Understanding Excellent Child Care Activities

Choosing A Preschool For A Child With A Learning Disability

26 July 2018

Barry Ward

Getting the right early education plays an important role in how a child with a learning disability adapts to the world they live in. Therefore, you have to be especially keen when it's time to choose a school. You should know what to look for in an institution that offers early childhood education and how to assess these features in any school you're considering.

Understand the Needs of Your Child

There are many different types of learning disabilities and you'll find a preschool may be adept at handling a particular kind of learning disability but not others. Therefore, you need to know what your child's weaknesses and strengths are and what they'll need to develop. Skills a child may need assistance with include:    

• Controlling actions and emotions

• Using pencils and crayons    

• Following direction    

• Recognizing numbers and letters    

• Sitting still for certain time periods

Visit the School

When you need to get a feel for the actual environment that your child will be learning in, there is no substitute for visiting the actual school. Visiting the school will give you a chance to assess the learning environment and the teachers. You can see how the teachers interact with the learners and how they handle the situation when, for example, a student gets too excited.

You should also assess the adult-to-child ratio to know whether your child will get the attention they need.

Visiting the school also gives you a chance to assess their program, their child care, and the order of activities. You can see whether their program will agree with your child's needs.

Talk to the Director

You need to be able to reach the people responsible for your child's education. You need a director that's willing to meet with you and allows you to observe the teachers. Meeting with the director will also be a good opportunity to assess whether the school has the facilities and people to help meet the needs of your child.

These issues are especially important if the school in question doesn't cater specifically to children with special needs. There are schools that will not be able to tend to the needs of your child.

Have a Checklist

To keep track of everything, have a checklist detailing all that you need from the school. You may have to visit more than one early learning center, and this will help you to keep track of things and compare your options.

Share