ABCs of Learning

The reminders are everywhere you turn.  It’s that time of year to start thinking about purchasing school supplies for your children.  While the choices are endless, some supplies are more practical than others, particularly if you have a child with special learning needs.  The following are some items that can be helpful:
 

• A large divided binder or individual subject folders.  Your child’s teacher may specify certain requirements, but some type of organizational system is imperative.  While some students may loosely follow their own system, children with Attention Deficit Disorder need a structured approach to managing their materials and completing tasks.  Do not assume that your child will intuitively know how to set up the system.  Provide direct instruction in organizational skills.
• A box of essentials for home.  Invest in extra paper, pencils, crayons, and poster board in order to save yourself a trip to the store at homework time.  Place these materials in an accessible location so that your children can independently find what they need.
• Color-coded items.  Students with learning disabilities and attention disorders often respond positively to visual cues.  For example, when they are grouping written information to write an essay, different colored index cards can help children to see which facts go together and place them in piles.
• A spell check device.  For students who struggle with dyslexia and writing disorders, the need to recall individual words affects their ability to efficiently translate their ideas to paper.  The Franklin Spelling Ace is child-friendly.
• The Kindle.  Modern technology has so much to offer individuals with reading disabilities.  Often, dyslexic students find it nearly impossible to gain meaning from text as they labor to decode individual words.  The Kindle allows them to follow along with their eyes while also listening to a fluent oral reading of the text.