“One day I feel good. The next day I feel bad. I have too many ups and downs.
Learning Disabilities – Skills for Coping “Outside the Box”:
To a person who learns differently, the world can appear to be a challenging, confusing place with way too many ups and downs. Everyone else seems to move so quickly, it’s hard to catch up! Even though you may be just as smart as everyone else, you may not feel that way as you struggle in school or on a job. Now that you are out (or almost out) of high school or college, you may feel as though you’ve been dropped into this confusing world without a safety net.
I help adults (and almost-adults) with learning disabilities figure out how to manage and move past the challenges they face in school, at work, or with their families. Learning “outside the box” simply means that you may not learn like everyone else does – not wrong, just different! You just need to know how to make those differences work for you. I’d like to help.
Once we identify your worries, I can help you focus on and use the strengths that will make you a successful adult.
Do some of these challenges sound familiar?
- Sometimes I feel that everyone except me knows the right answer.
- I get embarrassed when I don’t know the answer.
- I think everyone notices when I mess up.
- My parents don’t understand how hard it is for me.
- I’m afraid my boss will find out that I can’t do the job.
- I pretend or find excuses when I’m not sure what to do.
- I get in trouble too much and I don’t understand what happens.
- I have trouble focusing.
- Now I’m an adult and I worry about people’s expectations of me.
- I don’t like to ask for help – I’d rather fail and keep my secret!
- I turned down a promotion, because they’d find out that I can’t do it.
- I’m about to move out of my parents’ house and I’m scared.
- I want to leave home now, but my parents don’t want me to.
……. And – please tell me your concerns that I’ve missed………
Is this you – or someone you know?
In school, students who learn differently often feel left out and not quite as smart as the other kids. They quickly start feeling that they miss the important stuff that others seem to get easily. If those students let people know that they need more help, they sometimes find that teachers are impatient and that other kids tease them.
Many learning disabled students learn to cope by hiding the problem. These students may be very socially proficient and get away with faking it, so that no one is aware they are struggling. The price these students pay is that they are faced with continually keeping secrets – a coping skill that may, later on, translate to other area of their lives and hurt important relationships.
And – would you like some help?
My extensive experience with learning disabilities programs has given me a unique understanding of the challenges you may face when you try to figure out how to get along in the adult worlds of work and personal relationships.
I am also aware of the ways in which families struggle to balance their adult (or almost-adult) child’s continuing need for support with their emerging need for independence.
If you are interested in short term consultation or more extensive support for learning disabled individuals and/or their families, please contact me to discuss available services.