167
CHAPTER
20
K
NOWING
W
HEN
Y
OU
N
EED
H
ELP
As you’ve seen
throughout this book,
everyone learns differently.
Everyone has strong
and weak areas of the
brain. But what if your
weak area is really weak,
so weak that it’s
preventing you from
accomplishing your goals,
even when you’re working
hard? This chapter helps
you figure out when you
need help with a learning
difference that may be a
learning disability.
E
veryone learns in unique ways. Remember

Those who do know they have a learning disability are often unclear
about what it is. Perhaps they were diagnosed in grammar or high school,
perhaps they were even in special classes or met regularly with an educa-
tional specialist, but they still might not know exactly why they were
there. And, often those who know what kind of learning disability they
have don’t know what to do about it.
The solution is to find out how you learn best, to know when you
need help, and to know where to go to get it!
GETTING HELP
You’ve already begun helping yourself, even before you started reading
this book. You are making up for your learning difficulty in some way,
even if you don’t know it. Your brain does this to protect and help you. But
there’s a limit to how much compensating your mind can do. You may
have a learning difficulty if you often find yourself saying things like this:
KNOWING WHEN YOU NEED HELP
169
• I know the words in this sentence, but I just can’t make sense of it.
• I know this person is talking, but I don’t understand what they’re
talking about.
• I recognize the numbers and math signs, but I don’t know how to
do the problem.
• I know I knew it once, but I don’t know what it is now.
O
UTSIDE
H
ELP
There are organizations listed in the Appendix that you may find useful.
But help might be closer than you think.
Some schools and companies have tutoring available. They may also
have consultants you can talk with. Often, these people can put you in

loud and spell with fewer errors. He pays such close attention that he can
read a page upside-down.
Auditory Processing Difficulties
Tami’s ears hear fine, but the message from her ears to her brain is some-
times garbled and sounds like she’s listening on a phone with a poor con-
nection. Sometimes it comes through clearly, sometimes not. She deals with
this by taking notes and asking questions. She also asks teachers to write on
the board and give her hand-outs.
Attention Deficit Disorder
Maude was born with an excessive need for attention, and she usually has
difficulty paying attention to something for longer than ten minutes at a
time. But for those ten minutes, she can really concentrate. She asks per-
mission to sit by the instructor, so she’ll be less likely to be distracted. She
has learned to live with distraction; in fact, she has learned to use it to her
advantage. She can work on several projects at the same time.
Short-Term Memory Difficulties
It is a real challenge for Jake to remember something recently said. He
deals with it by carrying a notepad with him at all times, writing down
what he wants to remember. When he’s listening to a lecture, he tapes it
so he can later replay it, a few minutes at a time. Each time he listens, he
writes down what he wants to remember.
G
ET TO
K
NOW
Y
OUR
S
TRENGTHS AND
W

N
S
HORT
You’re a unique learner. You’re different from everyone else—and
everyone else is different from everyone else! Each of us has a learning
difference. When you realize how your seesaw of learning strength and
weakness operates, you can use your strength to get a handle on the
learning weakness. You might even find a way to use it to your advantage!