http://www.ldonline.org/ en-us LD OnLine Administrator hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Pain_of_Dyslexia%2C_As_Told_by_Bollywood Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:58:55 GMT A recent Bollywood movie about a dreamy 8-year-old boy had all the ingredients of an Indian blockbuster — six songs, tearful ups and downs, and a happy ending. But the film has also planted the seeds of a movement to raise public awareness about dyslexia in India. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Pain_of_Dyslexia%2C_As_Told_by_Bollywood http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Graduate_with_Dyslexia_to_Get_PhD_After_10_Degrees Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:58:23 GMT Benjamin Bolger admittedly can't read well, but the 32-year-old Michigan native today is expected to walk across the stage at Harvard University to receive a doctoral degree in design — his 11th advanced degree. "I can read at about a fifth-grade level … I can sound out just about any word now, but it just takes some time," he said. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Graduate_with_Dyslexia_to_Get_PhD_After_10_Degrees http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Harry_Potter_Prequel_for_Dyslexia_Charity Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:57:02 GMT A UK charity auction is to be held to sell an 800-word "prequel" to the Harry Potter series. JK Rowling has penned the work for Waterstone's What's Your Story? Auction, the profits of which will go to charities Dyslexia Action and English PEN. Other authors who are selling similar works at the event include Sebastian Faulks, Irvine Welsh, Lauren Child, and Margaret Atwood. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Harry_Potter_Prequel_for_Dyslexia_Charity http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Special-Needs_School%3A_Learning_Lessons_of_Life Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:23:10 GMT More than half of Utah's special-education students have learning disabilities, said Jennie Gibson, associate director of the Utah Parents Center in Salt Lake City, which helps parents navigate the educational system for their children with special needs. The vast majority of special-education students graduate high school, but those with significant problems in need of transition skills can extend their education up to the age of 22. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Special-Needs_School%3A_Learning_Lessons_of_Life http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Survey%3A_Assistive_Aids_and_Devices_For_Adults_2006 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:20:22 GMT Canada has undertaken a Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) to collect information on adults and children with disabilities. Here it looks at specialized equipment, the use and requirements of such aids and equipment, funding sources, and related obstacles. One finding: individuals with a learning limitation such as dyslexia had more unmet needs for assistive devices than individuals with any other disability. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Survey%3A_Assistive_Aids_and_Devices_For_Adults_2006 http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%28Opinion%29_Innovative_Approach_Helps_Close_Reading_Gap Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:19:32 GMT The president of Iowa's Learning Disabilities Association praises a new component to the kindergarten registration process. All parents who attend are able to screen, or are assisted in screening, their own children for determination of the child's level of development on pre-literacy skills. It is a win-win situation for both the families and the schools. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/%28Opinion%29_Innovative_Approach_Helps_Close_Reading_Gap http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Psychologist_to_Speak_on_Helping_Kids_with_Learning_Disabilities Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:17:42 GMT The "gift of dyslexia" is dismissed by psychologist Laughton King whose own battle with the disorder has involved "really, really hard work." Travelling around the country with artist-wife Natalie Tate, Mr. King will be in Blenheim tomorrow to speak about "Strategies to help children with learning difficulties (including dyslexia)." http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Psychologist_to_Speak_on_Helping_Kids_with_Learning_Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Proctor_High_School_Fights_to_Keep_Special_Needs_Students_on_Track Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:42:19 GMT Proctor High gets assistance in helping students with disabilities transition to life after high school from Resource Center for Independent Living representatives such as Mike Zane. He visits special education classes about once a week to help teach students skills they need for a successful life after high school. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Proctor_High_School_Fights_to_Keep_Special_Needs_Students_on_Track http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Police_Report_Reveals_Teacher%27s_Side_of_Incident_in_which_Boy_%27Voted%27_Out_of_Class Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:41:18 GMT The Florida kindergarten teacher who had students vote last week whether a 5-year-old (who has since been diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder) should be allowed to stay in class told police she wanted him to hear how his behavior was affecting his classmates. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Police_Report_Reveals_Teacher%27s_Side_of_Incident_in_which_Boy_%27Voted%27_Out_of_Class http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Quebec_the_Only_Province_that_Doesn%27t_Regularly_Mis-Diagnose_ADHD Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:40:39 GMT Researchers say children who show signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are regularly misdiagnosed in every province — with the exception of Quebec. That's because Quebec has guidelines for ADHD diagnosis, which means children are likely to receive the same assessment, regardless of which doctor they see. