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Feature/General
Learning Differences ...and the Differences One Mother Made in Athens
By Jennifer Lawson
Jan/Feb 2005

When Laurie Higginbotham Rice's daughter, Victoria, was in preschool, the teachers noticed that she was unusually quiet and suggested that she be tested. Despite the fact that Victoria had passed all of the milestones for her age and had no problems with her speech or attentiveness, Laurie went ahead and had her tested. The tests revealed what the professionals called a "language processing disorder" but at the time these words held no meaning to the overwhelmed mother. She came to understand better the big picture of the term through a surprising source: Dr. Seuss books. "Dr. Seuss teaches the concepts of language better than almost anything else," says Laurie. "In/Out, Up/Down, Over/Under...these are the very things that people with conceptual problems don't get easily."

  Signs of a Learning Disability (LD):

  • Reading below grade level
  • Language or speech disorders
  • Poor handwriting
  • Short attention span
  • Easily distracted
  • Family history of learning disability

  Types of LD's:

  • Language-based disorders (speech problems and dyslexia)
  • Nonverbal learning disabilities
  • Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Pervasive Development Disorder (Autism)

  How LD's are typically diagnosed:

  • Observations of parents, teachers and friends
  • Psychological tests

  How LD's are typically evaluated:

  • Vision evaluations and eye exams to exclude medical reasons
  • General medical exams
  • Auditory acuity evaluations
  • Psychological evaluations
  • Neurological exams
  • Other special testing of motor and sensory functions

  Resources for parents and children:

But pinpointing Victoria's learning difference (often referred to as a learning disability or LD) was just the tip of the iceberg in Laurie's journey to help her daughter cope with school. She quickly found that LD's are not limited to the classroom. "Children with learning differences learn, think and act differently and are consequently misunderstood," she explains. Certain LD behaviors might be construed as laziness or disinterest. Laurie found much useful information in books such as A Mind At A Time and All Kinds of Minds by Dr. Mel Levine as well as other online resources.

Laurie tried public and private schools in both Clarke and Oconee counties as well as home-schooling but found that they weren't the right fit for Victoria. She then approached private schools offering to help start up a program that would address the needs of those students with various LD's. Despite the fact that she was willing to foot the financial costs of such a program, no one was willing to take her up on her offer. Just as she was about to give up hope, the Westminster Christian Academy in Watkinsville agreed to work with her to build what would become The Discovery Program. The alliance began in 2001 and Laurie hopes to grow the program to provide resources for students beyond the Westminster school, including a lending library so that other parents would have a place to go to gather information and network about their children's learning disabilities.

As with any non-profit organization, providing funds for the program remains an ongoing struggle. After personally financing the start-up costs of establishing a private foundation that she founded in honor of her late grandmother, Elizabeth Higginbotham, Laurie began an annual fundraiser to help offset costs not covered by the additional tuition charged for use of The Discovery Program. The first three years' fundraisers were horse shows at the Heritage Park in Oconee County but this past October, Laurie decided to try a new approach: a rubber duck "race" at Sandy Creek Park's Lake Chapman.

The 7,000 ducks that were adopted came short of the goal for $100,000 but the fundraiser raised crucial funds and publicity for The Discovery Program.

Laurie encourages all parents to watch for signs of possible learning differences in their children and to become informed and proactive if one is detected. For more information about The Discovery Program at Westminster call the Admissions Office at (706)769-9372 or go to www.wcalions.org. For more information about the Splash-n-Dash fundraiser, go to www.splash-n-dash.com or email Laurie Higginbotham Rice directly at laurier@ampest.com.


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