Sometimes children do not
have significant problems with academic work. However, they seem to
minor problems with certain subjects or skills, or they seem to learn
best when information is presented in a certain way. In these cases,
you may have been told your child has a "learning difference."
When your child has a "minor problem" with a subject or skill,
they may have something less than a statistically significant discrepancy
between ability and achievement. This way of thinking conceptualizes
the learning process in relative rather than absolute terms. When your
child seems to learn best under certain conditions, this can be recognized
by referring to "cognitive style." The professional who wants
to alert you to this may have presented this style in general descriptive
terms, or indicated your student is a "visual" or "auditory"
learner.
This way of thinking conceptualizes
the student as having something like channels, with some working better
than others.
