Do We Diagnose too Quickly? Assessing Dyscalculia First
As a parent, we face many challenges when it comes to our children. We have an over abundant amount of love and protection that is naturally instilled in us when we become parents. When dealing with different phases of our children growing up, we have to learn how to handle each situation as they are presented to us. One of the most difficult challenges we face as a parent is raising a child with a learning disability.
Learning disabilities can range from mild to severe, and can also range from many different subjects. Having difficulty grasping concepts in just about anything could mean there’s a learning disability present – but it could also mean that your child is just a normal child and isn’t understanding a certain concept or idea. Dyscalculia is one of those learning disabilities that can be tricky to diagnose.
As a child, had an extremely difficult time in school understanding math. I hated it, I wasn’t good at it, and I failed many of my math classes. It was one of those things that I just couldn’t wrap my brain around. But it wasn’t because I had a learning disability. It was because that is my personality, who I was, and what my character was all about. To this day, I still hate math and I will never understand it as some people do. I have a basic understanding of the subject and I know what I need to know to be a successful adult.
Food for Thought – Do We Diagnose too Quickly?
I excelled in other subjects in school, such as reading and writing. I had a natural passion for those subjects, and I was naturally good at them. It was easy to be good at them because I liked them. The point is – don’t just assume that your child has a learning disability because they are struggling with a certain subject. Take a look at your child and assess their school work as a whole. Many people these days are so quick to diagnose “everything with anything”, that a simple character asset turns into a “problem”. Think about it. How many drugs do we have on the marketplace today to help with anxiety, or depression, or ADHD…the list goes on. There always seems to be a new problem, with a new medical cure.
Before anyone gets fired up about that last statement, I must be VERY clear – I am NOT minimizing any of the above issues, nor am I against any of the medications that are prescribed. I am simply pointing out the fact that our society is so quick to “diagnose and prescribe”, rather than looking further than the end of their nose. So I ask you this…do we diagnose too quickly?
Do not just assume your child has dyscalculia because they struggle with math, and do not let counselors or advisers just “tell” you your child has dyscalculia, without assessing it yourself. Yes, dyscalculia is a learning disability and can effect many children, and if your child has dyscalculia, then there are certain things you can and SHOULD do to help them with it.
But don’t just “diagnose and prescribe” your child’s learning disability because they “have a hard time in math”. Do your due diligence, and asses it first. No one knows your child better than you.
