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Westmount Sewing Centre Buy 2 Get 1 Free Whtdq-to-m-orq Atttt$mttt6$ttt001 578-4595 ANYTIME to Saturday ad By Lynn Weiss. Grant is s friendly, in- telllgsm 10-year old boy. He Is devoted to his tsmlly and works hard in school. He knows. though. that his classmates think he'situpid because he falls off his bike and can tie his shoelaces. They nomeumes laugh at his attemitu to read and Grant used to have tan- trums because he was no unhappy about himself but lately this has changed. He knows now that he is not stupid. He has a learning disability that makes it very difficult for him to function academically the Profile way other children do. It makes him .clumsy and for.. getful. Now Grant is going to special classes which use techniques designed specit- ically for learning disabled children. Grant and his family hope that he will be able to finish his education and maybe even go on to university. Lite is much happier around Grant's house these days, Grant and his family re- ceive help from the Associ- ation for Children with Learning Disabilities. This is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of learning disabled children and their families through the cooperation of parents. teachers. doctors and others who work with children. The Kitchener-Waterloo chapter of ACLD has ar- ranged a program designed way, They art simply un- able to learn some things through the usual teaching methods. Often this means ithat they never learn to iread or write, which it a ’severe handicap indeed in lmodern society. About 10 percent of all children, from SIT types of families, have some form of a learning disability. These are normal children in every to iutieize Learning ibis- abilities this week. What causes a learning disability? Sometimes a difficult birth. mild brain damage, a serious illness or allergy, or an upset in the body chemistry. Whichever the cause, the result is a child who is frustrated, con- fused and unhappy. The child may reverse letters - read "saw" for "was". He may not recognize familiar words if they are printed larger or in a different col- our ink. He may forget things as soon as he learns them. He may be overexcit- ACLD changing ' .1 disabilities to abilities ( If the child is lucky his parents, teacher or doctor will see beyond his faults and understand the reasons for his failure to learn. He can take part in a program specially designed to over- come any disability. Unfor- tunately, many children must wait years before their problems are diag- nosed correctly. The result of years of frustration and failure can lead to emotion- -at problems for these chil- dren as well.' Their families, too, suffer great stress. This is why ACLD feels that it is, important to diagnose learn- ing disabled children early, before they feel like giving up on themselves and the world. The children and their families benefit from the services and mutual encouragement offered by ACLD, able, noisy and destructive. He is often labelled "bad" or "lazy", and he is often punished. f The separate and public school boards of Waterloo County provide diagnostic services and special educa- tion classes for children in their schools. There are still not enough classes for all the children needing help, and sometimes it seems that the teachers are not aware of the facts about learning disabilities. What kind of treatment is available to the learning disabled child? Some chil- dren are treated chiefly by medication given under close medical supervision. Some receive special educa- tion and some require both. But the situation is im- proving. At present there are about 15 classes for the learning disabled. In each class six to eight pupils ACLD members and Vvolunteera help area children with learning difficulties through the motor gym at Waterloo Collegiate every Saturday morning. All of the gym routines are designed to help improve the child's co-ordination. are taught by specially trained teachers. The pupils are encouraged to move into regular classes for their studies as they develop the basic skills required. Many children graduate from special classes in one or two years. At the, K-W Hospital there is a Learning and Develop- ment Clinic which provides diagnostic facilities for learning disabled children and their families, ACLD also has a number of programs. Of course, its most important function is to provide a meeting ground for people who are, involved with children who have a learning disa- bility. In particular, the parents are encouraged to work together to improve their understanding and acceptance of their child's problems. They develop programs to assist their child's progress. Every Saturday morning in the Fall and Winter there is a Gross Motor Skills Gym, Here the children with poor coordination work with student volunteers at such things as skipping and hopscotch. obstacle courses, balancing and group games. The children are encour- aged to map their own pro- gress in achieving greater muscle control. A learn~to- skate class and softball skills clinic help the chil- dren develop co-ordination and give them the confi- dence, needed to join in neighbourhood games with- out fear of teasing. For teenagers there is a social enrichment program where they go bowling, to the movies and other public events. These activities help increase their inde- Kitchener-Waterloo AC‘ is excited about the k . event of Learning Disabili- ties Week in Waterloo Coun- ty. All interested people are urged to hear Dr. William A, Hawke, who is the pres- ident of the Ontario ACLD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto and director of the depart- ment' of developmental medicine at Sick Children's Hospital. pendence and develop so- cial skills which are difficult to acquire after years of isolation and dependence on their families. -- At 8:00 pan. tonight Dr. Hawke will speak to an audi- ence of all interested people, particularly parents. at the Waterloo Public Library Meeting Room. His topic for the evening will centre on a critical look at learning disabilities. This informal lecture will be important to anyone who thinks they may know a child with a learn- ing disability. __ Also during Learning Dis- abilities Week there will news coverage, book 1,lt plays at both Kitchen' and Waterloo public libraries and an information booth at St, Mary's Hospital's 50th anniversary display, to- morrow and Friday. In the schools, teachers will be able to learn about ACLD and its involvement with children suffering learning disabilities during their professional development days. (Friday for separate schools and Monday for public schools. l The Kitchener-Waterloo Association for Children with Learning Disabilities hopes that during this week people will develop an understanding for the prob- lems faced by children with learning disabilities', and by the parents and pro- fessionals who are trying to help them. ACLD particular- ly hopes this week will re- sult in the diagnosis and treatment of troubled chil- dren whose problems have been a "puzzle" up to now. lf you want to learn more about ACLD oi" leaming disabilities or programs available in this commu- nity. call 576-4735 or 578-