Should adult suspecting LD get tested?

Testing will definately give you insight but view it with a certain amount of skepticism.

As we age our cognitive skills diminish so identifying the area you are weak in may be helpful in determining if any possible cognitive therapy may be helpful.

They charge through the ass for a neuro psych. After all you wouldn’t want to see Niles and Frazier driving a Ford but have some baseline scores maybe a good thing for future reference.

Thank you!

I really appreciate your input!

BB

no problem glad I could help

I thinck it might be fun to try a cupel classes at you comunity coleag that will open you up to ther LD resors lab most should have should have them. youcould call and ask for any such department .I thinck it couldent hert to look in to your idea.It will help your self asteam, and inpower you to try things you may have been lerry of befor .also you may try some of the tecnecs your son is lerning in his new class,if some work grate if not at lesst you spent time with him and reinforst his studeys.you see like you son know that you now what is going on you bouth can do somthing about it,the same aplys to you .oh and your only in your 40’s not a rest home;people are getting brases at older ages what makes you think making it esear to funchon is an age thing if you dident get help you still can there are ways keep asking and dont take the shruged sholders .
OH ps I have an LD (if you couldnt tell) me no sqell :) sorry couldent find the spell chek . good luke ;toni

Thanks, Toni, for your response!

You have some very helpful idea. I really appreciate your note.

I could easily read your post ‘cause my writing has lots of spelling errors until it is run though a spell check. I admire that you were able to post anyway—you didn’t let the lack of spell check stop you. I’m afraid to admit, I would not have posted. I lack the courage. I’m very embarassed by my writing. I tell my son to “just go for it” in his school work—not to let his spelling or grammer errors stop him when he has a great, creative idea. I wish I would listen to myself!

Thanks again,
Barb Bloom

Barb,
Im not brave just tierd of not partisapating.It takes me for ever just to wright a short not with a spell check when I do have one.heres one I love “get a dichanary” ha half the time the computer cant evan figer out what Im trying to spell.I wish there was a fentic decs.
any ways, Im glad you are incoreging your son but know this he is going to fase discremenashon.Please hold your baner high and the two of you fight for equalety .Or like, I like to call them equalisers — tape recorders for nots, orel reaports,books on tap,readers for timed tests and or extended time so on.
How ever the books on tape should be used as little as pos. ,thay do work grate for book repots with time limets thow. Unfortunatly you will have to fined most of these thing as fuw schools evan know about them.You will also have to have soom real meatings with soom teachers but dont bake down,the teachers lack of noleg can crush your sons artestk genas
good luck guy; oh and mom dont for get mom she is inportod too!!!! :) Toni

Hi BB

What do YOU want to do? When you and I were growing up, girls with LDs often suffered in silence because we didn’t cause trouble in the classroom. Our learning problems often went unrecognized and unaddressed. Or they were attributed to laziness or some other moral shortcoming. If you suspect you’ve been struggling with LDs all these years, you owe it to yourself to have some testing done. You mentioned wanting to be reassured that your school difficulties were not due to your being the “dummy” your teachers thought you were. This seems to mean a lot to you, and if you can afford the expense, it’s something nice you can do for yourself. If you have LDs, as you learn more about yourself and what got in your way in school, you’ll probably find that lots of other things suddenly make more sense. Also, you probably will be an even better advocate for your son. Good luck! JJ

Dear BB,
Getting tested is up to you. What to do with the information is up to you.
The advantages would be if you decided to go back to school or college. ( I don’t know your background)
You know your not dumb. You found out how to cope. The important thing is how you and your son cope. 1) You know about his LD 2) don’t let the teachers tell him he is dumb 3) Love your son as you do now and help him achieve his goals. If you want to get tested start by asking the person who tested your son for help.

you can take a psychoeducational evaluation
and some places offer the nelson denny test free of charge

so take care and good luck

bye
dew

You betcha! It is extremely helpful for adults who have struggled to finally understand how their learning disability has impacted their lives… I encourage you to seek out someone with a Ph.D. and background/training in learning disabilites…

Barbara,

Don’t be embarrased about your writing or spelling. Don’t you think that just about everyone on this board has some kind of LD? For example, while I have no difficulty with writing or spelling, I would never look down on someone who does. My own weaknesses keep me humble. Think about it: Everybody who reads this board has their own pain around their learning disability. They wouldn’t have the inclination to be criticising YOU. Now, those “civilians”, as I like to call them- all of the people in the world WITHOUT a disibility, they are another story. I would be the first to say that many of them could be ignorant and insensitive. Relax, you’re safe with us.

