1. Get a Life! How to Create Balance for your Child with Learning Disabilities Family, School, Social and Community

2. Trends  2/3 of students identified with LD are male.  LD is the largest category of children receiving special education services  2.4 million American public school students identified with LD under IDEA  7/10 individuals link learning disabilities with intellectual disabilities 4.6 Million (or 1.7%) Americans have a learning disability

3. Trends 55% of people mistakenly believe that LD are often the product of a home environment 51% of people think that what people call LD are the result of laziness 54% of students with LD plan to attend a 2-year or 4-year college 28% of parents think that their child will attend postsecondary school. Parental expectations are found to be directly related to post- high school outcomes

4. Types of Learning Disabilities  Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)  Dyscalculia  Dysgraphia  Dyslexia  Language Processing Disorder (LPD)  Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities (NVLD)  Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit  ADHD  Dyspraxia  Executive Functioning  Memory

5. Leonardo da Vinci  Da Vinci was a perfectionist who may have had Asperger’s, as he had savant-like skills and an enormous single-minded dedication to art and science.

6. Napoleon Bonaparte  Napoleon’s hypersensitivity to touch and his military strategic genius are two of the many symptoms that have led some modern scholars to suggest that he was a high-functioning autistic.

7. Albert Einstein  Einstein’s parents once thought that he was mentally retarded due to his odd habits and difficulties in school. If he were born today, Einstein would probably be diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism.

8. Thomas Edison  Edison is believed to have had dyslexia and possibly ADHD. Edison was home- schooled. He developed a voracious appetite for reading and made major scientific breakthroughs with his unusual methodology.

9. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)  Also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder, this is a condition that adversely affects how sound that travels unimpeded through the ear is processed or interpreted by the brain.  Individuals with APD do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard.  They can also find it difficult to tell where sounds are coming from, to make sense of the order of sounds, or to block out competing background noises.

10. Dyscalculia  A specific learning disability that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts.  Individuals with this type of LD may also have poor comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling time, or have trouble with counting.

11. Cher  Cher is one of the most iconic performers, singers and actresses in the world. She has a form of dyslexia that makes it difficult to remember numbers or to perform basic mathematics.

12. Dysgraphia  A specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills.  Problems may include illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time.

13. Agatha Christie  Christie was the most famous mystery novelist of her time. Christie had dysgraphia, a learning disability that affected her ability to understand written words.

14. Dyslexia  A specific learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills.  The severity can differ in each individual but can affect reading fluency, decoding, reading comprehension, recall, writing, spelling, and sometimes speech and can exist along with other related disorders.  Dyslexia is sometimes referred to as a Language-Based Learning Disabilities.

15. Alexander Graham Bell  Bell invented the telephone, but struggled with traditional schooling. It’s believed that he had some form of learning disability, possibly dyslexia.

16. Richard Branson  A billionaire businessman, Branson credits his business intuition and unique perspectives to his early struggles with dyslexia, which affects the way he visualizes words.

17. Erin Brockovich  Brockovich is a former legal clerk whose success in building a case against illegal groundwater contamination led to a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts. Brockovich is dyslexic.

18. Tom Cruise  Cruise is among the most recognizable actors in the world. He has dyslexia and has spoken publicly about his disability.

19. Language Processing Disorder  A specific type of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in which there is difficulty attaching meaning to sound groups that form words, sentences and stories.  While an APD affects the interpretation of all sounds coming into the brain, a Language Processing Disorder (LPD) relates only to the processing of language. LPD can affect expressive language and/or receptive language.

20. Suzanne Somers  Somers had a learning disability which led to poor performance in school and an inability to understand written language. She’s most famous for her role on the sitcom, “Three’s Company”.

21. Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities  A disorder which is usually characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial and social skills.  Typically, an individual with NLD (or NVLD) has trouble interpreting nonverbal cues like facial expressions or body language, and may have poor coordination.

