Frequently Asked Questions

  • How to recognize possible Learning Disabilities?
  • What is the difference between ADD and LD?
  • What is your consultation policy/rate?

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    How to recognize possible Learning Disabilities?

    At the outset, it is important to be clear on three points: those who are diagnosed with a Learning Disability

    Students with a Learning Disability usually have a pattern of characteristics that is relatively easy to recognize. Very few will have all of these symptoms, but many youngsters will have most of them.

    1. Directional difficulties. Youngsters with a Learning Disability are usually the last one in the class to learn to tell the difference between left and right, and many of them never do get it straight. They often reverse their b's and d's in reading and writing, and will even flip whole words around like making "was" into "saw". It is quite common for those with a Learning Disability to be left handed or ambidextrous. Problems with directionality make it very difficult to copy down numbers accurately, and can have a devastating effect on spelling.
    2. Trouble sequencing. With or without the little abc song, those with a Learning Disability have a very hard time keeping the letters of the alphabet in order. When screening kindergartners for unsuspected Learning Disabilities, close attention is paid to how much progress they've made in remembering the sequence of the alphabet. As students get older, specialists check on mastery of other common sequences like the days of the week and the months of the year. In my practice, I have taught these simple sequences to forty year old college graduates as well as gifted and talented eighth graders. Saying the alphabet or the months of the year in order is not all that important in and of itself; however, difficulties with remembering sequences leads to serious problems in mastering reading, spelling, and complex mathematical processes like long division.
    3. Similar problems in other family members. If there's one LD child in a family, there's likely to be another. Typically, one of the parents or close relatives has a Learning Disability (usually unrecognized )and showed similar learning patterns in school. Research strongly suggests that Learning Disabilities run in families and are genetic. Other traits often found in families with LD children are: left handedness, migraines, and autoimmune diseases like allergies.
    4. Difficulties with concentration. In both adults and children, a Learning Disability usually includes a short attention span, distractability, and a tendency to have trouble sitting still and paying attention. However, in hands-on activities like playing music, playing nintendo, building with lego, tinkering with an old car, paddling a canoe, skiing, etc, they can go into an over-focus which will keep them riveted for hours. These attention problems are the same characteristics associated with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD, but in the individual diagnosed as LD, the academic difficulties are more prominent and the ADHD characteristics are secondary.
    5. Trouble keeping organized. Those with a Learning Disability are the absent minded professor type. They can't keep track of their stuff. Even if they do remember to jot down their assignment and take all the books home, they forget to do the work, forget to take it back to school, or lose it on the bus, in their messy book bag, in their cluttered locker. Many LD students never get Fs; they fail because they have a string of zeros for assignments never completed, lost, never turned in. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Disorganization is a life long problem that severely stresses relationships with mothers, wives, and co-workers.
    6. No concept of time. People with a Learning Disability tend to live in a time warp. They don't know what day it is, don't know what time it is, and don't care. Their time management skills are usually very weak. When left to their own devices time just seems to slip through their fingers unnoticed. While everybody else has gotten their book out, sharpened their pencil, and gotten started on the assignment, the LD youngster will be sitting idly staring into his desk or playing with some trinket while his mind just drifts. In classrooms and offices and other environments where deadlines are important, it takes a lot of patience and a lot of supervision to keep LD individuals on schedule.
    7. Mastering some of the basic academic skills. LD students typically have trouble memorizing the multiplication tables. They are often reluctant to read aloud because they are poor oral readers. Getting their ideas down on paper is also a common area of difficulty. Messy papers and poor penmanship are typical of the young ones. With older students and adults, they almost always prefer printing over cursive writing. Their papers are usually full of copying errors and comments from teachers about "careless mistakes." Poor spelling is the most sensitive indicator of a Learning Disability.
    8. Unusualy creative and imaginative and talented. We used to think that those who failed to succeed in school compensated by becoming good at music, art, sports, mechanics, etc. Brain research over the past thirty years has shown that the word "compensated" is not appropriate. Those with a Learning Disability are born with a brain more highly developed for right hemisphere talents. They have extra talents and abilities that give them the chance to become outstanding mechanics, artists, poets, athletes, musicians, authors, inventors, architects, actors, and comedians. They have special gifts that more than balance out the weaknesses they show in the classroom.

    What is the difference between ADD and LD?

    Just as a fever is a symptom of a number of diseases, ADD and ADHD are indicators of a much broader problem. Often it's part of Learning Disability (frequently in math and written language). ADD and ADHD also occur in conjunction with Bipolar Disorder (manic depressive), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), as well as others. Before doing anything to help a student change the behavior caused by an Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, it's vitally important to determine the underlying causes of the ADD.

    When talking about Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities, we're usually talking about pretty much the same children. For some youngsters the ADD characteristics are much more pronounced than those associated with the learning problems. Their difficulties are mainly caused by inability to sit still, pay attention, and stay organized. Their problems with spelling, math, and expressing themselves in writing are of secondary importance.

    Unfortunately, the medications that can do so much to help youngsters control their wiggly, unfocused, disorganized, talkative nature, do nothing to help them master the multiplication tables or see the difference between a phrase and a complete sentence. Medications can give students the patience to do neater handwriting, but cannot help them improve their spelling.

    Thus, our current trend toward the casual diagnosis of "ADHD: give 'em medication, they'll be fine" is doing children a great disservice. They need specialized instruction to overcome their academic weaknesses, coaching to teach them time management and organizational skills, and close supervision to guide them with diet, exercise, and social activities.

    These youngsters are the creative ones of the next generation. They are the artists, plumbers, poets, mechanics, carpenters, actors, athletes, builders, film makers, inventors, architects who will be running things next. If they can learn to harness all that boundless energy and direct those creative forces, we could be living in a mighty nice world in our old age.


    What is your consultation policy/rate?

    I am available by appointment for phone, email, or face to face consultations with individuals, families, schools, and organizations. For individuals and families, my standard fee is $60 an hour. For schools and organizations, my fee is $200 an hour, plus expenses. Appointments can be arranged by contacting me at: shstevens@multas.net




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