| |
| |
|
Parenting Information |
|
|
|
Alias: Aptitude
Be aware. You may become totally overwhelmed when you get the results of the special education testing on your child. There is a lot of "stuff" on that report! And much of it sounds like a foreign language to many people. You get one piece the results from the Intelligence part of the test. This is extremely important information, but know that it will most likely come in disguise. One of its disguises, or aliases, might be "Broad Cognitive Ability". Another may be "Aptitude." But, basically, they are measures of the same thing - your child's ability to process and learn information. So, for the sake of keeping things simple, let's just call it "aptitude." As I've stated many times, in order for a child to be considered learning disabled, he has to show an average "aptitude" for learning. He must have the same ability to learn as well as any other child of his age or grade. An average aptitude score would be about 100, with anything between 85 and 115 being in the average range. There are many different tests that measure a child's aptitude. One of these tests is the WISC-III. The Performance, or Perceptual Organization, section is the part that measures aptitude. It is divided into subtests, or smaller tests, and they assess different things that make up a person's aptitude. Another common test used to measure aptitude is the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery - Revised. The aptitude section of this test is called the Tests of Cognitive Ability, and the overall aptitude score is called "Broad Cognitive Ability". It also has smaller tests called subtests, to measure aptitude, but they measure aptitude in a little different way than the WISC does. There are other tests to determine your child's aptitude that don't involve reading or writing. Sometimes these tests are given if there is a language problem that might interfere with getting a true picture of the child's ability. The important things to remember are that 1) you will probably see a score from one of these tests on your child's report, and 2) that score should be within the range of 85 to 115, for the most part. When you get this information, the next thing that will happen is that this "aptitude" score will be compared with the child's "achievement" score. His achievement score is a measure of what he knows and what he has learned. These will be his scores in things like reading, written language, and math. In order for your child to show a learning disability, there has to be a large gap between his "aptitude" score (his ability to process information and learn) and what he has actually learned. In other words, the report is showing that, although the child is able to learn as well as anyone else of his age or grade, something is causing this to not happen the way it should. Why is that happening? When the pieces of the evaluation are put together, it should provide information about why your child is not learning the way the other children are. It will provide clues to you and his teachers about how to help him in the best way possible and how to help him help himself. For more plain talk about learning disabilities, please visit us at www.ldperspectives.com. About the Author Sandy Gauvin is a retired educator who has seen learning disabilities from many perspectives - as the parent of a daughter with learning disabilities, as the teacher of children with learning disabilities, and as an advocate for others who have diagnosed and unrecognized learning disabilities. Sandy shares her wisdom and her resources at www.LDPerspectives.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Parenting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet The biggest trick some child predators' are using these days is to pretend to be a kid, in a kid site chat room.Child predators are talking the lingo, misspelling words, having simple conversations to gain trust with children on the internet. Childhood Friendships Childhood friendships are as special as they are a necessary part of growing up. While some of our children will maintain these friendships into adulthood, many will not. How Often Does Child Sexual Abuse Get Reported? Not nearly as often as it should. Most child abuse victims never report the crime or get help in coming to grips with this life-changing trauma. COMMITMENT: Teaching Children the Lessons of a Lifetime It's been said, time and again, that for a child to learn what is most important, he must be shown the lessons through example, not through words. And, if we are to nurture certain traits within our children, we must first develop those traits in ourselves. Positive Parenting - Oops! I Really Lost My Temper With My Kids, What Now? Ever blown your top to your children, only to regret it ten minutes later?Silly question, it happens to us all no matter how well-behaved our kids or placid and patient we are. At times the general strains and stresses of life wear us down so our emotional responses don't match children's behaviours. Surprise - Public School Class Size Doesnt Matter Very Much School authorities often complain that classes are too large. They claim that teachers can't be expected to give their students the individual attention they need if there are too many students in the class. Finding A Caregiver You Can Trust Choosing to leave your child with a caregiver is one of the most important decisions you will make. When hiring a caregiver or nanny for your child, there are several important steps you need to take to minimize potential risks of hiring someone who will not be a good fit for your child and family. How Effective Is EEG Neurofeedback Training in Treating the Symptoms of ADHD? Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant medication, such as Ritalin and Dexedrine in their various forms, in treating the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders in children, teens, and adults. Even though stimulants are not the only effective option in the treatment of the disorder, stimulants may be a good choice, and their use should be discussed with your physician. The 411 on Natural Colic Remedies Any parent whose baby has suffered from colic can tell you that colic is one of the most excruciating experiences ever imaginable. Nothing is worse than seeing one's baby in pain and not being able to help take it away. The Ten Most Common Poisons Among Kids For parents, keeping our kids safe is a constant top priority. But even with the best intentions it's possible to overlook some potentially harmful household poisons. New Baby - Relax and Become a Yummy Mummy Lets face it becoming a mum is a bit of a shock at first, to say the least. Sleepless nights and eventful days make it a struggle to get a shower and wash your hair in the morning, never mind applying make up and fiddling with volume brushes and hairdryers. Parenting Your Teenager: What Teens Say About Parents What's hard for teenagersHaving people who don't understand you trying to control you.Parents not understanding the things you have to deal with. Parenting This article on parenting is by a practicing relationship counsellor/therapist, and father.The following suggestions will be useful for any parent or caregiver who wants to improve their relationships with their children. Toxic Chemicals, Are Your Children Being Exposed? You do what you can to keep your little ones safe and healthy in this world we live in. You put your household cleaners out of reach and make sure the front door is securely locked. Committed Parenting When you think about it, probably the one thing that our children need most in order to grow up feeling loved, happy, and empowered enough to give of themselves to others is our commitment to them as parents. Our children must know that we have made a commitment to them and we must demonstrate that commitment constantly. Where Will YOUR Kids Get A Job? Let's face it.The job market is getting tougher every day. Top 5 Characteristics of Good Leadership to Instill in Our Home School Children I am sure that this list can be jogged and added and taken away or all of the above, after being in the presence of several true leaders these are the ones that stuck out in my mind. Our home schooled children can be given a greater chance to make a diference in the world if the are leaders in mind, instead of following others blindly. Blended Families Can Be Successful Many families today are blending members from past relationships. It would be easy to give up when faced with all the conflicting methods of parenting and discipline that come to a family who has joined forces together. Simple Living in a Materialistic World We were sitting in the family room. My kids had finished their first day back at school after the holiday break, and my wife was working late. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What Do We Mean by Attention Anyway? When we talk about attention, we are talking about two different kinds of abilities: The ability to focus on a specific task put in front of us to do, such as school work, and the ability to pay attention in a more global sense to the world around us, to be able to pay attention to the buzz of the lights overhead, and the touch of the clothes on your skin, and the children playing outside of the classroom. These are two different kinds of attention.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
