How to Build Confidence in Teens With Learning Disabilities
The teen years are always difficult, but for youngsters with learning disabilities, the challenges are even greater. Parents who want to raise competent and confident young adults must take the time and effort to nurture the self-esteem of their learning disabled teens who may be experiencing social as well as academic difficulties at school. There are, fortunately, several things parents can do to help boost their child's confidence during these turbulent adolescent years.
Instructions
Help your teen identify his strengths and weaknesses. It will help him to focus on the areas that need improvement and boost his confidence to reflect on the things he can do well. Celebrate your teen's successes. Emphasize his achievements in the areas where he excels. For example, if he is particularly talented artistically, musically or athletically, let the whole family be aware of how you value these successes. Tell your teen about the many famous, successful people who also have learning disabilities. Most LD teens are inspired to discover that superstars as diverse as Albert Einstein, Cher, Agatha Christie and Tom Cruise all had learning deficits that did not stand in the way of their success. Do not display your disappointment in your teen's lack of academic progress. Although they might act like they don't care, teens do still want their parent's approval. Give your teen lots of encouragement for his efforts and celebrate his successes, even when they are smaller than you would like. Invest in a private tutor, if possible. Although most schools provide extra help for their special education students, the intensive one-on-one support that a tutor can provide might just make the difference in helping your teen grasp new concepts. Mastering difficult material will be a real confidence booster. Use your teen's past performance as the benchmark for measuring his success. Celebrate improvement as well as absolute achievement. For example, a score increase of 20% on his most recent math test is a success to celebrate, even if the mark itself was mediocre. Use the opportunity to build his confidence by pointing out that his hard work has sown results and that he is on an upward journey that you're proud of. Provide your teen with information about the learning disability. It's empowering for your youngster to know the facts about his learning problems. Teach your teen how to become a self-advocate. Students with identified learning disabilities are entitled to academic supports. If your teen knows what he's entitled to and how to appropriately ask for it, he'll feel stronger and in control of his situation. This will help increase his confidence.