Wrightslaw: Special Education Law

Until the 1960s a learning disability was a hidden handicap wearing many guises and treated ineffectively. Today, shows the author, founder of the unique Lab School in Washington, D.C., and herself the parent of a learning-disabled child, there is growing evidence that such difficulties can be either overcome or modified by teaching strategies that address the student’s specific strengths. The stories of adults—some of them celebrities like Cher, who suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia—who coped with learning problems throughout their school days illustrate the depths of the disability said to afflict more than 25 million Americans. Distilling her experiences with learning-disabled students, their parents and teachers, Smith demonstrates that a variety of approaches to learning can yield later career success, thus offering hope to children and adults so burdened.

Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind includes the full text of the No Child Left Behind Act with analysis, interpretation & commentary; advocacy strategies, tips, sample letters; and the No Child Left Behind CD-ROM of Publications & Resources.

This practical manual offers essential information and guidance for anyone involved with ADA issues in higher education settings. Fundamental principles and actual clinical and administrative procedures are outlined for evaluating, documenting, and accommodating a wide range of mental and physical impairments.

An engaging must-read for any parent, educator, or counselor of smart kids who face learning difficulties. The authors, who have more than 20 years experience working with and advocating for gifted and learning diabled children, provide useful, practical advice for helping smart kids with learning challenges succeed in school.

Gary just can’t seem to fit in. He doesn’t have any friends, his school work is always sloppy, and his teachers endlessly criticize him. But Gary has a way to escape—he spaces out. Then one day Gary accidentally hurts someone, and now he’s being sent to a new school for kids with different learning styles. Will Gary finally be able to catch up and fit in, or will he remain the Spaceman forever?

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.