Diagnosing a Learning Disability
What do you do if your child is struggling in school? How can you help? Start by reading What Do You Do if You Suspect Your Child Has a Learning Disability? Dr. Larry Silver, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who answers questions for LD OnLine on diagnosis and management of learning disabilities and ADHD, and Dr. Ruth Spodak, who has tested hundreds of children with learning disabilities, walk you through the process in this new article written exclusively for LD OnLine. Here are some key points:
- Don't fall into the trap of blaming the victim and saying, "He could do it if he tried." Check to see if there is a reason for lack of success.
- Obtain testing for your child. In most cases, the school system should pay; if it does not cover the cost, consider paying for testing yourself. The testing will help you and your child's educators figure out how to help.
- Two types of evaluations (psychoeducational and neuropsychological) help clarify if a child has a learning disability. A psychoeducational evaluation assesses educational issues. The neuropsychological evaluation also assesses educational issues and includes a broader range of brain tasks.
- If your child has a learning disability or other difficulty, meet with school personnel and develop a plan to help her.
Visit LD OnLine next month for new information on Response to Intervention (RTI).
Coming Soon! LD OnLine's New Sister Site, AdLit.org
If you teach or parent struggling readers in grades 4-12, you'll want to visit the newest website from the people who produce LD OnLine. AdLit.org will be the premier source of adolescent literacy material for parents, practitioners, and anyone else with a commitment to helping adolescents become better readers. Visit AdLit.org to sign up for a free e-newsletter.
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For information on the unique issues faced by adolescents with learning disabilities, check out Adolescents with Learning Disabilities: Unique Challenges and Reasons for Hope by Don Deshler.
New Article and Webcast: English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities
For teaching tips that you can use today in your classroom to reach English language learners with learning disabilities, take a look at this exclusive new article: Communication Strategies for All Classrooms: Focusing on English Language Learners and Students With Learning Disabilities.
Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan, with the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston, discusses the unique challenges of evaluating and teaching English language learners with learning disabilities in the latest webcast from Colorín Colorado.
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Want to Be an Intern in Washington, D.C.?
Are you a college student with a disability? Do you want to work for Congress or a federal agency? Compete for a summer internship that includes free housing and a stipend of $1,500. If you know an interested person, tell them about the Mitsubishi-AAPD Congressional Internship Program and the Microsoft Federal Information Technology Internship Program. Deadline is December 14, 2007.
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Positive Side of LD — Tell Us Your Story
During the Thanksgiving season, the LD OnLine community reflects on The Positive Side of Learning Disabilities. Please tell us your story; we might use it on LD OnLine! Please submit your story by using our contact us form and selecting the subject line "Positive Side of LD."
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A Must-Have Resource from LearningStore:Developing Minds: Understanding and Increasing Social Cognition 
Based on the work of Dr. Mel Levine and the All Kinds of Minds Institute, these videos explore children's abilities to relate to others, including how they communicate and act in socially acceptable ways, interpret others' feelings, and develop positive relationships with key people in their lives. |
Featured Articles
For All of Our Readers
- Constant State of Motion
Professor Polly Haselden, Ph.D., "tells all" about coping with a learning disability in a professional position with lots of confusing and competing priorities.
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For Administrators
- Beyond "Getting the Answer": Calculators Help Learning Disabled Students Get the Concept
To use or not to use a calculator? Determining what is best for students is a challenge for administrators. This "Tech Works" brief by the Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) gives research-based guidance, including a decision-making flow chart.
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For Parents
- Explaining Learning Disabilities to Your Child
Many children find it comforting to know that they have an identifiable and treatable condition. In this excerpt from his new book, The Motivation Breakthrough, Rick Lavoie tells you how to speak to kids about learning disabilities with sensitivity and compassion.
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For Teachers
- Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia
Dyslexia can be frustrating. Did you know, for example, that a child with dyslexia might appear to be lying about a situation when they've actually just mixed up the order of events? Learn more about your students, their challenges, and how you can help them.
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In the news
- Major News About Bookshare.org
- Special Education: When Should Taxes Pay Private Tuition?
- Scholarship Winners Hit College, Brick Wall
View more headlines in LD News >>
New in Our Yellow Pages
Professionals
- Sarah Bronson, Ph.D.
- Testing & Treatment Specialists
- The Ford Center for Reading
- Ali Ghassemi, Psy.D.
- Julie A. Morrison, Psy.D.
Schools
Advertise in the LD OnLine Yellow Pages
Reach more than 200,000 parents and professionals each month. Since 1996, LD OnLine has been the number one source of trusted information for parents and professionals.
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All the best from LD OnLine!
- Noel Gunther, Executive Director
- Dale S. Brown, Senior Manager
- Kelly Deckert, Web Producer
- Sun Kim, Web Coordinator
- Christian Lindstrom, Senior Producer
- Alan Lundy–Ponce, Director
- Joanne Meier, Ph.D., Research Consultant
Newsletter Editor: Dale S. Brown
