Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A parent recently asked me if she should delay registering her son for kindergarten. She thought he had learning problems that would create problems in kindergarten. My response was that the research, though insufficient and contradictory, didn’t support delay. Here’s a sample of the research findings:

The results of the current study … indicate that delayed kindergarten entrance [called academic red-shirting] is not associated with better academic achievement among children with learning disabilities…. Academic red-shirting does not appear to function as an intervention, in and of itself, that will compensate for a child having a learning disability. The practice of academic red-shirting, by itself, should not be considered an intervention for a child with a learning disability. (Barnard-Brak, 2008, p. 50).

The research literature has yielded contradictory results about the effects of delayed entry on students. The present study examined the effects of delayed entry …. It was found that students who delayed school entry were most often male and were placed in special education programs in significantly higher proportions than nondelayed-entry students. No significant effect of delayed entry was noted for retention. (May & Kundert, 1995, Abstract).

So, what should parents do?

Keeping in mind that any advice may be wrong, especially when it’s applied to children who are unknown to the advice giver, here are my suggestions:

1) Have your child evaluated for learning disabilities before school begins. Find out what he can do well and what he struggles with. If you suspect a learning disability, even if your child has not begun kindergarten, the school is obligated to evaluate your child in all areas of suspected disability. But you must request an evaluation in writing. This is spelled out in federal law: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA).

2) Enroll your child in kindergarten. Develop a strong, positive relationship with his teachers. Have his progress monitored daily. Schedule weekly telephone calls with his teachers to discuss his progress and ways to help him. Meet with his teachers at least monthly to discuss his progress and, if needed, what can be done in and outside of school to help him.

3) If he’s having difficulty that his teachers can’t successfully handle, if his progress is poor, make a written request for a full set of evaluations that include observations of him in situations in which he typically does well and those in which he struggles. Ask that the evaluations include diagnostic teaching and provide short-term or monthly objectives that can be measured easily and objectively.

4) Continue meeting with his teachers and other school personnel to plan his program and monitor his progress.

There are no easy, surefire answers. My suggestions have a good chance of working if your child has good teachers who get the support they need and monitor his progress carefully. If progress is poor, learn all you can about your child’s problems and what can be done to accelerate progress. Learn about the state and federal laws that govern special education. You may find chapters 2 and 3 of our book, Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, particularly helpful.

References

Barnard-Brak, L. (2008). Academic red-shirting among children with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 6(2), 43-54.

May, D., & Kundert, D. (1995). Does delayed school entry reduce later grade retentions and use of special education services?. Remedial & Special Education, 16(5), no page numbers, http://search.ebscohost.com.central.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048

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