People ask me what works when your child has a learning disability? The answer is everything, especially when your child is young. When I say everything, I mean a well define structure environment that includes behavioral therapy, special educators, speech pathologist, educational therapy or tutors, recreational therapy or sports, pharmacological therapy, a puppy (yes I said a puppy, dogs are amazing helpers with behavioral components), but more than anything committed parents, behind most stories of success there is a mom or a dad that never gave up.
An incomplete treatment would not produce the expected results and paying for all kind of therapies would require lot of money, so what to do? If you suspect your child is a struggle learner waiting is not an option, you child should be formally assessed. If the school procrastinate the assessment and you have the means to pay for it go ahead and do it, the results from the assessment are the most important tools when advocating in favor of your kid. The diagnosis will determine the placement of your child and the recommendations will help you find the required help. Most health insurance companies cover the cost of therapy and meds. I couldn’t afford the cost of all these therapies and family members helped me pay for some of them, the ones we couldn’t afford we looked for options.
For example, research has proven that therapy dogs help reduce inattention and improve social skills in children with ADHD, my kid didn’t suffer from allergies related to doggie hair, so I went ahead and brought home a rescue dog. Chico came to our life as a stray puppy, he followed my little girl to our car, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I called my husband and told him about that cute pup. He came early from work that same day and we both went to pick Gabriel from pre k and there he was, waiting in the parking lot. Chico was filled with energy and played around with my kid every day, he even sat down next to my son when he was playing video games. My son had difficulties with his sleeping patterns and once Chico started sleeping in his room and eventually in his bed his rest schedule was fixed. Chico was the perfect nonjudgmental friend, he played soccer, thug war, catch and even hide and seek. Every person that visit our home would interact with Chico and Gabriel was more than happy to show how smart and playful his dog was, he will also teach people how to play with his dog. Chico was never officially recognized as an emotional support dog, but he certainly was.
My son learned responsibilities and scheduling skills, he will feed and walk Chico a couple of days in a week, everybody in the house had a turn. When Gabriel had one of his occasional outburst Chico stayed close to him and showed him the meaning of unconditional love and my son social skills were improved. Chico lived with us for 13 years and my son which is now 18 years old still call him his best friend. Losing Chico due to cancer took a big toll from our hearths and although a dog doesn’t cure a child with ADHD the amounts of benefits, he brought to our home were amazing.
I will talk about other things that we tried with our son in my next blog.