CHAPTER OVERVIEWS

Chapter 1 - Learning Disabilities: The Hidden Disability

Overview:
Many more people are aware of learning disabilities in our society today than there were in the 1960s, when the term originated. There have always been children and young adults with symptoms of what we now call learning disabilites, but they have not always received the correct diagnosis and help. This chapter describes what learning disabilities are and what they are not. In addition, ADD and ADHD and their relationship to LD are discussed.

Chapter 2 - Coping as a Parent

Overview:
Exasperated...puzzled...uncertain...frantic...exhausted...helpless...sad...mad...hopeful. These are the feelings of the mother or father or sibling of a child with a learning disability. He can be bewildering. He sometimes drains parents and teachers. When they are with such a child, adults who are otherwise competent may feel helpless and inadequate. Parents may feel very alone as they sense that friends and other family members do not understand what they are experiencing with their child. Parenting a child with a learning disability adds stress to any family, but it can be dealt with positively. This chapter discusses causes of LD, normal human reactions to it, and ways parents can help.

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Chapter 3 - Helping Your Child at Home

Overview:
If your child has a learning disability or, if after reading Chapter One you suspect that your child may have a learning disability, you are no doubt wondering what will make life better for him or her. It is important to recognize the significance of activities outside of the school day and out of the school environment. Furthermore, it is in the home and family that you, the parent, can have a direct, immediate impact. This chapter deals with the issues of self-esteem, extracurricular activities, family involvement, discipline, and interpersonal relationships.

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Chapter 4 - The Student with Learning Disabilities at School

Overview:
This Chapter is the most extensive in the book; it covers four kinds of vital information needed by parents of school-age children who are suspected of having learning disabilities, or who have been identified as having LD.

Part A takes a parent step-by-step through the identification and placement process and the preparation of a plan to help the child in a public school, emphasizing the school's responsibilities.

Part B cites the differences in the process for a private school student.

Part C delineates the parent's role and responsibilities in dealing with a school system, and suggests ways to become an effective advocate for a child.

Part D provides a quick overview of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, another avenue for protecting the rights of students and adults with disabilities.

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Chapter 5 - The Young Adult

Overview:
The goal of most parents is to help their child become an independent, self-determining adult. While it would be comforting to believe that learning disabilities can be cured, or that they will disappear once a student leaves high school, thereby making this goal easily met, we know that is not based in reality. MOst professionals recognize that a learning disability remains across the lifespan. The good news, however, is that there are federal, state, and community resources available to ease the transition from high school. For success, parents and students with disabilities should be involved in planning for this transition early, certainly by the middle grades.

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Chapter 6 - Adults with Learning Disabilites

Overview:
The term "Learning Disabilities" (LD) covers disorders in reading, writing, and/or mathematics, as one would expect. But there can also be problems in listening, thinking, speaking, and social interaction. A quick glance at this list makes clear why adults with LD sometimes have problems in fulfilling their roles as workers, cititizens , and even as family members. Such problems understandably can affect their self-esteem.

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Chapter 7 - Assistive Technology

Overview:
Advances in technology are coming at a swift pace these days, and that can be beneficial for students and adults with learning disabilities. Technologies such as speech readers and word processing programs have helped individuals with learning disabilities cross barriers to further learning or employment that otherwise would have been insurmountable. Assistive technology, however, is often overlooked or not well understood by parents, teachers, and employers.

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Chapter 8 - Gifted, with Learning Disabilities

Overview:
Learning disabilities combined in the same person with giftedness can produce a puzzling human being. For example, this individual may be exceptionally creative, with high-level interests to which he is totally committed but, at the same time, nmay be failing in English composition. When ADD (and especially ADD with hyperactivity) is added to this mix, the affected students can present challenges not only to their teachers but to their parents as well. It is important to keep in mind that these gifted individuals are valuable resources to society if they receive the kind of teaching as well as the support and guidance they need.

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