22. Visual Perceptual / Visual Motor Deficit  A disorder that affects the understanding of information that a person sees, or the ability to draw or copy.  A characteristic seen in people with learning disabilities such as Dysgraphia or Non-verbal LD, it can result in missing subtle differences in shapes or printed letters, losing place frequently, struggles with cutting, holding pencil too tightly, or poor eye/hand coordination.

23. ADHD  A disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity.  Although ADHD is not considered a learning disability, research indicates that from 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging.

24. Will Smith The fresh prince has done it all in his illustrious career — from rapping to acting! He never settled for one lane and this is a direct result of his ADHD. Will once described himself as the “fun one who had trouble paying attention.” He even admitted before that he has trouble reading movie scripts. So he just does what any great actor does — wing it!

25. Robin Williams  Williams is a comedian and actor. He has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which affected his education and his ability to memorize scripts.

26. And many, more!  Walt Disney, The Founder Of Disneyland  Michael Phelps, The Most Decorated Olympian Of All Time  Justin Timberlake, Singer/Actor/Producer/Businessman  Michael Jordan, The Greatest Of All Time  Jim Carrey, Actor/Comedian/Poducer  David Neeleman, Aviation Entrepreneur  John F. Kennedy, The 35th President Of The United States  Richard Branson, Business Mogul

27. Dyspraxia  A disorder that is characterized by difficulty in muscle control, which causes problems with movement and coordination, language and speech, and can affect learning. Although not a learning disability, dyspraxia often exists along with dyslexia, dyscalculia or ADHD.

28. Executive Functioning  An inefficiency in the cognitive management systems of the brain that affects a variety of neuropsychological processes such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space.  Although not a learning disability, different patterns of weakness in executive functioning are almost always seen in the learning profiles of individuals who have specific learning disabilities or ADHD.

29. Memory  Three types of memory are important to learning.  Working memory, short-term memory and long- term memory are used in the processing of both verbal and non-verbal information.  If there are deficits in any or all of these types of memory, the ability to store and retrieve information required to carry out tasks can be impaired.

30. Being the Parent of a Child with a Learning Disability Parent Discovering Accepting Understanding Stress Family

31. Learning Disabilities Affect Every Area of Life Processing: The way they view the world Daily Tasks Behavior Meals Siblings Relationships Family Life School After-school Activities

32. General Challenges for Kids with LD Communication Behavior Organization Memory Time and Space Academics Social Interaction Self-Esteem Behavior Independence

33. Being the Parent of a Child with a Learning Disability You NEED to be different because your child needs MORE

34. You need to be a COACH! CommunicateEducateExplainEncourageConsistencyAdvocacyEmpowerment

35. Home Goal: A happy, confident and resilient kid Challenges and Strategies Self-Esteem Behavior Communication Understanding Expectations Memory Organization Asking for help Independence Siblings

36. School Goal: A kid that can access the curriculum and ask for help and enjoys school in general. Challenges and Strategies Self-Esteem Behavior Communication Understanding Expectations Memory Organization Asking for Help Independence Peers

37. Social/Community Goal: A kid that enjoys friendships and activities and is able to navigate relationships with some coaching. Challenges and Strategies Self-Esteem Behavior Communication Understanding Expectations Memory Organization Asking for Help Independence Peers

38. Overall Strategies Get InvolvedEstablish the Coaching partnershipListen and Observe Force the conversation Set schedules and stick with them Create systems that work for your child Be consistent Make it easy to stay organized Mistakes are the way we learn Set high expectations Find out what they are interested in and good at and encourage it (50%) Empowerment Advocacy No “I can’t” only “I can’t YET” Keep the “Big Picture” in mind: Happiness, Health and Resilience

39. Resources  “Mindset” by Carol Dweck  “Roadmap from Learning Disabilities to Success” by Kathy Johnson  www.understood.org www.understood.org  www.ldaamerica.org www.ldaamerica.org  http://www.specialeducationguide.com/ http://www.specialeducationguide.com/  www.in-spite-of.org www.in-spite-of.org