In 2008, LBA launched a new program targeting students with learning disabilities. The new program is designed to accurately identify struggling students, assist parents and students through systematic evaluation, and design an effective program that will address the areas of need to create lasting change.

The growing need for LD services is evident as brain-based research gives us a better understanding of the nature of learning disabilities. In fact, contrary to popular belief, nearly everyone struggles in at least one discipline. Every human brain is created with a unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses. We each have certain areas that make sense to us easily as well as areas of difficulty that require outside explanation and extra effort to understand.

A learning disability is an area of weakness or inefficiency in brain function that significantly hinders our ability to learn or to function in life. It is a pattern of neurological dysfunction in the brain that causes a person to have difficulty correctly receiving information coming into the brain, correctly processing that information once it is received, or satisfactorily responding to the information once it has been processed.

Although learning deficits are as individual as thumbprints, most fall into basic categories such as those listed below:

There are two basic approaches to dealing with learning disabilities.

Compensation

The first and most common is compensation - helping students work around their deficit areas by utilizing their strengths. In an academic setting, this usually takes the form of tutoring and classroom modifications such as untimed tests and reduced workload. Compensation allows students to succeed with outside help, but leaves them limited in what they can do on their own.

Direct Intervention

The second approach is direct intervention - helping students strengthen their areas of deficit so they are no longer handicapped by them. Teaching students HOW to learn allows students the eventual freedom of succeeding on their own as independent learners.

Both approaches are generally necessary in dealing effectively with a learning disability. Compensation allows students to succeed academically until the necessary skills are developed for independence. Direct intervention and the resulting competence and confidence allow students to gain the skills needed to become independent learners for a lifetime.

Unlike other programs offered in public schools, the LBA model will only provide services until the child has developed the changes necessary to experience success in the regular classroom. The end goal is to help the child meet the demands of production, rather than creating a lower expectation for the student.

The program, called Discovery, will be led by our own resident Educational Therapist, Mrs. Laurie Weideman. Potential students for this program are those experiencing obvious frustration in areas of school performance.  Poor spelling, illegible handwriting, inability to express thoughts verbally or in writing, and difficulty with reading and math are common indicators of a learning disability. To learn more about the program, call Mrs. Weideman at 754-1234, or email at LWeideman@LBAtoday.org.