Parents of children with learning disabilities are often told to find the child’s passion—be it sports, music, or something else—and use it to teach other skills.
A mother whose son has dyslexia said it has been a constant battle trying to figure out what sort of sport inspires him. Eventually, he picked up golf. Golf was perfect because he was quiet by nature, and silence is an important aspect of the game. But it took the mother a few years before her son found his passion.
Here are a few tips for those who have children with learning disabilities:
• Don’t automatically enroll your child in the sports that are popular among children his age. Often, it’s just too much pressure to fit in with the crowd.
• Check out catalogs and course listings from local parks and recreation departments. Keep an eye out for unusual, nonacademic classes, like kite making or drama productions.
• Join the Boy and Girl Scouts organizations in your community.
Parents who are willing to do a little experimenting with their children will be surprised when they find out what makes their children tick, recreationally speaking. And it will be well worth it, because everybody, even children, needs some sort of pastime.
