Is This A Learning Disability?
My niece is in Kindergarten and she does not know how to write well (especially the letter S). She has a difficult time reading as well and I noticed that she has a hard time focusing. When she knows shes not doing something correct she gives up easily. She has a twin sister that is the complete opposite as her. She has not yet been evaluated. Does this sound like some sort of disability?
In order for your niece to fall under the special education eligibility category of a learning disability, she would have to either:
demonstrate a significant discrepancy between her academic achievement and cognitive ability (extremely rare in kindergarten – kids are still learning basic academic skills at this age)
OR
demonstrate little or no progress in response to research based interventions
According to federal law, special education services are only for students who demonstrate an inability to learn in the regular classroom. It is extremely hard to make this determination in kindergarten. Many motivation and focus difficulties at this age will improve as children continue to develop and become more familiar with academic curriculum and activities. I hope that your niece’s school provides the supports that are needed for her to succeed!
When she’ll be motivated, she will probably learn to read and write in a puff. Anyway, writing is a motoric skill above all. Kids develop very differently, and a lot of harm done is due to the expectation that all respond to the “born” age. To expect all kinder-gardens to read and write seems idiotic to me (sorry).
But of course there could be a learning disability. Then again, don’t we all have that to some degree?
no–
kids are being pushed to learn to read and write earlier–while many can do it–some just aren’t developmentlaly ready–it is common for kids in kindergarten and early first grade to have trouble with writing/reading..
it is something to keep an eye on–and if it doesn’t improve by teh end of teh year–
be sure to keep samples—if you can video tape her rading/writing–so you cna compare in teh spring
Could be. Lots of people say that this is normal when they are starting to learn things. That they need to ‘catch up’. And in lots of cases, this is true.
But, schools use this as an excuse not to help a child when the child actually DOES have a problem. It is argued for years that early intervention is best for a child, but some schools don’t agree with this.
They wait until the child fails and gets so exasperated before they will try to help, sometimes not even then.
There are some things that you might not know about, like schools do NOT have to help with ANY problems UNLESS the child is recieving special ed services.
So, if you want school to help her, you have to get the special ed process started.
Before your next step, PLEASE go to this message board for help. It is the BEST on the internet –http://millermom.proboards.com/index.cgi…