Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - Learning Disablilities

A“Ticket to Work” for Transitioning Youth – and Those Working With Them

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:12:55 -0600

If you work with teens with disabilities, you’ll want to know about the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work (TTW) program. Its Youth Transition portion offers funds for organizations that help students receiving Social Security disability benefits find employment. Is it right for you? Melody Goodspeed, Youth Transition Specialist for TTW answers some common questions about the funding.

Choosing Care for a Child with Special Needs

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:00:00 -0500

Finding quality, affordable child care can be difficult for any parent. For those with a special needs child, it can also be a very confusing and emotional experience. Rebecca Freshour looks at what the law says, and what parents need to know to find care for their children.

An Expert Prediction: Parents Face Long Odds in Supreme Court Case on Special Education

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:52:06 -0500

Pete Wright, an attorney with decades of experience in special education law—and his own memories of standing up before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue a case—attended oral arguments last week in the most recent special education case to reach the highest court. Wright shared his impressions with Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips.

New No Child Left Behind Rule for Disabled Student Testing

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:33:13 -0600

On December 14, 2005, U.S. Education Secretary Spellings announced plans to triple the number of disabled students that schools can partially exempt from No Child Left Behind tests, exempting 1 million more students with special needs. The Department currently lets states test one percent of students -- those with the most significant cognitive disabilities -- at their instruction level (not grade level) and count their "proficient" scores in Adequate Yearly Progress determinations. The new regulations will explain how states can further modify their academic standards.

A Changing Supreme Court: Why it Matters for Kids

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:47:22 -0500

Amid all the speculation about changes on the Supreme Court, Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips takes a look at cases the court will be hearing in the next term that will have an impact on children and youth.

Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorders

Tue, 21 Jun 2005 10:21:30 -0500

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) continues to be a misdiagnosed, misunderstood, and frustrating disorder for educators. Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorders gives the classroom teacher useful information, ideas and strategies for working with children suffering from ADD.

School Choice: Official Definitions

Mon, 30 May 2005 23:02:44 -0500

What are the choices under No Child Left Behind and other federal legislation? The U.S. Department of Education has the basics.

The Hill Center

Tue, 24 May 2005 13:44:12 -0500

The Hill Center transforms students with learning differences into confident, independent learners. Using a research-based, multi-sensory methodology, The Hill Center teaches high potential students with learning differences in a model half-day academic program. Equally committed to helping students who cannot attend The Hill Center, Outreach and Professional Development programs extend the succ

National Center for Learning Disabilities

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:37:13 -0500

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work and life.NCLD provides essential information to parents, professionals and individuals with learning disabilities, promotes research and programs to foster effective learning, and advocates for policies to protect and strengthen educational rights and opportunities.

The Hill Center

Thu, 03 Mar 2005 13:32:05 -0600

The Hill Center transforms students with learning differences into confident, independent learners. Utilizing a research-based, multi-sensory instructional methodology, The Hill Center teaches high-potential students with learning differences in a half-day academic program. Equally committed to helping students who cannot attend The Hill Center, The Hill Center's Outreach and Professional Development Program extend the successful methodology beyond the walls of the school.

A New Era: Revitalizing Special Education for Children and Their Families

Mon, 20 Dec 2004 15:07:32 -0600

In October 2001 President Bush established a Commission on Excellence in Special Education to collect information and study issues related to Federal, State, and local special education programs with the goal of recommending policies for improving the education performance of students with disabilities. This report was delivered in July 2002.

Senate Passes IDEA Reauthorization

Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:02:42 -0600

On May 13, 2004, the Senate approved its IDEA reauthorization, the main federal education program for the nation's 6.5 million disabled students. Federal funding commitments sparked heated debate. The bill allows discretionary funding of $12.4 billion in fiscal 2004, and allows but does not obligate funding to cover 40 percent of all special education costs by 2011. The Senate fell four votes short of the 60 required to make such funding mandatory.

Poor Readers Can Improve Brain Function

Fri, 03 Dec 2004 07:40:05 -0600

Teaching 6- to 9-year-old struggling readers to connect sounds and letters can make a lasting impact on brain function, according to research published in Biological Psychiatry and reported on NPR by Rachel Jones. The researchers say for children with learning disabilities the use of an evidence-based phonologic reading intervention facilitates the development of those fast-paced neural systems that underlie skilled reading.

Visual Attention Problems Common in Children with Reading Disabilities

Tue, 07 Dec 2004 07:32:58 -0600

Up to 60 percent of the nearly 2.9 million of school-age children classified as having learning disabilities may have undetected, correctable vision problems, including "visual attention problems" -- the inability to focus long enough to accurately perceive information and send it to the brain for interpretation. A 12-hour computer program that trains participants' eyes and brains to coordinate has been shown to boost sixth-graders' reading comprehension and test scores by up to two grade levels.

Advocating for Kids with Learning Disabilities

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:01:42 -0600

The National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation have launched the Guide to Advocacy for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities. It includes a complete "how-to" reference on all aspects of public policy advocacy and offers information for both first-time and experienced advocates.