Kids Enabled October Resource Fair

If you don't know about the Kids Enabled website it is a great way for families living in Metro Atlanta to find resources for their children.  This fall they are holding a resource fair in Sandy Springs.  It's a great way to find out about many resources and meet representatives from those organizations in person.  There are also fun activities, music, and food for kids and adults to enjoy.  Here is the link to more information:

http://www.kidsenabled.org/events/food-thought-kids-enableds-fall-resource-festival

What Is Your Child's Learning Style?

Summer has flown by and it's time to start preparing for the back-to-school crunch.  One thing I have become aware of as I have worked with my two children over the summer with reading and math, is just how different each child learns.  I have always known this to be true, but now I have experienced how you need completely different strategies for teaching a visual learner than you do for a kinesthetic learner.  Here is a great article that explains the different learning styles as well as tips for how to assist each type of learner with homework.

 http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/826-what-is-your-childs-learning-style

Discovering Your Child

I found myself tearing up reading this article.  The author beautifully describes the journey of all parents:  figuring out who your child is with all their strengths and weaknesses.  This child happens to have Down syndrome.  But it is true for all of us:  our children bring so much to our lives just by who they are.  

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-06-26/opinion/ct-perspec-0627-downs-20130626_1_down-syndrome-facts-fresh-beat-band

Fun Activities for Practicing Math Skills

Happy Summer!  While school is out, it's always hard to keep children from forgetting what they have learned over the past school year.  This article gives some simple activities for practicing math skills wherever you are this summer.  There is also a link to a 43-page booklet from the U.S. Department of Education on more activities to promote math skills for preschoolers up to 5th graders.  So, while you are enjoying road trips, lazy days at the pool or carpools back and forth to various summer camps throw in some fun and easy math practice!  Just click the link below:

http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/homework-study-skills/fun-activities-elementary-math-skills?utm_source=newsletter_june_25_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_content=dearreadertext&utm_campaign=ldnews

Dysgraphia Questions and Accomodations--Part Two

Here is the second part of the article that I posted earlier this month about Dysgraphia.  Be sure to also click on the link for dyslexia resources found under the first answer about accommodations.  This article has a wealth of information about how to work with children who have dysgraphia.  Good summer reading as we prepare for next year's 504 and IEP meetings!

http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/dysgraphia/dysgraphia-accommdations-faq-questions-answered?utm_source=standalone_june_1_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=weekendblog

How Georgia Ranks in Providing Services for People with Disabilities

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) releases The Case for Inclusion each year, tracking the progress of community living standards for Americans living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). The report examines data and outcomes for all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC), ranking each on a set of key indicators, including how people with disabilities live and participate in their communities, if they are satisfied with their lives, and how easily the services and supports they need are accessed. By taking these factors into account, UCP is able to develop a comprehensive analysis of each state's progress or failures in providing critical services to individuals living with disabilities.

The findings for 2013 reveal that: 1) All states have room for some improvement, but some have consistently remained at the bottom of the rankings; 2) Despite economic strains, many states have made real improvements in the quality of services being provided; 3) There is still work to be done in ensuring that people with ID/DD can enjoy the same freedoms and quality of life as all Americans. 

I am pleased that Georgia is not in the bottom ten but we remain in the bottom 20!  In many areas, our progress is flat and services to get and keep people employed in the community are actually declining.  You can see the rankings and other data here:

http://www.ucp.org/the-case-for-inclusion/2013/state_scorecards.html

Inspiration from Jay Leno

As April is on its way out the door, I realize that I have not posted once this month.  Already the end of the school year is upon us. Where does the time go?

I hope you will find inspiration as I did in reading this article by Jay Leno where he talks about his struggles with dyslexia.  It's helpful to be reminded that we must not only strengthen our child's weaknesses but we must daily seek to find and encourage their many gifts.  A different brain is not an abnormal brain, but one that works in mysterious and marvelous ways.  Happy reading and see you in May!

http://dyslexia.yale.edu/leno.html