One of the best and easiest ways to inform yourself about your child's learning disability is by reading a good book on the subject. There is a ton of literature available about learning problems, so it may be a bit of daunting task to choose something to start with. Luckily, there are many informed parents and specialists out there who have already waded through this flood of information, so you don't have to dive in on your own. The following is a list of written resources that have made it past the critical gaze of those in the know:
1. No Easy Answers: The Learning Disabled Child at Home and at School, Sally L. Smith, $23 (paperback), available at Amazon.com
This has been the book that parents of learning disabled children have turned to for more than fifteen years now. Smith is the parent of a learning disabled child, the founder and director of the Lab School, and an education professor at the American University, so she's extremely well-qualified to write about this subject. The book covers a wide range of information, including a look at how learning disabilities are diagnosed and tips on how to make sure your child is getting the education he or she deserves. The updated version includes sections on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ADD, and ADHD.
2. All Kinds of Minds: A Young Student's Book About Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders, Melvin D. Levine, $28.70 (paperback), available at Amazon.com
Even though this book is geared toward young readers, it's a valuable resource for both parents and children to learn from together. Levine is a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and a staunch child advocate. Here, he introduces different types of learning disabilities through stories told from the point of view of five elementary school students. Each student talks about their classroom experiences, their struggles and triumphs. This approach will help children with learning problems to see that they're not alone and that there are strategies that can they can implement to ease their scholastic difficulties.
3. Helping Children Overcome Learning Disabilities: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents and Teachers, Jerome Rosner, $18.95 (paperback), available at Amazon.com
The approach of this book is different from most others on the subject. For starters, the author suggests that parents and teachers avoid using the label "learning disabled" and instead focus on the specific problems that their children or students face. Rosner is a professor of pediatric optometry at the University of Houston and has written several books on working with children who have learning issues. Readers will appreciate his accessible explanations of each type of learning difficulty, as well as his positive and practical solution-based approach.
Learning disabled children aren't the only ones with books targeted toward them. A growing number of resources for teens have been made available in recent years as well. The teenage years are often tumultuous ones, with new social rules to abide by and one's post-high school future to worry about. The added pressure of having a learning problem certainly doesn't help to reduce the stress that teens face, but the good news is that there are some entertaining, informative, and inspiring books that have been written to aid them in realizing their full potential. Some of the very best include:
1. The Survival Guide For Teenagers With LD* (*Learning Differences), written by Rhoda Woods Cummings, Gary L. Fisher, Pamela Espeland, and L.K. Hanson, $12.95 (paperback), available on Amazon.com
This no-nonsense guide covers a great deal of information, from social skills to taking control of one's own education. The writing is accessible and concise, managing to cover a lot of ground without glossing over anything important. The text is laid out in a reader-friendly format, with a clean font and ample room between lines. Frequent illustrations support the authors' writing, and enhance textual meaning for visual learners. A great introductory guide for teens who have just been diagnosed with learning problems.
2. Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League College Students With Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution, written by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole, $14.00 (paperback), available on Amazon.com
Perhaps the most encouraging advice for teens on how to handle scholastic difficulties is the kind that comes from those who have experienced them personally. Mooney and Cole not only found ways to work around their learning disorders, but they went on to attend Ivy League colleges. This book communicates the all-important message that higher education is certainly not off-limits to those with learning issues. Teens will appreciate the humor and warmth of this book, along with the practical advice of those who have faced struggles similar to their own.
3. My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir, written by Samantha Abeel, $15.95 (hardcover), available on Amazon.com
Abeel's intimate account reveals the life of a creative and intelligent person who faced tremendous difficulties in the early part of her academic career. For the author, school was a fun place to learn new things and socialize with friends until the second grade, when she realized that she was falling behind her peers in many areas. Abeel spent another five years wondering what was hampering her scholastic progress, until finally, in the seventh grade, she was diagnosed with dyscalculia. While many books about learning disabilities treat the period immediately following diagnosis as one of crisis, the author saw it as a time of relief and recovery. A well-written and inspiring tale.
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