their academic performance.
How can parents detect if their children are in difficulty? There are several signs that can be used as a warning. On the one hand, emotions such as those already mentioned can arise, especially in relation to school situations, which can manifest themselves in screaming, worries, headaches, stomach aches and behavior problems.
“If we learn our limits very quickly, we will never learn our powers. ” – Cute McLaughlin-
These feelings can appear for several reasons. The first is that kids with learning disabilities often think they’re more than everyone else. It is very important that parents work on these kinds of beliefs, because they are wrong.
On the one hand, parents should explain, clearly and adapted to the level of development of the child, what the learning difficulties are, in this sense should be very clear to the child that they are not related to an older or younger child. In addition, they need to understand the message that their learning issues don’t make them any less valuable or that the people around them will like them less.
It’s very important. If children realize that their parents feel bad about this diagnosis, they will feel something happen to them, so parents will have to take the reins and convey a positive attitude to their children.
When we’re older, we understand that they’re all what they are and that there’s what we call “individual differences” in psychology. But when we’re young, what we want is to be like the other kids around us. At least if we are different, let this difference not harm us, that is why it is good to intervene and help children understand the origin and consequences of what they perceive as different in themselves.
To help them in this regard, it is important that children also receive care when they do things correctly and not only when they make mistakes related to their learning problems, in this sense inertia can be generated, fueled by all our good intentions. In other words, we highlight failures for children to improve at the expense of their successes, so it is necessary to make an effort to reverse this inertia, if it has already been created, in this way we can reinforce behavior when they do the right things.
Finally, we must also evaluate whether the curricular supports and adjustments available to the child are adequate, it may be necessary to readjust them taking into account the emotional and social difficulties that occur, in addition it is important to work with parents and teachers to improve the well-being of the child.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget what you made them feel. “Maya Angelo.
Keep in mind that children with learning disabilities generally need to devote more time and effort to classroom assignments. This additional concentration can lead to frustration and anger. So, it’s very important to work on that.
Faced with this, it will be more motivating and fruitful for them to work on small goals, easier to achieve, in this way the child will realize that he is progressing, rather than seeing before him a mountain impossible to climb. the step is fundamental.
And finally, there’s another element that will help you drastically improve your emotional well-being: finding something you’re good at. That is, an activity or sport that children love and that feel realized. Learning problems can affect them emotionally, but it’s up to us to make them feel better.
Images courtesy of Ben White, Michal Parzuchowski and Element 5 Digital.