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Books for Parents

Basic Facts About Dyslexia & Other Reading Problems

by Louisa Cook Moats Ed.D., and Karen E Dakin

A must-have guide for any parent or teacher of a child struggling to learn to read, this essential resource begins by answering the question "What is Dyslexia?" The authors have masterfully selected and distilled the most significant research in the field to provide clear and detailed explanations of the : 1) widely accepted research-based definition of dyslexia; 2) identification and treatment of dyslexia at various stages of development; 3) emotional consequences of reading difficulties; 4) current research on the role of genetics and the brain; 5) essential elements of effective reading instruction; and 6) treatment options for the most severe cases of dyslexia and other reading problems.

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Dysgraphia: Why Johnny Can’t Write: A Handbook for Parents and Teachers

by Diane W. Cavey

Intended for teachers and parents, the handbook provides suggestions for diagnosis and remediation of the learning disability dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting). The seven chapters have the following titles and sample subtopics: (1) "The Student with a Learning Disability" (what causes dysgraphia, the Gerstmann Syndrome); (2) "Parents' Perspective" (early warning signs, do's and don'ts); (3) "Diagnosis and Evaluation" (basic rights of parents and children, evaluation tools, sources of help); (4) "Teacher's Perspective" (recognizing the student with a learning disability); (5) "Developing a Teaching Program" (program planning, teaching basic skills, reinforcement techniques); (6) "Not Working to Ability"? (retention and the fun of writing); and (7) "Creating Successes" (college or vocational training, value of praise, and a case study).

Looking for Heroes

by Aidan Colvin and Liisa Ogburn

In this true story, dyslexic high school student Aidan Colvin decides to ask them. Over the course of one year, he writes 100 letters to successful dyslexics. He doesn't expect anyone to write back, and is genuinely surprised when people do. This book features letters from Writer John Irving, Arctic Explorer Ann Bancroft, Surgeon and CEO Delos Cosgrove, Sculptor Thomas Sayre, Poet Phillip Schultz and others. It also features conversations with Comedian Jay Leno and Filmmaker Harvey Hubbel.

Nowhere to Hide: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It

by Jerome Schultz, Ph.D.

A new approach to help kids with ADHD and LD succeed in and outside the classroom. This groundbreaking book addresses the consequences of the unabated stress associated with Learning disabilities and ADHD and the toxic, deleterious impact of this stress on kids' academic learning, social skills, behavior, and efficient brain functioning. Schultz draws upon three decades of work as a neuropsychologist, teacher educator, and school consultant to address this gap. This book can help change the way parents and teachers think about why kids with LD and ADHD find school and homework so toxic. It will also offer an abundant supply of practical, understandable strategies that have been shown to reduce stress at school and at home.

Overcoming Dyslexia

by Sally E. Shaywitz

Dyslexia is the most common learning disorder on the planet, affecting about one in five individuals, regardless of age or gender. Now a world-renowned expert gives us a substantially updated and augmented edition of her classic work: drawing on an additional fifteen years of cutting-edge research, offering new information on all aspects of dyslexia and reading problems, and providing the tools that parents, teachers, and all dyslexic individuals need. This new edition also offers:

• New material on the challenges faced by dyslexic individuals across all ages
• Rich information on ongoing advances in digital technology that have dramatically increased dyslexics' ability to help themselves
• New chapters on diagnosing dyslexia, choosing schools and colleges for dyslexic students, the co-implications of anxiety, ADHD, and dyslexia, and dyslexia in post-menopausal women
• Extensively updated information on helping both dyslexic children and adults become better readers, with a detailed home program to enhance reading
• Evidence-based universal screening for dyslexia as early as kindergarten and first grade – why and how
• New information on how to identify dyslexia in all age ranges
• Exercises to help children strengthen the brain areas that control reading
• Ways to raise a child's self-esteem and reveal her strengths
• Stories of successful men, women, and young adults who are dyslexic

Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level

by Sally Shaywitz, M.D

From one of the world’s leading experts on reading and dyslexia, the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and practical book yet to help us understand, identify, and overcome the reading problems that plague American children today. For the one in every five children who has dyslexia and the millions of others who struggle to read at their own grade levels—and for their parents, teachers, and tutors—this book can make a difference.

Parenting a Struggling Reader: A Guide to Diagnosing and Finding Help for Your Child’s Reading Difficulties

by Susan L. Hall and Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D.

The first completely comprehensive, practical guide for recognizing, diagnosing, and overcoming any childhood reading difficulty.

Straight Talk About Reading: How Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years

by Susan L. Hall and Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D.

Today's parents are increasingly concerned about the reading and spelling skills taught in schools and are taking charge of their children's education. Full of ideas and suggestions­­--from innovative preschool exercises to techniques that older children can use to increase reading speed and comprehension--­­Straight Talk About Reading will instantly help any parent lay a solid foundation for their child's formative educational years.

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The Between the Lions Book for Parents: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Child Learn to Read

by Linda K. Rath and Louise Kennedy (Ages preschool – third grade)

Based on the literacy curriculum that underlies this innovative, entertaining series, The Between the Lions Book for Parents draws on the latest and most reliable research to give parents practical tips to help smooth their children's path to reading and writing. Practical, comprehensive, and fun, it's helpful both for children who are struggling a bit and for those who are moving along just fine. Parents will find a wealth of specific information about what children should learn every year, how to help them learn it, and how to tell if they're running into difficulties.

The Dyslexic Advantage (2nd)

by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide

Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide use their impressive backgrounds in neurology and education to debunk the standard deficit-based approach to dyslexia. People typically define “dyslexia” as a reading and spelling disorder. But through published research studies, clinical observations, and interviews with dyslexic individuals, the Eides prove that these challenges are not dyslexia’s main features but are instead trade-offs resulting from an entirely different pattern of brain organization and information processing that has powerful advantages. For example, dyslexic adults routinely outperform their non-dyslexic peers in studies on three-dimensional spatial reasoning and divergent creativity—one of the reasons why so many dyslexics are successful engineers. Approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population has dyslexia, and The Dyslexic Advantage shows how each one is predisposed to powerful skills called MIND strengths (Material, Interconnected, Narrative, and Dynamic Reasoning), leading them to possess incredible pattern detection, divergent thinking, episodic memory, problem solving, and prediction abilities.

The revised and updated edition of The Dyslexic Advantage includes eighteen rich new profiles of remarkable individuals with dyslexia—such as several world-renowned scientists, a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet, a world-record-setting memory specialist, three MacArthur “Genius” Award winners, the technical advisor for the Jurassic Parkmovies, and many more. Meanwhile, the enormous advances in dyslexia research over the last ten years provide valuable new insights for educators, employers, parents, dyslexic adults, and anyone interested in neurodiversity and human cognition. Blending personal stories with hard science, The Dyslexic Advantage (Revised and Updated) provides empowering advice on how to identify, understand, nurture, and enjoy the strengths of the dyslexic mind.

Please note: These books are not in any way formally endorsed by IDA or HBIDA but are recommended by volunteer members and not an exhaustive list of recommendations.
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