Monthly Archives: August 2012

Webinar

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Organizing Information After Diagnosis
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
7 p.m. Central Time
Registration: $10
To register, CLICK HERE

Do you have a child who was diagnosed with dyslexia or another disorder? If so, you probably have paper trails throughout your house and small mountains of evaluation results, school forms and examples of your child’s homework. Creating an organizational system to readily find and keep important papers will be helpful for you and your child. Attendees will learn what information is important to document and keep, and how to organize it. This system can be transferred over to your child at the appropriate age to help your child advocate for their needs when documentation is required for future accommodations they may desire for ACT, SAT and college admittance. Resources and strategies for organizing papers and technology will be addressed as well as organizing information on the computer.
Panelist: Erika Frake, founder/owner, THINK with Success!

School is just around the corner…

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Going places others don't always even try.

Always looking forward from a little different perspective.

With school just around the corner, it’s time to reread your children’s IEP or 504.  Could a 504 with appropriate accommodations make for a more successful year?  The following is from NCLD.org  by Laura Kaloe, NCLD Public Policy Director

Is a 504 Plan Right for My Child?
When you are making a decision about how to seek support for your child at school it’s important to know your options to request help under the federal law. There are two laws for K-12 students in public school that may offer supports and services: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Schools that receive federal funding are obligated to serve students under Section 504; however, no federal funds are provided to directly support offering Section 504 services.This article focuses on whether seeking a 504 plan might be the right solution to helping your child be successful in school. 504 plans are developed by school teams and parents to support the educational needs of a K-12 student with a disability that “substantially limits one or more major life activity” such as: learning, speaking, listening, reading, writing, concentrating, caring for oneself, etc. A 504 plan is a good option for a K-12 student if:

  • The child has an identified learning disability (LD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) but does not meet the requirements of IDEA for special education services and supports
  • The child is currently receiving informal accommodations or ongoing support at school

504 Option: When Your Child Does Not Meet the Requirements of IDEA

The IDEA law requires that your child must meet two prongs of the law in order to be served by special education:

  1. the child must have one (or more) of the 13 disabilities listed in IDEA which includes learning disabilities and attention disorders; and,
  2. as a result of the disability, the child needs special education to make progress in school in order to benefit from the general education program.

This legal requirement essentially says that some kids with LD or AD/HD may not meet the state or district requirementsof the second prong. While the student may have a disability, it may not be impacting their learning in ways that qualify them for special education services. These students however, because they have an LD or AD/HD, may meet the requirement to have a 504 plan if their disability “substantially limits them in performing one or more major life activity.”

Effective January 2009, eligibility for protection under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act became broader. Some students who did not qualify in the past may now qualify for Section 504 plans. Students with Section 504 plans may now qualify for additional supports, services, auxiliary aids, and/or accommodations in public schools.disabilities.For the rest of the article visit ncld.org and search 504 plans.

Workshops

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Upcoming Workshops through Duluth Community Ed:

DYSLEXIA:  WHAT A PARENT NEEDS TO KNOW

In this workshop students will learn the definition of dyslexia and reading difficulties including signs/symptoms, accommodations, 504 plans vs. the IEP, and the importance of the paper trail.  Discussion will also include current research, assessment, remediation, and assistive technology.

Location: Denfeld High School                                                                                          When:    Tues. Sept. 25th   ~   6:30-8:30 PM                                                                Cost:      $15.00

To register contact:  Deb Dwyer – 218-340-7393 – [email protected]  or http://www.duluthcommunityed.org/

 

DYSGRAPHIA:  WHAT A PARENT NEEDS TO KNOW

This workshop is designed to give parents basic information to help their children succeed in writing.  Dysgraphia, sometimes called disorder of written expression, is a neurology disorder.  We will discuss how to signs/symptoms, assessment, types of remediation, accommodations and technology.  Bring a sample of your child’s writing to class.

Location: Denfeld High School                                                                                        When:    Tues. Oct. 16 ~  6:30-8:30 PM                                                                         Cost:      $15.00

To register contact:  Deb Dwyer – 218-340-7393 – [email protected] or http://www.duluthcommunityed.org/

Background Noise when learning

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It’s time when students are returning to the classroom and the child that struggles with reading and learning have a difficult time learning with background noise.

More data supporting the range of perceptual difficulties in dyslexia.

In the figure below, researchers found that dyslexic subjects showed delayed responses to sounds (HP stands for Huggins Pitch, TN stands for pure tone)when played with background noise.This background noise can be a big obstacle to efficient classroom learning for dyslexic students. Larger classes sizes, murmurings and rustlings from fellow classmates, and a fuzziness about phonology or weak auditory working memory, can spell failure (or ADD misdiagnosis) for even very smart or determined dyslexic students. This study only looked at tone and Huggins (kind of spectral noise) sounds…a test of similar-sounding phonemes might be even more dramatic.

Many parents and teachers out there might say, “Aha!”. Students with background noise problems often show wide variability in their classroom success, that may be due to teaching style, class size, degree of noise, or seat placement. Be vigilant to the possibility, and help your student advocate for classroom speakers if needed.

Now is this education or neurobiology? Both of course! We do a disservice to children if we can’t find efficient ways to share information between researchers, educators, and parents.

Useful Apps for Students with Dysgraphia

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Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper.

With Dragon Dictation 2.0, you can dictate text or email your friends, send notes and reminders to yourself … all using your voice.

Click here for more information

iTalk Recorder Premium is a smart, simple audio-recording device with options to select recording quality and to name the recording.

Click here for more information

iBook Creator:

Develop your own books with this amazing app!  Add videos, images and text.  The speech tool provided by the iPad also works with this app adding to its versatility.

iEarned that:
This is a productivity app used to motivate students by keeping track of their merits.

Idea Sketch:
Good for brainstorming new ideas, illustrating concepts making lists and outlines, planning presentation, creating organizational charts.  Lets you easily draw a diagram, mind map, concept map or flow chart and convert it to a text outline.

Tools 4 Students:
25 top quality graphic organizers.  Choose the best template and fill in your information right on your mobile device.

From http://wandaleannne.blogspot.com

Leveling the Playing Field for Dyslexics

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Please join me in signing this petition for Congress to level the playing field for dyslexics in education. The petition was created by the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.

Dear Deb ,

Thanks for signing our petition, “United States Congress: Legalize Dyslexia: Grant Accommodations to Dyslexic Students..”

Winning this campaign is now in your hands. We need to reach out to as many friends as we can to grow this campaign and win.

Thanks for your support,

Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity

Take the next step: Ask your friends to sign
SHARE THIS PETITION
Don’t just be a signer — be an organizer. Turn your signature into hundreds more by asking your friends to sign. Then they’ll ask their friends. That’s how we win.