Beyond the Classroom

Young children with learning disabilities need many opportunities to practice the skills they are taught. Both parents and caregivers should plan activities to provide the positive practice needed for development. Here are some ideas for playing games using newly learned letters and words; finding numbers, letters and words in everyday items; other games that provide practice with numbers, letters, words and concepts; and using computer games and software to practice skills already learned. As you become familiar with these ideas to help your child become more aware of the ways that letters, words and numbers can be used, you will… Read More »

Many simple everyday occurrences provide excellent opportunities to enhance your child’s development. Never underestimate the value of even 15 minutes of quality time spent with your child. Remember, you are your child’s first teacher! Talk about everything around you and respond with sentences using any words the child contributes. Play games with the alphabet to introduce new letters. Tell stories about your childhood, your child’s favorite book or video character. When reading a story, describe what’s going on in the pictures and ask your child what he thinks. Let your child see that reading is fun and it’s important to… Read More »

Many parents of young children with learning disabilities ask what they can do at home to help their youngsters. Generally, the first step is to try to understand the child’s difficulties and to consider how these weaknesses might impact on self-help skills, communication, discipline, play and independence; however, above all, we encourage them to focus on the child’s strengths in order to build self-esteem and to help them become an integral part of the family. Like all parents, they need to consider the delicate balance between providing too much or too little assistance for the child‒a balance between under and… Read More »