Teen Learning Disabilities
What are Teen Learning Disabilities? The Federal Special Education Law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides the following definition: Specific Learning Disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
Learning Disabilities do not include problems associated with vision, hearing or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
Common Learning Disabilities include (taken from Learning Disabilities Association of American LDA)
- Dyslexia – a language-based disability in which a person has trouble with specific language skills, particularly reading
- Dyscalculia – a mathematical disability in which a person has a difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts
- Dysgraphia – a writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters, write within a defined space and express ideas
There are no cures for Learning Disabilities. Children and teens that experience Learning Disabilities can be taught ways to compensate and be successful in life.
In school, the Special Education Department is responsible for helping students with Learning Disabilities. In order to receive services from the Special Education Department, a meeting is held and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is created for the student. The IEP describes strengths and weaknesses of a student, special education services that are needed, goals and measureable objectives and classroom accommodations that are needed for the student to be successful. The IEP is developed by the parents and school personnel, such as teachers, special education director, school psychologist, speech therapist, school counselor, occupational therapist, etc.
Triumph Youth Services educational staff will work with your son’s current IEP. Our educational staff includes a Special Education certified teacher who will help facilitate and monitor progress and collaborate with your school district regarding your son’s IEP.
Triumph Youth Services offers a small, highly structured family-type environment for youth. This family-like community promotes a social environment that takes on both therapeutic and healing properties instead of maintaining negative behaviors.
Our Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach utilizes individual therapy combined with group and family therapy to treat each youth’s issues. This approach teaches coping and problem-solving skills, anger management, and appropriate ways to communicate. In addition to the therapy, the Positive Peer Culture utilized in Triumph Youth Services facilities help the youth process their issues and build skills for their own personal progress.
Triumph Youth Services provides a daily Life Skills Group. The goal of our Life Skills Group training program is to teach the student a new set of responses to social situations, as well as how to integrate his behavior with others in the environment. Our staff members are trained and encouraged to be effective leaders by serving as teachers or coaches who hold the young men responsible for working on problems and to act as limit setters, good listeners and model appropriate responses to various situations.
The clinicians at Triumph Youth Services are highly trained and have extensive experience working with adolescent youth. Our clinicians are licensed and approved as mental health professionals to provide individual, group and family therapy.
