We are all hopeful that our children will grow into independent, self-supporting adults with satisfying careers. Can this still be our hope if our child is learning disabled? Will it be possible for our learning disabled child to actually get hired? If they are hired, can they keep a job once their employer realizes they are disabled? Should our children tell potential employers that they are disabled?

Many children with LD have difficulty with time management and with social nuances. Help your child prepare for a job interview by practicing questions and answers ahead of time. Anne Ford in her new book, “On Their Own” gives the following advice on preparing for an interview.

1. Tell your child how important it is to be on time for the interview.
2. Suggest appropriate clean clothing that is neat in appearance.
3. Bring a pen.
4. No gum, hard candy, or smoking during an interview.
5. Smile during an interview.

Don’t criticize your child’s choice of employment or run it down. What may seem boring and monotonous to you might be just what your LD child needs for success. Many people with LD excel at task with repetition. My husband has suggested that our daughter with Fetal Alcohol syndrome might perform well on an assembly line where she must always insert the same screws.

Once your child has a job, don’t interfere. Don’t call your child at work to see how it is going. Don’t question the employer about your child’s work ethic and don’t get involved in personal conflicts with coworkers.

Anne Ford also explores the career possibilities for your learning disabled child. She also has strong opinions on when a person with LD should disclose their disability to an employer. An employer cannot, by law, ask if a person is disabled, nor can an employer share knowledge of a disability with coworkers.

If your child has chosen to disclose a disability to an employer for the purpose of requesting accommodations, then Anne Ford offers the following guideline.

1. Disclose the disability and request accommodations verbally to the supervisor or human resources department.

2. Have medical documentation available. Employers can demand proof of a disability before providing accommodations.

3. Clearly describe the disability and accommodations needed. Because employers can legally turn down accommodation request if they can prove they cause an “undue hardship,” employees should propose the least costly and time-consuming accommodations.

4. Follow up with written request, recapping the description of the disability, accommodations, and how they will help meet the employer’s goals.

Help your child to know when and how to ask for accommodations in the workplace. If you’re not sure, which accommodations will help make your disabled child more successful at work, check out the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Accommodation Network, also known as JAN.

Check out my Guest post over at the Adopting a Sibling Blog. That's My Brother, We Came From the Same Mom

Related Blogs
Lifetime Adoption – When Your Learning Disabled Child Grows Up
Disabilities or Differences – Pick a Title for the Challenged Child
Smothering Your Friends - A Characteristic of Learning Disability
Photo Credit
Photo of the book is a scan of Anne Ford’s newest book, “On Their Own,” “Creating an Independent Future for Your Adult Child with Learning Disabilities and ADHD,” A Family Guide.
Publication Date: May 7, 2007 Newmarket Press