Resources for General Information about Learning Disabilities
These resources have been chosen because they provide reliable information and are relevant for teachers and parents of students with learning disabilities.
(NOTE: Many of these documents are presented in PDF and require that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.)
Reading
Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks
for Teaching Children to Read
This booklet summarizes for teachers what researchers have discovered
about how to teach children to read successfully. It describes the findings
of the National Reading Panel Report and provides analysis and discussion
in five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness; phonics; fluency;
vocabulary; and text comprehension. Each section suggests implications
for classroom instruction as well as other information. Produced by The
Partnership for Reading: National Institute for Literacy; National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development; and U.S. Department of Education.
[Available in print and online at http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/PFRbooklet.pdf
(Adobe Acrobat PDF file) or http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1.html
(HTML Version)]
The Unique Power of Reading--and How To Unleash
It
The Spring/Summer 1998 issue of the journal of the American Federation
of Teachers, American Educator, dedicated entirely to reading and focusing
on bridging the gap between research and practice. Articles include "What
Reading Does for the Mind," by Anne E. Cunningham and Keith E. Stanovich;
"The Elusive Phoneme," by Marilyn Jager Adams, Barbara R. Foorman,
Ingvar Lundberg, and Terri Beeler; "Catch Them before They Fall,"
by Joseph K. Torgesen; "Teaching Decoding," by Louisa C. Moats;
"Getting at the Meaning," by Isabel Beck, Margaret G. McKeown,
Rebecca L. Hamilton, and Linda Kucan; and "Another Chance,"
by Jane Fell Greene.
Each article available for download in PDF. [http://www.aft.org/publications/american_educator/spring_sum98/index.html]
What Works: Five Promising Remedial Reading Intervention
Programs
This booklet provides background information about research-based programs
that, when properly implemented, have a track record of raising student
achievement significantly--particularly for at-risk students. Produced
by the American Federation of Teachers. (PDF 25 pages 113 K).
[http://www.aft.org/Edissues/downloads/remedial.pdf]
Writing
Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Writing:
Story and Opinion Essay Writing for Students with Disabilities or Severe
Difficulties in the Early Elementary Grade
This site provides detailed lesson plans for teaching the self-regulated
use of writing strategies for story writing (the W-W-W strategy) and early
opinion essays (the TREE strategy) as well as support materials developed
for 2nd and 3rd graders. The materials were developed by the Maryland
Literacy Research Center at the University of Maryland. [http://www.education.umd.edu/literacy/srsd/srsd.htm]
Technology
Handbook for K-12 Teachers: The Internet: An Inclusive
Magnet for Teaching All Students
This guide promotes access to the Internet for students with disabilities
and those with limited English proficiency. It includes practical tips,
general access guidelines, resource listings, and success stories and
was produced by the World Institute on Disability. ( PDF 23 pages 468
K).
[http://www.wid.org/archives/handbook.pdf]
Legal
Issues
A Guide to the Individualized Education Program
This guide explains the IEP process, considered to be one of the most
critical elements to ensure effective teaching, learning, and better results
for all children with disabilities. The guide is designed to help teachers,
parents and anyone involved in the education of a child with a disability-develop
and carry out an IEP. The information in this guide is based on what is
required by the nation’s special education law--the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. It was produced by the Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, 2000.
(PDF 40 pages 549 K).
[http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/Products/IEP_Guide/]
Regular Education Teachers as IEP Team Members--Topic
Brief
This document provides clarification of the requirement that a regular
education teacher be included on the IEP Team for a child with a disability
child (if the child is, or may be, participating in the regular education
environment. It was produced by the Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, 1999. [http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/brief3.html]
Testing
NCEO On-line Accommodations Bibliography
This database allows one to search a compilation of empirical research
studies on the effects of various testing accommodations for students
with disabilities. Search for specific accommodation research studies
by typing in keywords. Brief summaries provide information on accommodations,
participants, dependent variables, and major findings of the study. It
is maintained by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO).
[http://education.umn.edu/NCEO/AccomStudies.htm]
For
Parents
Taking the First Step: A Guide for Parents of Students
with Learning Disabilities
This 12-page (PDF) booklet offers basic information about learning disabilities
and resources to help parents see that their child achieves his or her
full potential. It was produced by the Coordinated Campaign for Learning
Disabilities.
[http://aboutld.org/LD_English.pdf]
It is also available in Spanish.
[http://aboutld.org/LD_Spanish.pdf]
Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to
Read
This brochure, designed for parents of young children, describes the kinds
of early literacy activities that should take place at school and at home
to help children learn to read successfully. It is based on the findings
of the National Reading Panel and was produced by the Partnership for
Reading: National Institute for Literacy; National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development; and U.S. Department of Education. [http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first2.html]
Also available in print and in PDF.
[http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/PFRbrochure.pdf]