April 24, 2018
Perception Is Everything

Dr. Laura:

When my son was in the first grade, the school had him tested for learning disabilities.  He was a late talker and was having problems learning to read and staying focused.  The tester, an education specialist, wrote a report on my son in which she essentially said that he would be lucky to graduate high school.  They wanted to give him drugs.  I said I'd do that, but I never did.  The odd thing is the school started sending home notes about how much better he was behaving!  Perception was everything.  We took him out of public school and put him in a small religious school.

Fast forward 25 years.  He not only graduated high school a year early, but he got his B.A. in three years.  He has two Master's degrees - on in Early Childhood Education and one in Special Ed.  He also speaks Spanish fluently and translates during conferences and meetings as he is the only adult in the school building who is bilingual.  So much for those tests when he was in first grade!

Please tell parents to relax.  Your child might not go to Yale, but that doesn't mean he is not smart and completely capable of being respected and living a fulfilling, prosperous life in every way.  

Effie

Posted by Staff at 12:35 PM