Understanding Your Child’s Learning Disability

If your child has a learning disability or struggles to learn, you aren’t alone.

Learning disabilities are common.

But with the right support, children with learning differences can succeed academically, socially, and in life.

A learning disability is a neurologically-based learning difference that affects how your child processes information.

When a child has a learning disability, it isn’t a reflection of intelligence or effort.

It simply means your child learns differently than others.

With early recognition, evidence-based interventions, and practical accommodations, learners with disabilities can build confidence, independence, and lifelong skills.

Learning disabilities come in many forms. Your child might suffer from dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADD/ADHD, or autism.

Or, your child might have a visual or auditory sensory issue that interferes with learning.

What Exactly is a Learning Disability?

A learning disability (LD) is a specific difficulty with one or more cognitive processes involved in learning while using spoken or written language, math, or other academic skills.

Learning disabilities are not something that is outgrown or goes away.

In addition, learning disabilities will vary widely from child to child.

Many children who have a learning disability also have average or above-average intelligence.

They usually have other gifts and unique strengths as well!

If your child has a learning disability, it doesn’t mean that learning can’t take place or that it will always be difficult.

It means your child needs to be taught new ways to route information through brain integration exercises.

It is also likely that memory skills are weak. When memory is affected, it’s hard to remember what was taught in school!

More times than not, sensory skills (visual and auditory) are usually affected as well.

Even with a learning disability involved, once these skills are in place, learning can be a breeze!

Schedule a Bravo! Learning Evaluation and find out if your child has indications of a learning disability!

(For a limited time.)

Just fill out the form below to schedule a Bravo! Learning Evaluation:

Common Types of Learning Disabilities

• Dyslexia – difficulties with reading accuracy, fluency, spelling, and decoding words.
• Dyscalculia – challenges understanding numbers, math concepts, and arithmetic procedures.
• Dysgraphia – difficulty with handwriting, spelling, and organizing written expression.
• ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) – affects attention, working memory, and executive function; often co-occurs with LDs.
• ASD – (Autism Spectrum Disorder) – a lifelong neurological and developmental condition that affects how a child perceives the world, communicates, and interacts with others
• Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD) – strong verbal skills but difficulties with spatial, social, and visual-motor tasks.
• Processing disorders – such as auditory or visual processing disorders, which affect how sensory information is interpreted.

Finding out Your Child has a Learning Disability

There are many different learning disabilites as well as treatments. If you think your child is struggling from a learning disability, it’s important to get a diagnosis as soon as possible so the right treatment plan can be designed.

Waiting for your child to outgrow a learning disability is like waiting for an unwatered plant to grow. It won’t happen.

If you see any of the following symptoms in your child, then it might be a learning disability:

• Struggle to learn letters, sounds, or simple words
• Trouble following multi-step instructions
• Difficulty remembering math facts or organizing homework
• Frustration or avoidance around reading or writing tasks
• Learns new information more slowly than peers
• Trouble staying organized (materials, thoughts, tasks)
• Poor memory for instructions, facts, or sequences
• Avoids schoolwork or becomes easily frustrated
• Inconsistent performance (does well one day, struggles the next)
• Below grade level performance (usually two years)
• Difficulty with focusing, paying attention, or staying on task

Your Teen and Navigating a Learning Disability

It’s important to know the symptoms of a learning disability so you can get help and understand what your teen is going through on a daily basis.

If you suspect your teen has a learning disability, the following symptoms chart can guide you on next steps:

• Slow or effortful reading, writing, or math work
• Time management and organization problems
• Difficulty learning new procedures or adapting to complex tasks
• Strength in creative thinking, problem-solving, or oral skills
• Difficulty understanding numbers and quantity
• Trouble memorizing math facts
• Confusion with symbols (+, −, ×, ÷)
• Difficulty telling time or handling money
• Struggles with sequencing steps in math problems
• Relies heavily on counting (even for simple problems)
• Difficult time copying from board
• Not completing assignments

If you notice ongoing patterns of difficulty despite effort and good teaching, consider a learning evaluation to pinpoint where specific strengths and weaknesses fall.

It is never too late to get help for your child!

