Hi, I am 17yrs old and I am getting very discouraged and may drop out of High School. Ever since I was young I had a very hard time learning things. For example my family didn’t know what to do when It took me till 3rd or 4th grade to learn how to tie my shoes. And no matter how many times I am shown how to do a math problem I cannot do it. I barely passed every single grade but I went to a catholic school and they must have never suspected anything wrong. But last year I got very frustrated and I wanted to know “Why can I not learn certain things” And one experience I had was when I took a health class and I couldn’t tie a bow on the back of my apron the nurse said not being able to tie a bow behind your back is sign of Dislexia. I am in 12th grade and failing everything but English class and I cannot take it anymore. I wish I could get some kind of help Because my dream is to go to college and be a Psychologist. Does anyone have any suggestions??
Hi Terry, It’s pretty cool that you’ve found this BB, and are asking if you may have learning disabilities. It’s interesting that you can look back on difficulties you had when you were younger, and that you have started asking questions about WHY you have trouble with some kinds of learning. It shows you have insight to your problem, and that is a sign of intelligence! Having trouble learning to tie shoes can be a red flag for a learning disability. I had trouble with that, and also math. Guess what? It turned out that I had grown up with a learning disability nobody knew was there. I found out about it after my younger child was in middle school and I returned to college. I learned that I have a non-verbal learning disability (or NLD). The good news for you is that if you do have a learning disability, you can get help and you should stay in school. Today people understand a lot more about these things than they did when I was your age. Also, your parents care about your education. That is why they sent you to a Catholic school. I’ll bet they would like to help you now.Here is what I would suggest you do: First, don’t even think about dropping out of school. Your school can and should provide you with the help you need in order to do better academically. Have your parents take a look at this website, and have them look at some articles on LDs, and especially NLD. I’m guessing they will “recognize” you in some of the behaviors. People with NLD often are quite gifted verbally. That “gift” can make them look “lazy” when they can’t perform in other areas. Does that sound familiar? Only appropriate testing can document whether or not you have a learning disability, but it does sound like you have a good reason to ask for an evaluation.Your parents can make an appointment to talk to someone at the school about their concerns. They can also write a letter to your school saying they are very concerned about your lack of success in school, and although it is late in your school career, they are requesting an evaluation be done for possible LDs. They should send this request by registered letter, and keep track of all the communication they have with the school. If your parents have good insurance, it might be better to have a private evaluation done by a psychologist who may be more thorough in testing you, and probably a lot quicker. Anyway, if you do have LDs, there are accommodations and modifications that can be provided to help you. There is information about different approaches on this website. The first step is to find out what is getting in the way of your school success. Will you please talk to your parents, and keep us updated here? You sound like a very intelligent young lady, and it would be a shame for you to get so discouraged that you limit your future. Hang in there, OK? JJ: Hi, I am 17yrs old and I am getting very discouraged and may drop out
: of High School. Ever since I was young I had a very hard time
: learning things. For example my family didn’t know what to do when
: It took me till 3rd or 4th grade to learn how to tie my shoes. And
: no matter how many times I am shown how to do a math problem I
: cannot do it. I barely passed every single grade but I went to a
: catholic school and they must have never suspected anything wrong.
: But last year I got very frustrated and I wanted to know “Why
: can I not learn certain things” And one experience I had was
: when I took a health class and I couldn’t tie a bow on the back of
: my apron the nurse said not being able to tie a bow behind your
: back is sign of Dislexia. I am in 12th grade and failing
: everything but English class and I cannot take it anymore. I wish
: I could get some kind of help Because my dream is to go to college
: and be a Psychologist. Does anyone have any suggestions??