Dr. De Mars tell this story about teaching students with learning disabilities,
"Years ago, I had an eighth-grade student who was at the fourth grade level in math and the twelfth grade level in English. Facing reality, that he was not going to be doing college level Algebra by the end of high school, I worked with him an hour a day on math. That’s right, I gave up on getting him to accomplish eight years of math in the next four years. We worked on balancing your checkbook, figuring out how much rent you can afford. During English period we worked on writing and after school he edited the school newspaper."
While the advice to "Focus on what you do best" might seem obvious, we have found that it is very often not the path taken by students, their parents or teachers. Many teachers (and parents) might consider her decision to 'give up' on bringing the student up to grade level and instead focus on his strengths as a failure, of low or poor expectations.
Research on adults with learning disabilities who are successful find that almost without exception they have found something they love to do and focused on that. If you are an excellent speaker, consider a career in sales. If it is very difficult for you to read maps to find all of the locations on your sales route, get a GPS (Global Positioning System). The one we tested has both visual and voice directions. You enter the location and it gives step by step directions. It costs $400, which may seem expensive, but that is probably one week's pay, at most, compared to sitting on the couch not having a job, it is a good investment. Also, don't forget that such devices may be covered by vocational rehabilitation if necessary to get and keep a job. The important point is this, focus on what you do well, find a job that uses that skill and work around everything else.
Next, how families can help