SolveYourProblem eLearning Series: Learning Disabilities
The Bottom Line On Learning Disabilities
( 50 articles in this series )

How Adults with Learning Disabilities Compensate
   

There are many problematic issues that encompass the lives of adults with learning disorders. They are plagued by the academics they struggled with in school and probably never mastered. They probably have many problems in the subjects of math, reading, writing, and spelling, along with many other difficulties. The reasons for never being able to master these issues can vary from person to person, as does the actual learning disability. Some might have a problem with reading due to not being able to comprehend what is being read. They might never have been able to develop strategies that made comprehension possible. Mathematical problems can vary from the concepts of math itself or how to actually apply it. They may have problems such as not being able to keep their checkbooks balanced. When writing they might not have good penmanship, or have difficulties in spelling and writing something that is focused.

It is the psychological processing of cognition, perception, attention, motor skills, attention, language, and motor skills that help people understand the world around them. A person suffering from LD may not be able to process some of these basic tasks. This would be the underlying source of the problem that is causing LD. This makes daily tasks at work, home, or in the community difficult and stressful for some. These issues can cause secondary characteristics that take control over the person’s life. These processes are a positive note and enable the suffer to learn new coping strategies and find adaptations that can help them better in life. Many LD adults are extremely resilient due the failure they have faced and had to overcome. This characteristic keeps them going and gives them the control to move ahead and not fall down. They can also develop an amazing sense of self-esteem and self-confidence from their perseverance. They know if they just stick with what they have to do, they will eventually overcome the problem.

Many adult sufferers of LD can take control of their lives and achieve their potential by developing coping strategies. They learn about and how to manage their specific LD to better understand what their strength and weaknesses are. This will allow then to make specific accommodations and ask for help if need be in specific areas the prove very difficult. Many people with LD will find other groups of LD sufferers to talk about what it is like to live with LD and share strategies. Many invest in new technologies that make their lives better and easier to live with. Computers have been a tremendous help for many LD sufferers. Knowing their legal rights is also important and making sure there is documentation from a medical professional stating what the LD is, will help make work and school easier to cope with.

Many adults with LD choose to share their lives with the community by speaking out to the public to help others. This will help others to face the challenges of living with LD, know what is available for resources, and help other adults understand what they need to do when applying for employment. Many LD suffers have a hard time staying employed or are unemployed because of the actual employers. They don’t dare take a risk on a person with a disability that is not known or understood. A learning disability has nothing to do with intelligence and discriminating a person with a disability is illegal. There are plenty of able and competent LD adults in the world who would make optimum employees and assets to any lucky company. The small amount of compensation or adaptation needed would pay for itself. LD sufferers should be able to talk about their disability to explain what type of accommodations they will be required. For those adults who cannot advocate for themselves, a mentor or outside advocate should be used to do it for him or her. Most LD adults are perfectly capable of work and can readily hold a job if given the opportunity. Some minor accommodations might be necessary, such as a tapes recorder for note taking and a computer with a voice feature. It is important to make sure that one develops his or her own individual strategies. All people have their own personal strengths and weaknesses, so knowing what works for oneself is always best.

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SolveYourProblem.com : 2006

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