By guest author Anna Super.

As a child growing up with a diagnosed but unspecified learning disability, I was often told that I was intelligent but that I learned differently. I believed that wholeheartedly until I was in high school. In high school, I began to realize that the students that learned easier got into better colleges and, in my mind, as a result would have a more successful life.  Regardless of how I perceived that statement at the time,no one ever explained to me what it meant for me, or any of the other “bright” students with learning disabilities, to learn differently.

Sure, I was given accommodations concerning spelling, and math, and handwriting, and things like that. They were all written into my IEP, but I didn’t remember being given space to learn differently than the other students. I think if my mom or one of my teachers had been able to read a blog about the ways students with learning disabilities learned differently, I would have found my way to success with much less stress.

Although I didn’t know my specific diagnosis at the time, as a child with NLD I was not a trouble maker at school, I didn’t draw attention to myself in any way. I was good at paying attention and always looked engaged and on task in school. I did my homework every night on my own without complaint and I would work until I was done, no matter how long it took to complete my work. I know some children with NLD act out due to the stress of having to deal with so many challenges each day, but many of us are very well behaved at school. In some ways this was a problem. My teachers thought I was understanding more information then I was. The students who were causing trouble and drawing attention to themselves were the first to receive help.

Looking back, I wish my teachers would have known that a child like myself will often appear like they understand new information when they might not be. As a parent, you can help your child from getting behind at school by hanging with them while doing their homework, even if your child usually does their homework independently, as I did.

Talk with your child about the homework that they are doing. Ask about how the teacher explained the subject material and ask them to explain the work back to you. If your child seems to be confused about the concepts or how to do their homework, spend some time thinking about when your child has had success learning. Was it at school with a different teacher? Was it outside of school? I used to learn information very well when I went to science museums, zoos, and other educational attractions, or from watching educational television shows or by being read to at home. In these situations I was learning for fun. There was no pressure to learn the material at any speed and I did not have to interact with too many people while learning. My focus could be on the new information and I could learn as much or as little at as I caught on to.

It happened in higher education as well.  I remember in college that a professor I had felt that we would all get so much more out of her lectures if we read the text first, but I found I got more out of the reading if I was exposed to some of the details I would be learning about in her lecture before having all the new information in front of me in the text.

Looking back, I can see that it would have helped me to learn in school with less stress if I was able to master information and tasks in a less pressure environment. For example, as an adult I have discovered that I learn best when I interact with someone first, or when I am led through the information or the process and am allowed to ask questions as I go. This can be put into action during the child’s time in the special education room.

Unlike when I went to the zoo, at school I needed to learn all the information presented to me in class. After being led through the information in the special education room, I would fully comprehend what I was learning if I was able to read about the information on my own time. This allowed me to engage deeper with the material I was learning. This learning is perfect for homework time.

I think I finally understand what it means when people say students with learning disabilities are smart, but they learn in a different way. For me, I learn best when I am able to turn everything verbal (being told information by a person while being able to ask questions, then spending time reading the material later). For some dyslexic children, it might be the opposite. An adult gifted dyslexic told me he thinks in pictures and found success while working with his hands. Children like him may need to make information visual and tactile. Drawing pictures and making models will help these students. For a student with Aspergers, simply being given a book on the subject they are learning may be the most helpful. This way, the Aspergers student would not have to spend their mental energy trying to socially interact with their instructor. Instead, the student can put their strong rote memorizing skills to work.

I think if students with learning disabilities need more then simple accommodations for success in later life, they should also be allowed to engage with new material in a way that their brain learns best. We students with learning disabilities will more often reach our full potential and have a lot of success in higher education and in their adult lives. We will prove to be intelligent people who simply learn differently!

Anna is a freelance writer, taking on projects as varied as stories about her ups and downs with NLD and dyscalculia to copywriting projects that help businesses and organizations connect their products and services to their customers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in journalism from Keene State College and was a staff reporter at the former newspapers The Connecticut Valley Spectator and the Argus Champion. Through her writing, Anna hopes to bring more awareness to learning disabilities, especially the little known ones she has, and help others with learning disabilities succeed in their lives. Anna can be reached at Anna.Super01@gmail.com.