The Source for Learning Disabilities

Brain chemistry, not bad parenting, is responsible for the 12 percent of children younger than 18 who have diagnosable brain disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), separation anxiety disorder (SAD), or enuresis (bed-wetting). Through case studies, scientific data, and information about children’s development and brain chemistry, Koplewicz helps parents understand the obstacles their brain-disordered children face. A practicing psychiatrist, he also suggests means, including therapy and medication, by which families may lessen the difficulties posed by those disorders. He devotes the final section of the book to considerations of the nature and treatment of problems including, besides those noted above, depression, conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, and autism. Presented with compassion but in no-nonsense style, his effort offers a wealth of scientific information in a format easily accessible to parents, extended families, and friends of “difficult” children.
—Kathryn Carpenter from Booklist

The updated second edition of Unlocking Literacy is here — and now pre- and inservice educators will have the very latest research and practical guidance on teaching good reading and spelling skills. Developed for general and special educators of students from prekindergarten to middle school and beyond, the new edition of this bestselling textbook arms teachers with the most recent developments in reading research and shows them how to apply their knowledge in the classroom to help all students learn.

Focusing on two interlocking skills — decoding and spelling—this textbook gets teachers ready to:

• promote students’ print awareness and phonological awareness through letter naming, letter forming, and listening and speaking activities such as poetry and play
• improve students’ spelling skills by teaching the origins of English words, Anglo-Saxon base words, Latin affixes and roots, Greek combining forms, and multisyllabic words
• help students understand and correctly use the components of the English language, including common consonant and vowel patterns, syllable patterns, common spelling rules, prefixes and suffixes, roots, nonphonetic words, and contractions
• deepen older students’ proficiency with language by introducing less common Latin roots and Greek combining forms, new words entering the English language, and lessons built around themes such as calendars and mythology

To help educators teach with confidence once they’re in the classroom, this text is packed with practical, immediately applicable material. Educators will get engaging classroom activities (including 21 NEW activities suitable for use all students, including English language learners); lesson plans incorporating multisensory, language-based instruction; samples of student work; explanations of current research; and even more websites and reference material to strengthen their instruction.

An essential text for college and university courses on reading instruction — and an ideal professional development resource for inservice educators—this new edition of a classic bestseller will help teachers unlock literacy for all their students.

The celebrated designer Dana Buchman knew almost nothing about “learning differences” when her daughter, Charlotte, was diagnosed with disabilities as a toddler. She soon discovered that the hard work and determination that had taken her from the Ivy League to her own fashion label wouldn’t be enough to deal with Charlotte’s disabilities; she would have to acquire a new skill set — to be able to see Charlotte as a person with unique abilities. A moving mother-daughter story, A Special Education is an inspiring account of one mother’s journey to acceptance and understanding, as well as a family’s triumph over daunting circumstances.

How and when does a child begin to make sense of the world? Why does a lively preschool child so often become a semiliterate and defeated school failure?

Developmental psychologist Margaret Donaldson shows that much of the intellectual framework on which we base our teaching is misleading. We both underestimate the astonishing rational powers of young children and ignore the major stumbling block that children face when starting school.

Given a setting and a language that makes sense to them in human terms, very young children can perform tasks often thought to be beyond them. The preschool child learns everything in a human situation. Only in school is he asked to acquire skills―reading, writing, arithmetic―isolated from a real-life context. This transition is difficult.

The author suggests a range of strategies that parents and schools can adopt to help children. She argues that reading is even more important than we have thought it to be, since learning to read can actually speed children through the crucial transition.

All parents want their children to read well and to succeed — and experts agree that improving literacy begins at birth. Reading aloud to your child, sharing simple games and wordplay, and developing letter knowledge start your child off on the right foot for school and life. Now the esteemed Lee Pesky Learning Center has created this easy, accessible reference for parents to help foster better literacy skills in children.

“Written by school psychologist Michelle Fattig, who herself lives a highly successful life even though she has ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome, A Prairie Day with Annie is novel for young readers featuring a pair of children, Michelle and John, who have Asperger’s Syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder. They apply their unique perspective and insight to combat crime and evil, and further world peace. Black-and-white illustrations and a large typeface gentle on the eyes distinguish this easy-to-read chapter book and its upbeat message life with ADD and Asperger’s. A handful of black-and-white illustrations by Michelle’s son Josh Fattig, who also has Asperger’s Syndrome and ADD, round out this excellent novel for young readers ready to start on their first ever chapter books.”
—Mary Cowper, Midwest Book Review