1. Use Technology - I told my husband shortly after we were married that I would not be held accountable for anything that wasn't written down. If I didn't have the chance to write anything down, then he shouldn't expect me to remember it, because I won't. Help your child use technology to help them cope with the things that are difficult for them. When I was in school, there was little help available, so my dad gave me a small black book. He had me write me name, address, phone number, classes, assignments, etc. in it to help me remember. What I could have done with a Smartphone! Much of my writing was dismissed, because my handwriting was so poor and my spelling even worse. Now I use my laptop spellchecker, and no one even knows that I have difficulty with spelling because a machine supplies me the ability I lack, allowing my insightful ideas to shine.
2. Recognize their Intelligence - Alfred Binet, the French psychologist, created the IQ test in the early 1900's, which was later refined by another psychologist, Dr. Terman, from Stanford University. It is now the widely used Stanford-Binet IQ test. Dr. Binet believed that the highest expression of intelligence is verbal ability. This was the greatest strength of these two IQ test designers, and therefore, what they saw as "true intelligence". If you aren't strong in verbal/numerical skills, then, of course, you will not score very high on that test. It does not mean that you are not gifted in other areas. Don't allow school personnel to treat your child as if he is has a mental disability. His abilities are merely different than what the IQ test measures.
3. Help them recognize their ability to succeed - Here are some of the qualities which are considered important for success in today's world: creativity, connection, communication, drive, emotional awareness or intelligence, integrity, optimism, patience, passion, resilience, self-confidence, self control, and will power. How many of these qualities does your child have? Help them notice and have confidence in their abilities. They will need your help, because their abilities will often not be valued or even recognized in the school system. Endlessly, they will have their talents ignored, while their "deficiencies" will be spotlighted. Help them build confidence in who they are, and help them realize that they do have the abilities to earn a good living and be happy in life.
4. Help them recognize who they really are - I felt like an "Ugly Duckling" in school. I was so inept in grade school where spelling, memorization, and math were the measurement of my abilities. When I was in high school and finally in college, where I graduated with honors, I learned that I truly was a "swan". I had the ability to grasp the whole picture and form connections between ideas. Not only that, I could explain my ideas in wonderful words. My days of being an "Ugly Duckling", a miserable memorizer and sequencer, were over. I last I knew who I was - a lovely, creative "Swan".
