Learning Disabilities Association offers unique programming
It started as a group of concerned parents at a kitchen table with nowhere else to go. What they all had in common was a child dealing with a form of learning disorders. What began as a small group blossomed in to what we now recognize as the Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan (ldas).
The term learning disability doesn’t just refer to one issue; no two situations are ever exactly the same. Instead, the term refers to a number of disorders which affects the brain’s ability to process and communicate certain information. People who are diagnosed with a learning disability must have an average or above average IQ. Learning disabilities are not to be confused with intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities.
“There are 109 symptoms of a learning disability and nobody will have the same five, six or seven,” said Shelley Mitchell, Director of the Regina branch of the Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan. “Even two people with dyslexia will have very different outcomes. From that point we can offer them programming, and a variety of services including assistance at school. Currently we are working with people who are trying to write provincial exams for apprenticeships and are having trouble passing them, so we can also do course specific tutoring.”
The assessment process at the ldas office begins with a screening tool that can be used for anyone who goes in concerned about the likelihood of having a learning disability. The initial interview takes about an hour, and includes a series of questions which can indicate whether or not a full assessment is needed.
If the association and client choose to go ahead with the full assessment, the client will need to commit to a four-hour one-onone period with a psychologist. At the end of the psychologist’s assessment, the Disability Association will be given a 15-page document which not only determines if the client has a learning disability, but also what kind of learning disability and what can be done to help that person.
“It is life changing, to find out that all these years you felt like you were less than, that there might be an answer here,” said Mitchell. “We have such remarkable success stories here. It’s why we get up and come to work every day.”
The association is also proud to offer life coaching. The program is offered to those with learning disabilities whose everyday lives are suffering. The worker will meet with a client who is trying to manage a home, a family, working part-time, going to school part-time and are feeling overwhelmed.
“What we can do is teach the people organizational skills and some time management. We find out the area with the worst problem that they have and we start there,” Mitchell said. “That normally unravels a bunch of other things and we end up spending a lot of time with them. When you have, let’s say A.D.D, it can affect so much of your work life, your social life, even showing up places on time, the ability to even get up in the morning. We can help with all those things.”
The Regina branch has also just celebrated a full year of offering a GED program and already has seen eight graduates pass through their doors. The course is unique, because each client gets one-on-one time and can work on any number of classes. In the near future, Ldas hopes to transition into a computer based testing centre. By doing so, they will allow the opportunity for anyone to come and write their GED. The program however, will remain solely for those with learning disabilities.
For more information about these programs, visit www.ldas.org or phone the branch nearest to you.