Self-Advocacy Skills for Students with Learning Disabilities

In the well-researched and compelling Standardized Minds, former journalist and economist Peter Sacks launches an exhaustive attack on the national obsession with testing — and lands a few hits. If you think you’ve heard every argument against standardized tests, think again. Sacks methodically picks away at our feeble attempts to measure the mind, reaching back into the history of testing with unsettling revelations about the creation of the first intelligence test and its many flaws. He deftly illustrates how the belief of inferior cultures motivated the creator of the SAT college entrance exam and takes on all that standardized testing has wrought: ability grouping, gifted programs, state accountability efforts — even the effect on parents whose perceptions of their own children are often shaken by scores on a sheet of paper. Standardized Minds is a persuasive must-read for parents, educators, and lawmakers that challenges our basic assumptions about intelligence and pays homage to the talented minds we may have overlooked in our fervor to rate the human brain.

Katie Kelso is sick of being a dork. Now that she’s in seventh grade, she vows that her life will change. She’s going to become a P.K. — a Popular Kid. Soon Katie is up to her neck in problems. Spud Larson, the best looking boy in her class and the leader of the P.K.’s, seems to like her. But so does Brian Straus — sensitive, smart, mysterious Brian. What will happen if her mother turns out to have cancer? And what should she do about the literary magazine? Her teacher wants her to try out for it, but Katie has dyslexia, and she’s probably the worst speller in junior high.

Written in a readable and friendly style, Adults With Learning Disabilities is an invaluable resource not only for learning disabled adults, but also highschool and college students with learning disabilities, parents, professionals across disciplines, and the lay public. Here is information on the causes and symptoms of learning disabilities, specific conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, a review of definitions, an update of research and advances in the neurosciences, assessment and intervention, pertinent legal issues, making college and employment plans, the role of professionals, and much more. The authors review metacognitive theory and emphasize the role of strategic approaches to learning both in and out of school. Clinical examples make a compelling case that individuals with learning disabilities can—and do—attain significant levels of success.

Phoebe Flower’s is having some friendship troubles. Plus, her impulsivity and distractibility have landed her in trouble at school again. Her parents and the school principal decide that Phoebe needs a little help to get back on track. At first, Phoebe is worried when she hears her parents talking about something called ADD. But then her mother confides to Phoebe that she had similar problems as a girl. With Mom’s encouragement, Phoebe struggles with a writing assignment. Completing it at last, Phoebe is proud of her accomplishment, and excited that, through her writing; she’s discovered the true meaning of best friend.

Since the first edition was published, author Susan Winebrenner has spent eight years using it with school districts, teachers, parents, and kids across the U.S. and the U.K. this revised, expanded, updated edition reflects her personal experiences and the changes that have taken place in education over the years. Her basic philosophy hasn’t changed, and all of the proven, practical, classroom-tested strategies teachers love are still here. But there’s now an entire chapter on identifying gifted students. The step-by-step how-tos for using the strategies are more detailed and user-friendly. There’s a new chapter especially for parents. And all of the forms in the book are also on CD-ROM (sold separately) so you can print them out and customize them for your classroom.

It’s a deadly triad: bullies who terrorize, bullied kids who are afraid to tell, bystanders who watch, participate, or look away, and adults who dismiss the incidents as a normal part of childhood. Drawing on her decades of work with youth, this practical book by bestselling parenting educator Barbara Coloroso explains the three kinds of bullying, the differences between boy and girl bullies, four abilities that protect your child from succumbing to bullying, seven steps to take if your child is a bully, how to help the bullied child heal and effectively discipline the bully, how to evaluate a school’s antibullying policy and much more.