Here are ten initial ways that parents can help their children with learning disabilities (LD).
Learn more about learning disabilities
Information on learning disabilities can help you understand that your child does not learn in the same way as other people do. Find out as much as you can about the problems your child has with learning, what types of learning tasks will be hard for your child, what sources of help are available, and what you can do to make life and learning easier for your child. You can find much of the information you need by reading this web site and following links to outside resources.
Become an unobtrusive detective
Look for clues that can tell you how your child learns best. Does he or she learn best through looking, listening, or touching? What is your child's weakest approach to learning? Also pay attention to your child's interests, talents, and skills. All this information can be of great help in motivating and fostering your child's learning.
Teach through your child's areas of strength
For example, he or she may have great difficulty reading information but readily understand when listening. Take advantage of that strength. Rather than force reading, which will present your child with a "failure" situation, let your child learn new information by listening to a book on tape or watching a video.
Respect and challenge your child's natural intelligence
He or she may have trouble reading or writing, but that doesn't mean learning can't take place in many other ways. Most children with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence that can be engaged and challenged through using a multi-sensory approach. Taste, touch, seeing, hearing, and moving are valuable ways of gathering information.
Remember that mistakes don't equal failure
Your child may have the tendency to see his or her mistakes as huge failures. You can model, through good-humored acceptance of your own mistakes, that mistakes can be useful. They can lead to new solutions. They are not the end of the world. When your child sees you taking this approach to mistakes "your own and the mistakes of others" he or she can learn to view his or her mistakes in the same light.
Two top LD experts, Stevan Kukic, Ph.D., and Judy Elliott, Ph.D., offer advice on how parents can stand up for the rights of their child with LD.More >
NCLD Public Policy Director Laura Kaloi explains our Parent Guide to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The guide is an essential tool for parents of children with LD. More >
FAPE is the acronym for a Free and Appropriate Public Education. It is one of the most misunderstood concepts of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). And it often causes the greatest conflict between parents and schools. A required component of IDEA, FAPE mandat... More >
Your child has the right to a free and appropriate public school education. Getting involved in his or her education is among the most important things you can do as your child's advocate. As you'll see below, you have a right to be a part of every decision regarding your child's edu... More >
Your child has the right to a free and appropriate public school education. Getting involved in his or her education is among the most important things you can do as your child's advocate. As you'll see below, you have a right to be a part of every decision regarding your child's edu... More >
Learning the essential skills to become your child's advocate and ensure your child receives an appropriate education does not require lots of money or even years of schooling. All it requires is learning five basic skills and consistently implementing them within the school community... More >
Parents are often the best educational advocates for their children, especially children with a learning disability. True advocacy is a largely positive process, which should build on your child's strengths and challenges. As your child's best advocate, you are in a unique position t... More >
Being an advocate means knowing how to ensure that your child gets the help he or she needs to be successful. For children who experience learning difficulties, it's never too early to start looking for ways to help them succeed in learning. Even before formal schooling starts, ther... More >
If a bear cub wanders into your campsite, you know to be extra cautious — because you know somewhere in the underbrush there's a mama bear ready to protect her young. As a parent, your instinct is to protect your child. When it comes to making sure your child is being afforded ev... More >
Are you (or your spouse) a member of the U.S. military who is also raising a child with a disability? If so, rest assured you’re not alone. According to Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA, and Chair of the Military Personnel Subcommittee), there are 100,000 military families with child... More >
An Online Chat with Candace Cortiella
On August 18, 2004, SchwabLearning.org hosted an online chat with Candace Cortiella, a national expert in special education law and an advocate for children with learning disabilities, as well a member of the professional advisory board for the... More >
Growing up in a military family has its advantages and adventures, but for kids with learning disabilities (LD) and others who need special education services , the road can be rocky. Whether your child is being evaluated for special education services or is already enrolled, you’l... More >
The following is a transcription of the podcast, “High School Diploma Options and Students with LD (audio).”
In this podcast from the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Candace Cortiella interviews two experts about high school diploma options and their implicat... More >
In this podcast from the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Candace Cortiella interviews two experts about high school diploma options and their impact on students with learning disabilities (LD). Her guests are Laura Kaloi, public policy director for the NCLD, and Dr. Marth... More >
What have I learned after weaving my way through the special education maze?Knowledge is power — you must be as informed as possible about your child's disability AND your child's strengths. You must know the law and how to use it. You must have good communication skills. You must b... More >
The following is a transcription of the podcast, “Making the Most of the Parent Information and Training Network (Audio).”
Candace Cortiella: On behalf the National Center for Learning Disabilities, I’d like to welcome Connie Hawkins and Jan Serak of the Network of Pa... More >
The following is a transcription of the podcast, “Support for Military Families Whose Children have Special Needs (audio).”
In this NCLD podcast, Candace Cortiella speaks with Heather Hebdon, Executive Director of the Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP), part... More >
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides options for resolving disputes between schools and parents. Two of these options are state complaints and due process complaints. Either of these options could be used to address matters involving a school district’s d... More >
Once you learn that your child has a learning disability (LD), you’re undoubtedly wondering how to get your child the services he needs to be successful in school. But services are not automatically given to students when they are identified as having LD. A diagnosis of LD does not ... More >
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