Learning Disabilities Pathfinder

Basic Definitions

The term "learning disability" means a disorder in one or more of the basic processes involved in understanding spoken or written language. Common learning disabilities include: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia and auditory, memory and processing disabilities.

Learning Disabilities basics from the American Libraries Associations's Roads to Learning
http://www.ala.org/roads/basics.html

Basic Resources

Books

• Hallowell, Edward
  When you worry about the child you love.
  General Reference, causes, symptoms, effcts and possible treatments for over 30 conditions

• Lyon, G. Reid and Rumsey, Judith M.
  Neuroimaging : a window to the neurological foundations of learning and behavior in children

• Nosek, Kathleen
  The dyslexic scholar : helping your child succeed in the school system

• Pennington, Bruce F.
  Diagnosing learning disorders : a newropsychological framework

• Silver, Larry B.
  The Misunderstood Child guide for parents of children with Learning Disabilities

• Smith, Sally L.
  No easy answers: The Learning disabled child at home and at school.
  Succeeding Against the Odds
  Creative, practical ideas for diverse popultions

Web Sources

• LD OnLine
  One of the best sites on the Web for learning disabilities information, reading research, teacher tips, links to other resources and much more.http://www.ldonline.org

• International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
  (formerly the Orton Dyslexia Society)http://www.Interdys.org

• Learning Disabilities Association of California
  http://www.ldaca.org

• Schwab Foundation for Learning
  Charles and Helen Schwab's Foundation http://www.schwablearning.org/

• All Kinds of Minds
  Mel Levine's Institute http://www.allkindsofminds.org/

• Children and Adults with AD(H)D
  http://www.chadd.org/
  Attention Deficit Disorder often coexists with Learning Disabilities

• Roads to Learning
  Learning Disabilities information from the American Library Association (ALA)
  http://www.ala.org/roads/resource.html

• Resource collection for Learning Disabilities
  at the San Francisco Public Library http://sfpl4.sfpl.org/access_services/RCLD.htm

• UC Davis Mind Institute
  http://mindinstitute.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/building.html

Magazine Sources

Recent Magazine articles focusing on dyslexia, learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder.

• Overcoming Dyslexia
  Fortune Magazine, May 13, 2002 v145, 10 p54

• Dyslexia: New Hope for Kids Who Can't Read
  Newsweek, Novemberk 22, 1999

Compelling Challenges and Unique Gifts

Dyslexia has surprising talents along with its well known disadvantages.

"I had no legal training, no evaluation skills of any type, but what I did have is that wierd combination of photographic memory and dyslexia, mixed with a healthy dose of perseverance, concentration and commitment."
Erin Brockovich

Albert Einstein had a way of explaining difficult concepts using images that were easy to understand. ...(he)"saw complex relationships in his head". "He could visualize the structure of a flower or the quanta of light emanating from the sun." (Valley Times, 4/2/01, C-2)

"I think in 3-D Technicolor pictures instead of words." Bill Dreyer, inventor and biologist at Caltech For some dyslexics a sentence seems like hieroglyphics. Indeed hieroglyphics might be easier to learn and understand.

Recent research has shown that there is cultural compenent to dyslexia. There are more English dyslexics than Italian, because English is a more irregular language. Science March 16, 2001 Vol.291 (p.2064) Science www.sciencemag.org

Oxford Dyslexia Unit
Neurophysiological Bases of Dyslexia

Evolution of Alphabets

Teaching Resources

"My plea is that teachers understand that we learn differently."
Bill Dreyer, inventor and biologist at Caltech

• Slingerland Institute
  What does Dyslexia Look Like in the Classroom?

• Multisensory Reading Programs
  Information from Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center
  

• Bridges to Reading
  from Schwab Learning, 1999
  

Famous Dyslexics

• Dyslexic Achievers-Who's who with dyslexia
  List from Fortune Magazine
  

• Lab School, Washington D.C. Gala Awards

One last thought on Talents:

Excerpts from...

Succeeding Against the Odds

"...well, none of us asked for a dyslexic child. The Einsteins, the Pattons, the Edisons did not ask for one either, nor did they realize that God was giving them a genius, a hero, a great inventor."

last update:
7/22/02
kmelv

©2002 The Exploratorium