Learning Disabilities In Children: Navigating The Eligibility Process
Eligibility is a Process….
After discovering learning disabilities in children, Parents (or guardians) and Teachers have very distinct and different roles in the support of a student with a learning disability. 
When I say support, I mean through the whole process from the beginning struggles, to the referral process through assessment, eligibility, educational planning and into implementation and lifetime support.
Respect is a right AND a responsibility
To make this process non biased, students, teachers, parents and administrators must remain receptive to the needs and desires of the other parties. Awareness of the conditions under which everyone is functioning is crucial to maintaining a productive and respectful relationship.
Confidentiality is not only a legal right and obligation, it is also key in demonstration of respect between all parties. Breech in confidence can be detrimental to any working relationship.
In the beginning...
This process begins with early indications of struggle, referral and assessment for eligibility.
In these initial stages of the discovery of a learning disability it is the teacher’s role to implement strategies and assessment procedures with fidelity in order to provide the best information possible in the case that a student may be considered for a learning disability.
The parent has the difficult responsibility of being ever vigilant about changes in the child they love so dearly. Parents know their child better than anyone, and they can be a teacher’s biggest asset in the process of educating.
What comes next?
If a student is found to be eligible for services as a student with a learning disability, it then becomes the special education teacher’s responsibility to discover as much as is necessary about the student in order to provide effective instruction.
Collaborating with parents in an effective and understanding manner is most beneficial. Parents have the responsibility of being as helpful as they can so that the teacher can gain important information about their child.
What does a parent do for the implementation phase?
When a plan is developed by parents, teachers and administrators, the next and possibly most difficult phase is implementation. Depending on the individual needs of the student, everyone will have different roles and responsibilities.
The largest part of implementation for a parent is homework. Parents and families must remain supportive emotionally and always be encouraging.
When work is brought home, they should be available to help if needed but in an effort to encourage independence and support what the child’s teacher is doing, they should keep a healthy distance. Simply providing a good atmosphere, encouragement and consequences as needed is the most crucial role of a parent.
Teachers have the responsibility of making sure that homework is understood by the student before they go home, is remediation of skills and not acquisition, and is monitored in a way that students are held accountable and parents are able to be involved in such accountability.
