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Providing Many Opportunities to Succeed
Learning happens most effectively when children are exploring and developing an area that has particular personal meaning for them. Children with parents who identify and encourage their special interests have one of the greatest gifts a child with learning differences can receive.
Active involvement in an area of interest brings great personal rewards as well as respect and appreciation from others. It is a source of enjoyment, energy, and affirmation. In addition, children can acquire lifelong skills and attitudes that support many areas of learning, such as:
- setting goals
- organizing information, ideas, materials, and time
- making choices and decisions
- listening carefully to others
- asking questions and communicating effectively
- using strategies and solving problems creatively
- developing social relationships and leadership skills
- working on long term projects
- understanding their own strengths and weaknesses
- feeling the satisfaction that comes from hard work and persistence
Students who develop an area of expertise can also tap their interests and their "multiple intelligences" in school. They bring personal experiences and thinking skills to draw upon when their understanding falters. For example, individuals who understand construction or mechanics may be able to learn sentence and paragraph structure when it is taught from a hands-on perspective. They may learn effectively by making comparisons and analogies.
Children who frequently meet failure or who are constantly put down for their efforts are likely to give up trying. Genuine success in learning feeds the spirit of children who struggle in school. Success offers hope for future successes.