Throughout the years I teach individuals with learning difficulties (LD), I had received a lot of enquiries from parents. Having a child with LD often put tremendous pressures on the parents. Because LD is not a disease or sickness that could be outgrown, it could have lifelong effects. Parents may come across academic issues, and on top they will also find social as well as personal management problems.

I could divide these parents into primarily three groups. The first group of parents is not sure if their children have LD. The second and third group have their children diagnosed and confirmed having LD. The former group wants to find 'cure' for their children while the latter group wants to help their children learn effectively.

If you belong to the first group, sit down with pen and paper and try to write down issues that trouble you with regard to your child. Go to the Internet and check against list of symptoms so as to have a better idea that your child is prone to need help. If the condition is positive, arrange an assessment with a psychologist (educational or clinical) to confirm your condition.

If you belong to the second group and are seeking for a 'cure' for him, I am sorry that you won't find one. As I have mentioned earlier, LD is not a disease or sickness that could be outgrown. The different methodologies or approaches that are widely used now are to assist LD individuals would help your children in different aspects. You still need to provide support to your child to enhance him to develop skills that would allow him grow up as an independent and responsible individual.

If you belong to the third group, I have to congratulate you because you are now ready to help your child. There are some basic ideas that you need to understand before going further. First, no two children (at least to my experience) are the same. Even if two children have the same level of ability, their ways to get there may not be the same. Acknowledge that there are different learning styles. A child could not learn under the existing school system does not mean that he could not learn, it simply means that we are not as effective in teaching and guiding him to learn. Second, a child has LD does not mean that he/she is good for nothing. Explore about his/her strengths and provide resources for him/her to develop enabling the child to build up self-confidence and motivation to work hard. Third, perseverance is important. It could be very tiring after the school work and all the extra support that your child will need. Giving up is not a good option. If you feel stressful, allow yourself to take a break for a day or two (and maybe your child needs that too!) and continue then. Last but not least, accept and love your child. In many cases that I had worked with, children with loving parents would be easier to motivate to learn and be less prone to behaviours!

Resources in Hong Kong are not very many, to tell you the truth, like in many parts of the world. Government and private sectors do provide assistance to LD individuals. Most of them work with young children (pre-primary and primary students) and only limited institutions work with older children, teenagers and adults. For more information, you can browse through the local English-speaking parent group website http://www.dyslexia.org.hk/otherorgs_hk.html.

Special Programs
There are a few special programs available in Hong Kong, to name a few (in alphabetical order): Davis Dyslexia Correction Program, DORE, Irlen Lenses. Each of these programs work best for certain types of individuals. So before you want to enroll into any of these, read about the information and understand the background, philosophy, treatment methods, follow-up practice and parental support.

Cooperating with Schools
This is a big part to help your child because he/she is spending many hours a day at school. If you can have a close link with the learning support teachers, your child would have a better chance to learn! Often effective teachers would use multisensory approaches to help the students whichever would benefit them most. Keep in mind the LD students learn best in one-to-one situation or in small groups, arrange with the school to see the possibility of making such adaptations. One thing to take note is that you would also need to discuss with your child prior to discussing to the school (especially the ones who are very aware and/or not accepting the problem), your child's psychological needs should be taken care of because he/she is the one who is receiving the assistance.

Help your child at Home
Academically, seek resources (audio or visual) so that your child would be able to learn the topics taught at school at another dimension. This may include visiting museums, outings, etc. For homework, set a time limit for the time they would spend on it (of course, take into account they would need some more time than the average student). Set priorities for their work. Allow them sufficient time to rest and play (Remember: They are children!). Limit TV and involve them in games that require cooperation and logical reasoning. Read to your child so that they learn vocabulary, facts and things around them.

In doing all of the above, what you are trying to get is a balanced life for your child with exposure to knowledge. He/She should find adorable parents and a lovable home to stay!