Erin

Erin,
I couldent have sead it better.Tancks Toni

A few VR types strolled onto this board and blamed the difficulties we have on some VR/Nazi buzz word called “learned helplessness” and of course in usual Ball style I tore them a new @$$#0!* but overall this is a safe place for us.

Hi-
I am an adult, and I have recently (year) had trouble concentrating, reading, remembering things, even when I go into the next room. I have trouble remembering something I just read, and cannot seem to motivate myself to do things that cause me severe anxiety. I am dealing with my sons LD problems, and thinking that I may have them too, which makes it harder to deal with his. I have to help him, but I don’t know how. He has been evaluted and diagnosed, but we are not made of money to keep going to doctors with no results. He is a gifted musician, but is never going to get into a high school at this rate. Can anyone give me advice? I feel like I am hurting my son. I realize my problems might just be from stress, (I had many, many childhood ‘issues’) but how can I overcome this overwhelming anziety I feel when I try to do something to help him? I am estranged from my family, have a very difficult job, and trying to keep him organized when I can’t seem to remember anything is doing me in. Doctors seem to be of little use so far. HELP
Thanks for listening.
CLG

Unfortunately when it comes to brain disorders doctors are useless.

I think you got to get a little philosophical about the situation you and your son are in. Get your priorities in order. Your son’s well being has got to be number one. All you can do is be there for him and do what you can do to build his self esteem.

It’s interesting that they same things in our culture that exaserbate LD are the same things that are responsible for the pandemic of obesity. Those thing are bad diet and technology. Menial labor is not a dirty word. Education is overrated. It sucks being in the broom brigade but i would rather be that than a computer nerd and get a bypass at 40.

Take one Day at a time. Enjoy what you have. Worry helps nothing.

Help your boy discover his strengths. Sports, Music, Art
Get him cognitive rehab ASAP.

Your state VR is supposed to provide payment for those those services. If you need me to write a letter to your son’s school let me know.

Dear CLG:

You sound very stressed. This is a perfectly normal response to finding out your son is LD. Do what you need to to handle the stress, ie exercise, healthy foods, maybe even seeing a mental health provider. Consider reposting in the “Parenting a Child with LD” forum on this board for more support. Yes, this all takes time and time is hard to find but you need to take care of yourself so you can be strong for your child.

You do not sound LD yourself. If you had LD it would not, in all likelihood, be a recent thing.

I’m confused about the doctor part. Doctors can not fix LD. Please tell us more or feel free to e-mail me.

The school is required to help your son. What type of LD are we talking about and what is the school doing to remediate?

I strongly, STRONGLY, agree with Ball in that you need to help your son discover his strenghts. Play up that musical gift! Many LD’ers have esteem issues due to others concentrating on the weaknesses while passing oner the strengths.

I strongly, STRONGLY, disagree with Ball on the importance of education. Menial labor is a fine way to earn your daily bread but not all LD’ers end up doing menial.

Take this post for what it is worth. I’m just a concerned parent, not a LD professional.

Barb Bloom

Thanks for the replies. I feel better just talking to someone. Could you fill me in on what the schools have to do, and does this apply to private schools? He is about ready to go into high school- we are awaiting results from the testing.
I know doctors cannot fix LD- but I do think that it can be worked around, right? My son is very, very smart- and does many things so well it is almost scary- other things- not so good. I never know what is going to be what- music, computers, art, painting, all fine. Writng is not good, organization is poor, too. He drifts off, and does not ‘get’ long lists of instructions- can any of you help me with things that help you? I’d rather have the help from people who actually function with LD. Thanks. CLG

It sounds like your son may have attentional problems as well.
I’m not sure what state you’re in but I know that in New York schols are required to test students if parents request it. Good Luck, KB

It sounds like your son may have attentional problems as well.
I’m not sure what state you’re in but I know that in New York schols are required to test students if parents request it. Good Luck, KB