Re: Advancement for LD Scouts
David Weintraub (davidw@CNJ.DIGEX.NET)
Fri, 10 Jun 1994 10:27:40 -0400
Mary:
> Three years ago, Matt didn't do well in third grade and his den
> leaders didn't do much, either. The following September, his mom
> asked if Matt could join our Bear den with other third graders, since
> he was repeating the grade and hadn't advanced. I learned quickly
> that Matt is LD (learning disabled) [...]
>
> Now we have a 12-yr-old Scout entering 6th grade in the fall. He's
> only a little behind other kids his age, but will probably always
> need extra help and encouragement.[...]
Sounds like your doing a good job already. Especially since he is only a
little behind the other kids his age (I take it you're talking about
academics.) I am also LD. I have a higher than normal I.Q., but it took
me almost 14 years to complete my B.S. in college. You must apply constant
encouragement, much patience, and keep pushing the kid to try new things
and to work harder. That's one of the things I had to learn in life. I
must work harder and concentrate more on each and every task throughout
the day than anyone of my friends. I finally got through college on the
realization that I could never cram for a test like all of my friends
could.
I still have to make constant adjustments to my daily life. All of my
correspondence is done on a computer. That way I can use a spell checker,
plus it makes it easier for me to clean up the grammar. I carry around
a yellow legal pad to take notes on what is going around my daily life.
(I don't know why, but the yellow pads seem to work better for me than
the white ones.) That way, all of my notes are in one place. I never
try to commit anything to memory because, as I tell my wife, "My mind
is like a steel trap. Everything in it gets mangled." I have a check list
of what I need to take with me everyday to work, and I hang my keys next
to it, so I can't forget to look at it.
LD is like being blind or deaf or any other disability. You are never going
to get rid of it, so you might as well get use to living with it. The
sooner this kid (and all of the adults in his life) understand this, the
easier things will be.
Keep up the good work. You've got a long trip ahead.
--
David Weintraub | Opinions expressed are mine and not Telerate's
davidw@cnj.digex.net | Not that anyone listens to me anyway
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
