Learning Disabilities - TeachersFirst

Learning Disabilities: Strategies & Resources

Autism Resources - This is an unusually complete directory of autism resources for teachers, parents, and other s who interact with autistic children. The content includes numerous teaching and behavioral strategies, links to additional resources, support information, and networking opportunities. Great resource for everything from basic definitions to options for teaching strategies.

The Autism Society of America offers basic information and resources on autism for parents and professionals. The site combines educational, general interest, and advocacy information about this complex disorder which affects both adults and children.

Bibliotherapy Information - This site from LDOnline provides a helpful annotated bibliography of fiction books concerned in some way with learning disability. The list features titles suitable for young people in elementary through high school. The site also offers a section entitled "Suggestions for Using Bibliotherapy" that presents hints and strategies for using fiction as a therapeutic tool.

ChallengeNet Library - This site offers an alphabetical index to the entire spectrum of physical and learning disabilities, including organizations and agencies which provide service to disabled populations. While the listings are not restricted to children and young people, there is in-depth treatment of most of the disabilities which teachers are likely to encounter in school settings. This site makes a great starting point for further research.

Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation - While bipolar disorders (also known as manic-depression) are typically managed by health care professionals, students with these disorders may require a variety of special attention and modifications. This site - written primarily for parents - explains bipolar disorders and offers strategies to help young people afflicted with these disorders.

Building Environmental Awareness Through Children’s Literature by Bonnie Osborne, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Special Ed Science/General, Grades 8-12 - Expand older Special Education students’ limited knowledge of environmental concepts using literature, and culminate the unit with their own student-made books about the environment.

Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities and Literacy Resource Site - This site has good basic information on dyslexia and literacy issues. It has information for teachers and parents regarding current research recommendations and teacher training, and also offers some articles and pamphlet excerpts by the founder of The Greenwood School, a boarding prep school for boys with dyslexia.

Dyslexia Online - This is a combination information and advocacy site for dyslexia and dyslexics. There is ample information, presented in a supportive, thorough context.

International Dyslexia Association - While the term has fallen from favor in some areas, this site still has a very useful collection of resources for teachers, parents, and adults on learning disabilities. Worth a look if you're trying to help a student with learning disabilities.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Exceptional Children - Extensive, reviewed information on hundreds of topics.

Landmark College - Located in Vermont, this college is the only fully accredited college in the U.S. designed for students with dyslexia, attention-deficit disorder, or specific learning disabilities. The teacher-to-student ratio is one to three, with an average of seven students per class.

LD OnLine...The Interactive Guide to Learning Disabilities - An information-loaded site for parents, teachers, and children dealing with learning disabilities. It has a special section just for teachers with constantly updated material, as well as an online ordering service where you can read about and order books and videos. The "LD in Depth" section is especially helpful: you can find the latest news and articles by the experts on an array of topics, including Early Identification, Reading, Social Skills, Transition, Gifted/LD, and more. Click on "for Teachers" in this section to find teaching strategies, or visit the bulletin boards to exchange ideas with other teachers. Kidzone affords children with Learning Disabilities a place to "publish" their work. This is a "must see" site!

Misunderstood Minds - This site, a companion to the PBS program of the same name, uses five case studies to help parents, teachers, and students understand the challenges associated with learning and developmental disabilities in children and adults. It includes several simulations that can give users a sense of how someone with a particular disability perceives the world. Any teacher who works with special education students could benefit from this one

National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc. - This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public awareness and understanding of children and adults with disabilities. It has a good basic section on learning disabilities, with a definition of LD, a list of behavioral warning signs, evaluations for LD, legal rights for children with LD, and more.

The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities - NICHCY is an information and referral center that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for parents and teachers. If you’re not sure what you need and want to talk to a real person, they have a hotline you can call to talk to an "information specialist." They have a wide variety of publications on disabilities, most of which you can print right off the Internet. There is also an organization database where you can search for a specific organization dealing with any type of disability. All their materials are also available in Spanish.

Pulse of the Planet - Grades 3-12 - National Geographic publishes this ongoing collection of short documentary pieces, each of which has both text and audio narration in high quality stereo sound, with lots of natural effects. For students who have trouble either reading or attending, these short sound clips provide a well-constructed exposure to topics ranging from science to cultures and celebrations. New segments each week, along with a monthly feature presentation.

"Reading Lists" for Teachers and Parents - The Council for Exceptional Children presents these pages, which offer teachers and parents lists of pointers on how they can encourage reading with children, especially those who have a learning disability. The site includes tips on strategies which can make reading easier and more rewarding for these students.

Special Education Lesson Units - These are two thematic collections of lesson units designed with special education needs in mind. There are more than a dozen different units, many of them structured around interdisciplinary topics. Each is stored as an Adobe Acrobat file which can be downloaded and printed. (You'll need the Acrobat reader, which is available from the TeachersFirst Toolbox.) Good resource for special ed. teachers or for classroom teachers whose classes include students with special needs. The page order in some lessons is incorrect, but nothing appears to be missing. From the University of Kansas.

Special Education Intermediate Lesson Units - Grades 6 and up

Special Education Primary Lesson Units - Grades K-5

Other Professional Resources