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Quebec_the_Only_Province_that_Doesn%27t_Regularly_Mis-Diagnose_ADHD http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Winkler%27s_Dyslexic_Hero Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:39:34 GMT Like his creator — author and actor Henry Winkler — the hero of the best-selling "Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever" series isn't so hot with words or numbers. Also like Winkler, Hank is a popular class clown whose adventures, and misadventures, revolve around the fifth-grader trying to compensate for his learning disabilities. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Winkler%27s_Dyslexic_Hero http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Help_Your_Child_Graduate_%26mdash%3B_Ask_Schools_to_Accommodate Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:33:37 GMT Guest columnist Andrew Schwab encourages parents of children struggling academically to ask the school for accommodations. Persistently asking questions such as "what is the school's plan?" or "how will the school adapt to this child's needs?" does not allow schools to escape a solution by blaming other professionals or departments. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Help_Your_Child_Graduate_%26mdash%3B_Ask_Schools_to_Accommodate http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Proposed_High_School_Exit_Exams_Raise_Concern_Among_Oregonians Fri, 30 May 2008 14:54:08 GMT Oregon's proposed high school exit exam would unfairly deny diplomas to good students who struggle with a single academic weakness, warned people testifying at a state hearing on the test Wednesday. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Proposed_High_School_Exit_Exams_Raise_Concern_Among_Oregonians http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Fight_Over_Special_Ed_Facility_Not_Over Fri, 30 May 2008 14:53:21 GMT School board member James Hussey will ask the board to pursue a lawsuit against the Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL) to stop the agency from borrowing $26.5 million to renovate and construct new facilities. He feels SEDOL member districts need more time to discuss the plan. He said he also favors District 95 quitting SEDOL because it "circumvented the normal democratic process." http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Fight_Over_Special_Ed_Facility_Not_Over http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Pa._Firm_to_Run_Special-Education_School Fri, 30 May 2008 14:52:21 GMT The Baltimore school system is contracting with an outside company, Pennsylvania-based Specialized Education Services Inc., to run a school for special-education students, a move that will combine two special-education schools currently operating alongside each other in the same building. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Pa._Firm_to_Run_Special-Education_School http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Long_Ride_on_a_Short_Bus Fri, 30 May 2008 14:51:50 GMT Jonathan Mooney, author of "The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal," visited his alma mater Brown University to lecture about learning disabilities. Diagnosed with dyslexia and attention problems, Mooney didn't read until he was twelve. Eventually, after much hard work, he transferred to Brown ("somebody took a risk on me," he says), concentrated in English, and graduated with a 4.0 grade average. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Long_Ride_on_a_Short_Bus http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Dyslexia_%27Cure%27_Centres_Shut_Down Fri, 30 May 2008 14:49:42 GMT Thirteen UK centres offering controversial treatment for people with dyslexia have been shut down due to financial difficulties. The Dore programme claimed exercises such as tying knots and balancing on "wobble boards" stimulated parts of the brain and improved reading and writing. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Dyslexia_%27Cure%27_Centres_Shut_Down http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Parents%2C_Advocates_Oppose_Virginia_Special_Education_Changes Thu, 29 May 2008 14:34:17 GMT The speakers changed every three minutes, but with few exceptions their message Wednesday night was the same: The proposed changes to the state special education regulations are flawed and harmful. Virginia Department of Education staff and Board of Education Vice President Ella Ward listened as more than 60 people offered comments during the department's public hearing at Norfolk's Norview High School. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Parents%2C_Advocates_Oppose_Virginia_Special_Education_Changes http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/California_Shop_Teacher_%27Cons%27_Students_into_Learning Thu, 29 May 2008 14:33:30 GMT Alvin "Corky" Schroeder uses his Merced, California shop classes to inspire children who would otherwise have problems learning, slipping in information in bits and pieces. Lessons on welding disguise instruction in geometry and mathematics. Lessons about engines slip in physics. Talk about car design? Lessons on art. Schroeder says his dedication stems from empathy with these special-education students. As a child, he battled dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/California_Shop_Teacher_%27Cons%27_Students_into_Learning http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Learning-Challenged_Tennessee_Students_Beat_Odds_to_Graduate_from_High_School Thu, 29 May 2008 14:32:53 GMT Bachman Academy held its seventh annual commencement exercises on May 17 at First Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, Tennessee. The first graduating class of 2001 boasted a single student. However, at twelve students, 2008 holds the second largest graduating class since the Academy changed its focus in 1999 to educating children with learning disabilities. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Learning-Challenged_Tennessee_Students_Beat_Odds_to_Graduate_from_High_School