The Connection Between Learning Challenges and Long-Term Emotional Resilience

For many years, people with learning challenges were often left underserved and mistreated. Over the past few decades, people have learned to positively nurture people dealing with learning challenges. Even still, working through learning difficulties can be quite challenging and stressful.

That said, going through life with these challenges can build character in ways that other people don’t experience. This affects people emotionally as much as it does academically or personally. Follow along as we explore the connection between learning challenges and long-term emotional resilience.

Working Through Learning Challenges Builds Character

Learning challenges can make life at school, home, and work feel quite difficult. However, working through these difficulties can foster long-term resilience in many ways, such as:

1. Build Strong Emotional Intelligence

Dealing with learning challenges can leave some people feeling vulnerable and self-conscious. Over time, many people who struggle with learning challenges develop a strong emotional intelligence. Seeing how other people also struggle and how it affects them can help you learn a lot about them. 

Even going through learning challenges alone can build empathy and emotional intelligence. It’s easy to feel singled out when going through such challenges, but it can put other people’s experiences into perspective. This can provide a unique mindfulness that makes you aware that many people have unique struggles as well.

2. Develop Unique Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving skills are essential at school, work, and home, and they don’t always come naturally. Everyone needs problem-solving skills, but not everyone gets them in the same ways. Anyone who has struggled with learning challenges understands that problem-solving skills are unique and personal.

Dealing with challenges means you must figure out how to address and overcome problems differently from others. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, both of which are equally important, whether you have learning challenges or not. People with learning challenges must develop problem-solving skills that are unique to themselves.

Not only does this build character, but it can also make you resilient to many of the things that life throws your way. In the moment, dealing with these challenges can be overwhelming, but the resilience that they bring is worthwhile.

3. Instill Confidence

Naturally, learning challenges and disabilities make going through school and work quite difficult. The added challenge can make each milestone feel like a big victory. It may take a while to realize this, however, as some people struggling in school feel self-conscious.

That said, anyone with learning challenges should celebrate each victory and milestone. Powering through learning challenges and meeting goals means that you worked hard enough to overcome adversity. Overcoming adversity can make anyone feel confident, and it’s worth celebrating.

This translates into most aspects of life, as overcoming these challenges in school can set you up for professional success. Of course, it can also translate into your personal life, where overcoming adversity is often necessary. Confidence translates to resilience, which can take you far.

What Builds Resilience for Those with Learning Challenges?

Students with learning challenges become resilient when working with patient, empathetic teachers and peers. Without kindness and empathy, a struggling student may feel like their challenges are deep flaws, but that’s not the case. A few key things can help foster resilience in students struggling with learning challenges, including:

Positive Reinforcement

Dealing with learning challenges is difficult enough without negative influences. However, you add a negative environment to the equation, and getting anything done feels nearly impossible. That’s why creating a positive environment is so essential to helping someone overcome learning challenges.

Patient teachers and understanding peers can make dealing with learning challenges much easier. A struggling student should never feel like they’re going to be punished for their challenges.

It’s easy to dwell on the negatives when struggling with learning challenges. That’s especially true if nobody around you lets you know that you've done well. Whether you’re a mental health counselor or a teacher, you must foster positivity in those struggling with learning challenges.  

Acknowledging Strengths

People with learning challenges sometimes focus more on their weaknesses than their strengths. Sometimes, it takes another person to show someone with learning challenges that they are skilled and talented. Whether it be a friend, family member, or teacher, someone must show them that they’re more than their challenges.

This positive encouragement can help anyone feel validated and embrace their strengths. It’s hard to feel resilient if you only focus on the challenges you’re dealing with. A strong, positive support system can show someone that their challenges don’t define them, but their strengths do.

Develop Unique Teaching Strategies

Students with learning challenges rely on special teaching strategies to give them the best shot at success. Such strategies are tailored toward students who typically struggle to keep up with the standard curriculum. This includes breaking lessons up into smaller pieces and stopping as needed to ensure the students are following.

Today, teachers sometimes introduce technology and special tools, like multisensory devices, into the equation. Students with learning challenges typically benefit from outside-the-box teaching methods. The best teachers know how to nurture their students’ unique traits while also keeping them on track.

Naturally, this takes some trial and error, as addressing unique learning challenges can be tricky at first. As long as the teacher and students are patient, nobody has to be left behind, feeling overwhelmed and confused.

Learning Challenges and Resilience Go Hand in Hand

Anyone who has ever struggled with learning challenges knows that it comes with many unique difficulties. However, the perseverance and problem-solving skills that come with learning challenges can build strong character traits. Powering through learning difficulties can instill empathy and confidence that stick with you for life.

It’s up to teachers to foster kind, understanding environments where students can work through their challenges. By acknowledging their students’ strengths, teachers can help them feel special despite their difficulties. Developing problem-solving skills, empathy, and emotional intelligence can build lifelong resilience.