When my daughter started to struggle at school and I was trying to figure out what was going on, I was surprised to discover that learning disabilities in children are quite common.

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, one in five children has a learning or attention issue.

Many children with learning disabilities are highly intelligent, so their disability can be hidden– even to teachers. For me, it became evident when my daughter’s attitude about school totally changed.

“Mom, I don’t want to go!”

There I was again…irritated at the front door, while my daughter was sprawled out in the hallway having a meltdown about going to school. I was trying to come up with a magic phrase that would get her off the floor and out the door.

Reflecting back, I believe that her meltdowns were about failure at school. Why would she run gleefully out the door for a day full of disappointment? Why would she want to fail in front of her best friends at school–their perfect scores next to her failing one? [Read more…]