Diagnosis and Assessment of a Learning Disability

There are many different assessments that measure cognitive skills, academic achievement, language, and processing abilities.

Early assessment helps match interventions to a learner’s specific needs.

You are entitled to free learning disability evaluation if your child is enrolled in public school.

This often helps and can give you an idea of what is going on.

Note: A public school diagnosis is used to guide and supports accommodations and modifications.

However, if you want to help your child overcome a learning disability and not just provide accommodations and modifications, then you need to go to the root of the problem and fill in learning gaps.

Most public schools can’t do this, as they primarily work on academics. You can’t fix poor academics with more academics!

The brain and learning channels don’t work this way.

Your Child’s Learning Disability and the Learning Evaluation

Bravo! Tutoring offers an affordable Learning Evaluation that will give you indications of learning disabilities.

The Bravo! Evaluation is different than any test your child has had. Not only are academics reviewed, but sensory issues are appraised as well.

In addition, phonemic awareness abilities are tested along with your child’s current reading fluency ability (words per minute).

You will also receive a reading comprehension report based on your child’s current reading level.

When your child takes the Bravo! Learning Evaluation, you will find out how memory abilities are affecting learning. This is important for test taking success and the retention of information given in class.

In addition, when you receive your instant results, you will learn if your child has symptoms of dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia. You will also know if your child is struggling with a visual or auditory processing issue.

Your Bravo! Assessor will also watch for how your child is holding a pencil, nervousness, learning style, handwriting abilities, and many other things that affect learning success!

The Bravo! Learning Evaluation only takes about thirty minutes and will give you similar information as the school’s detailed report. It will be translated in digestible information you can understand.

After that, a detailed learning plan is provided that ensures your child’s lasting learning success!

Why Use the Bravo! Learning Evaluation?

Choosing a testing option for your child’s learning issues can be confusing. All too often, the school’s testing leaves you confused and frustrated.

Other options are so costly you feel like you can’t afford them.

Or sometimes, you just don’t know where to turn.

Following are some benefits of using the Bravo! Learning Evaluation:

• You will get immediate results.
• It provides information you can understand.
• Your child won’t spend days of testing and get fatigued or frustrated.
• Your child has fun doing the activities.
• Content is relative to learning and life.
• It is much cheaper ($79.00) than most private testing options
• A prescriptive solution is presented immediately.
• You won’t be intimidated by a large group of professionals telling you what to do and not to do.
• The information your receive makes sense – it isn’t in teacher lingo you can’t understand.

School Support and Your Child’s Learning Disability

Getting the right help from your child’s school or teacher can make a huge difference!

It’s always important to keep communication open between you, your child, your child’s teacher, the school’s support team, and administrators.

If you suspect your child has a learning disability, the first step is to reach out to your child’s teacher and ask for guidance.

From there, options will be discussed. Your child might be tested for qualification for an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or a 504 Plan.

Sometimes, further testing is necessary to refine specifics of a learning disability.

If your child struggles with a learning disability, be sure the following components are involved in treatment:

• Multisensory instruction (visual + auditory + kinesthetic)
• Structured, explicit teaching of reading, spelling, and math strategies
• Extra time on tests and assignments
• Quiet testing locations and reduced distractions
• Assistive technology: text-to-speech, speech-to-text, audiobooks, math apps, graphic-organizer software
• Chunking assignments and providing clear, written instructions
• Preferential seating and visual schedules
• Regular check-ins and scaffolded steps for projects

Home Strategies to Help with Your Child’s Learning Disability

All too often, you don’t know what to do when your child has a learning disability.

You try to help but it often turns into tears and tantrums.

That’s because your child doesn’t learn like other children!

But don’t despair. Helping your child at home usually doesn’t fix a learning disability any more than accommodations and modifications can.

But it can help immensely, especially in giving your child a safe space to learn.

Helping your child with a learning disability at home is one of the most powerful ways to support confidence, academic growth, and emotional well-being.

While schools provide important instruction, real progress often happens through consistent, personalized support in a safe and encouraging home environment.

Children with learning differences thrive when they feel understood and when learning is adapted to how they process information – whether that means using movement, hands-on activities, or breaking tasks into smaller steps.

