Opinion: Don’t hate to learn, don’t learn to hate

I have composed this article for all those students who get labelled as ‘slow-learner’ today by every group of people. This article is to assure them that it is never too late to work for our own selves and overcome such hurdles in life. Nothing is impossible!

Do you have trouble expressing yourself in writing? Is it often when others fail to construe what’s in your mind and what you let out? Does your handwriting look like a disaster? Does the sentence, “You have ability, but you are not doing anything with it,” sound familiar? Do you feel like your peers are all doing way better than you?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you may have a Learning Disability — but wait! Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing to be scared of! It is not a disease, nor is it a mental obstruction. No one knows for sure what causes these problems. However, learning disabilities are problems that affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, analyze, or store information. These problems can make it difficult for you to learn as quickly as someone who is not affected by learning disabilities. Basically, it is just a definition of certain hiccups in the processing of information.

Talking more about it, there’s one thing that we need to fit in our minds. A learning disability doesn’t guesstimate a person’s intelligence — after all, people such as Walt Disney, Alexander Graham Bell,Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill or ‘history makers’, all had learning disabilities. So, my reader, you are not alone — nearly 4 million kids and teens have learning disabilities across the globe. Certainly you are not labeled!

However, there are some ways which you can adapt to overcome what’s creating hindrance for you in expressing, analyzing and storing information.

How to cope with a Learning Disability

1. Detect your weak-point

The first step is that you have to detect what exactly is creating hurdles for you and how. Which areas of learning you are precisely facing obscurities with. Is it while reading? Or is it your handwriting? Is it that you forget what you learn in class very soon? Or you lack the ability of expression?

Whatever it is, you first need to pinpoint it.

2. Talk to your parents

Sit with your parents and have a word about it. Tell them exactly how you feel. Tell them about that particular area you know you lack in. Discuss how unmanageable your studies are becoming for you. Then listen to their suggestions carefully. Follow their strategies, even if they ask you to visit a specialized doctor with them — it’s okay!

3. Find a home tutor

Ask your parents to hire you a special home tutor. Share your problems with them. Work with them for a few hours of week to learn certain study skills, note-taking strategies or organizational techniques that will help you compensate for your learning disability.

4. Talk to your subject teacher

It is probable that you may need assistance just for the subjects that give you the most trouble. In this case, you are advised to spend some additional time with the teacher except for the class timings. Take extra classes and keep meeting them on regular basis.

Remember that it’s never too late to get aid for ourselves. Keep in mind that many people with such disabilities worked for themselves and found out various sort of strategies that helped them accomplish their goals and dreams. If they can, why can’t you?