Learning Disabilities
It seems that "everyone" has some sort of learning disability today. Is it a valid explanation, or just an excuse for lack of discipline? I don't have the answer to that one. But there is a therapy out there that is supposed to help those with true learning disabilities. The group that teaches this is www.nild.net After talking to my sister, who's certified in this therapy, I've decided that there are LOTS of us who could benefit from these mental exercises (especially those of us over 40 LOL). But here's a thought I've been pondering these last few months....
One of the issues involved in LD is the presence of "body dominance." Are you right-handed, right-eyed, right-footed? Or are you right-handed, and yet left-eyed? If you don't have the same dominance amongst your hands, eyes, ears, feet, etc., you can be considered "cross-body dominant." gettin' confusing, huh? Now, many of us have some cross-body dominance and never have any problem with it whatsoever. But according to sis, if this crossover is present along with some other issues (which NILD can explain), then there may in fact be some LD situations. The answer? change your body dominance! whoa! Now for the next jump in my pondering....
Think back to the fact that long ago, children who were left-handed were forced to change their handedness. Nowadays we're taught that this was cruel to the child and probably warped them for eternity. But if what NILD says is true, many of these children may have been saved from a lifetime of LD. I know of a child who struggles with LD. Her mother changed her handedness, and that has made a big difference...not completely, but helped. I have a son who is left-handed, but right-body dominant in all other ways. Should I change his handedness? My sis says "no, not as long as he has not exhibited any of the other signs of LD" He has not, so we will leave him as a "lefty" all his days. Maybe we'll teach him to bat with either hand and dribble the basketball equally well with either hand too. He could be quite the sports terror....
One of the issues involved in LD is the presence of "body dominance." Are you right-handed, right-eyed, right-footed? Or are you right-handed, and yet left-eyed? If you don't have the same dominance amongst your hands, eyes, ears, feet, etc., you can be considered "cross-body dominant." gettin' confusing, huh? Now, many of us have some cross-body dominance and never have any problem with it whatsoever. But according to sis, if this crossover is present along with some other issues (which NILD can explain), then there may in fact be some LD situations. The answer? change your body dominance! whoa! Now for the next jump in my pondering....
Think back to the fact that long ago, children who were left-handed were forced to change their handedness. Nowadays we're taught that this was cruel to the child and probably warped them for eternity
posted by Noel @ 4:57 PM
3 Comments:
At February 12, 2005 at 3:15 PM,
Dana in Georgia said…
Just as interesting as all the questions you raise, is one I will pose: that is, how does one come to the determination that s/he is LD? Is it the parent, the child, the educator, the pediatrician, the social worker, or the child as the adult, ie got a phone call last week from a patient (college student) who thinks he has ADHD and wants meds!
At February 13, 2005 at 7:29 PM,
Noel said…
Good question, Dana. I wonder if by that age, one should have a diagnosis from more than one source. You and I have both been privy to an incident where the use of drugs and ADD diagnosis was merely an excuse to not be responsible. I have seen/heard of situations where being on the drugs makes a marked turn-around. fortunately when the person is a young child, the NILD therapist has ways of finding out whether the LD is valid. As for adults, I wonder if there was ever a problem in school at those early years. Just like the dilemma of "is it 'I can't or I won't'?" A major problem in society today - taking personal responsibility for one's actions. so, did the patient get the meds????
At February 15, 2005 at 8:29 AM,
Dana in Georgia said…
Not from my doctor. He was referred to a psychiatrist for a work-up.
Both Roche and Blumefeld in their books on education make references to the trend of behavior being controlled by medicines/drugs rather than the old-fashioned way, ie self discipline.
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