By actively engaging in your child’s learning at home, you reinforce skills, reduce frustration, and send a clear message that they are capable, supported, and not alone in their journey.

Following are some tips to help you help your child at home:

• Create predictable routines and a quiet homework space
• Break tasks into smaller steps and use checklists
• Encourage reading for pleasure with audiobooks or paired reading
• Celebrate effort and strategy use, not just outcomes
• Communicate regularly with teachers and therapists
• Teach self-advocacy: how to request accommodations and explain needs
• Use multisensory activities (movement, touch, visuals) to reinforce concepts
• Celebrate effort and progress to build confidence and motivation
• Communicate regularly with teachers to stay aligned on strategies and goals
• Incorporate learning into everyday activities like cooking, shopping, or playing games
• Use assistive tools (audiobooks, speech-to-text, graphic organizers) to support learning
• Allow extra time for tasks to reduce pressure and improve accuracy
• Encourage your child to advocate for themselves and express what helps them learn best
• Build strong foundational skills (memory, coordination, and processing) through simple daily exercises

Resources and Help for Your Child’s Learning Disability

Getting help for your child’s learning disability is essential because early, targeted support can dramatically change academic success and overall confidence.

Without the right intervention, children often feel frustrated, misunderstood, or “behind”.

This can impact not only school performance but also your child’s self-esteem and willingness to try new learning skills.

Professional guidance helps identify your child’s specific learning profile and provides proven strategies tailored to how to best learn and succeed.

With the right support system in place – both at school and outside of it – your child can build critical skills, experience success, and develop the resilience they need to thrive.

Early professional help for learning disabilities gives children a critical head start by addressing challenges before they become deeply ingrained patterns. When support begins early, the brain is more adaptable, making it easier to build strong foundational skills in reading, writing, and processing.

This early intervention helps prevent the widening gap between a child and their peers, reducing frustration and avoiding the negative self-image that can develop from repeated struggles.

Just as importantly, professionals can equip parents with effective strategies to use at home, creating consistency and reinforcing progress. Over time, children who receive early support are more likely to gain confidence, develop independence, and approach learning with a sense of capability rather than fear.

Following is a list of where to go for help:

• Your child’s school (teacher, special education team, or school psychologist)
• A licensed educational psychologist for formal evaluations
• Specialized tutoring centers that focus on learning differences
• Tutors trained in structured literacy approaches (such as Orton-Gillingham)
• Speech and language therapists for language-based learning issues
• Occupational therapists for handwriting, coordination, and sensory challenges
• Pediatricians or developmental specialists for referrals and guidance
• Local parent support groups or learning disability organizations
• Online therapy and tutoring platforms that specialize in learning differences
• Nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups that provide resources, training, and support
• Private practitioners that specialize in learning disabilities like dyslexia or ADD/ADHD

Following is a list of national associations who can help:

• Learning Disabilities Association of America
• National Center for Learning Disabilities
• International Dyslexia Association
• LDonline
• Center for Parent Information and Resources
• US Department of Education

How Bravo! Tutoring Supports Children with Learning Disabilities

Bravo! Tutoring is a premier learning center in the Valley Springs, CA vicinity that provides learning help for kids who struggle academically or who might have a learning disability.

Bravo!’s research-driven program addresses your child’s learning needs in a multi-sensory way and offers movement as a route to succeed academically because most kids who struggle in school are tactile learners!

Formerly Harp Learning Institute, Bravo! Tutoring has helped tens of thousands of children succeed academically and in life for over twenty-three years.

Bravo! Tutoring’s program also addresses sensory issues – primarily visual and auditory. Your child learns through the senses, and if they are weak, then learning will be stunted as well.

Another key component of the Bravo! Program is brain integration therapy. When your child struggles academically or has a learning disability, the wiring is off in your child’s brain. This doesn’t mean your child isn’t smart! It means rewiring is necessary.

Bravo! Tutoring ensures your child will thrive academically by addressing the “whole” of your child – not scattered bits and pieces.

Whether your child is just struggling a bit in school or has a learning disability like dyslexia or autism, Bravo! can help!

Schedule a Bravo! Learning Evaluation to find out if your child has indications of a learning disability:

(For a limited time.)

Just fill out the form below to schedule a learning evaluation: