Be a strength-based parent for kids with learning differences

Steven Spielberg is dyslexic (诵读困难的), but didn't know this as a child. He struggled in school and lagged behind academically, but found he could communicate through movies rather than words on a page. His talent for sharing stories and touching people's imagination and hearts through film was born partly from his dyslexia. He credits the love of his parents and their support as key factors in his success. So like all kids, those like Spielberg also have strengths as well as weaknesses. However, it's typical for adults to only focus on children's downsides, which is damaging to their growth.

If you're a parent of such a child, you can try strength-based parenting. This parenting style starts with the question “What's right with my child?” before it looks at what might be wrong. It isn't about unrealistically ignoring the downsides, but about where you place your attention first. When you look at strengths before weaknesses, you can help your kids use what they're good at to overcome what they're not so good at.

For the purposes of strength-based parenting,you need to watch for when your child shows rapid learning,a repeated pattern of success,and performance that's above age expectations. Additionally, you need to notice whether your child has abundant energy when using a strength. Finally,look for what your child chooses to do in his spare time, how often he engages in a particular activity,and how he speaks about that activity. Look for these signs and offer praise and opportunities for your child to explore his strengths.

Connecting your kids with his strengths doesn't have to be done with a tool or a survey. You can do it through conversation with your kids—through more hands-on, practical ways or by creating strength-based opportunities for your kids. If your child isn't highly verbal, you can tune in to the times when you see your kids enjoying what they're doing. Anyhow, it's always right to focus on the situations, skills, activities and relationships where you see your child has high energy, enjoyment and performance.

阅读检测

1. What kind of children is the strength-based parenting style applied to?

A. Children with many strengths. B. Children with a certain disorder.

C. Children with no life satisfaction. D. Children with considerate parents.

2. What does the success of the strength-based parenting depend on?

A. The parents' involvement. B. The child's capacity level.

C. The child's decreasing downsides. D. The amount of the love the child gets.

3. How is the strength-based parenting different from traditional parenting?

A. It neglects children's downsides. B. It focuses on fixing weaknesses.

C. It starts by focusing on strengths. D. It engages children with activities.

4. What is the right sign of a child's strength?

A. He tends to share success with others.

B. He completes tasks with no difficulty.

C. He keeps doing something on a daily basis.

D. He keeps energetic when using a strength.

5. How can a father connect his daughter with her strengths?

A. Develop her love for a healthy hobby.

B. Read her the stories of inspiring people.

C. Encourage her to express herself wisely.

D. Involve her in doing something regularly.

语言学习

写作推荐

For the purposes of strength-based parenting, you need to watch for when your child shows rapid learning, a repeated pattern of success, and performance that's above age expectations. 为了达到以关注优势为基础的养育目的，你需要注意你的孩子何时表现出快速的学习，重复的成功模式，以及超出年龄预期的表现。

【信息提取】for the purpose of... 意为“为了……”。

【句式仿写】为了这项研究工作，三个小组已经合并了。