People Learn Differently

Being a person who struggled in elementary school myself, I really believe that people learn differently. Based on my own experiences and what I have learned in over thirty-six years of tutoring children, I  agree that most children are not disabled learners, but simply people who learn in a different way.

Some of us can not learn merely by hearing something. We need to see and experience to learn. Visual aids such as pictures, time lines, graphs, demonstrations, and DVD’s really help me follow a lesson, but they don’t always have to be things you can touch. Stories, parables, examples, and analogies also enable me to “see” the ideas. I have found  Teaching No Greater Call to be a invaluable resource of teaching ideas.

Resources for Asperger Syndrome

I just read a great book for teens with Asperger Syndrome. It is called:

The Asperkid's Secret Book of Social Rules by Jennifer Cook O'Toole

She calls her book, "The handbook of Not-So-Obvious Social Guidelines for Tweens and Teens with Asperger Syndrome".

Jennifer really knows about Asperger Syndrome. Not only is she a person with Asperger Syndrome, she is married to a man with Asperger Syndrome and has three Asperger children.

She gives straight forward social rules presented with humor and a positive attitude. I think her book would be a great help for extremely logical people in helping them feel more confident around people and function more easily in society.

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities is defined as

1. a condition giving rise to difficulties in acquiring knowledge and skills to the level expected of those of the same age, especially when not associated with a physical handicap.

ADHD, ADD, and Autism, though not strictly included, could also be considered  learning disabilities since they affect learning.

I have written many articles about what is called "Learning Disabilities". (See categories "Learning Disabilities) These are posts about coping with weaknesses, and appreciating and developing our strengths. We are all human. We are all "disabled" in some way and gifted in some way.

Helping Autistic People

I've seen parents come in to talk to the teacher about their autistic son. The mother forcefully wants her son "fixed",  made "normal", while the father just sits there in quiet blankness. Why? Because he recognizes that his son is very like him.

So how do you help an autistic child? What can you do to make it easier for someone who lives in a world of pure logic? I think of the old Star Trek 1 movie, V'ger, where a machine created a world in it's own image; completely logical and predictable. Of course the "biological infestations" of the machines had to be eliminated.

How I took Tests

What helped me the most in test taking was to allow me to answer essay questions instead of inaccurately judging my understanding by my inability to recall dates, names, or multiplication tables. Writing allowed me to

How Did I Cope in School?

How do you manage school when you can't follow the teacher's instructions and lectures? What do you do when you can't remember how to spell a word or math formulas? How do you pass tests when you can't remember names and dates? How does a creative person like me survive in school?

Helping Your Struggling Student - Lectures

Coping with Lectures

They will not be able to learn easily from lectures, but if the lectures use pictures and charts etc. it will help the child visualize the material.

It will also help if