
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:
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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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