Learning Disabilities 101: A Primer for Parents

Rating:
Summary: I Have Not Read This Book.....But
Review: I would not be so quick to assume that this book does not have some highly valuable information that would not typically be found in the typical 'disability' book. (Sorry - I was forced to give a rating - so I opted to give it a (5) to average out the above (1). Hope that's okay.)I would think that it would not attempt to cover LD's in the 'in-depth' manner the above reader expected, but rather to concentrate more on the day-to-day issues that most parents wrestle with; at home, at school, with neighbors, with friends and extended family, etc. The issues reach far and wide, and are highly complicated. In reference to the legal aspects, this is only one small part of the overall picture. And regardless of how the law is stated - it still must be carried out, before the child benefits. IDEA 97 is there, in place, ready to use. Do the schools follow it? No. The question then becomes, 'What does a parent do? How should they handle it? How can they fight the system and win - and yet benefit in time and still survive as a family? These are not issues covered under the law - and yet every bit as important in learning to cope with, while finding strategies that either can provide temporary relief, or even just hope for the future. In our experience, it is true that the evaluation process can take (6) months, and there can be many, many legitimate reasons for this. In our experience, it was to our benefit overall, as we wound up with a better evaluation that gave profoundly more accurate, definitive data. This book just may provide some rare, highly insightful information you'd never find elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: one of the better books I have found yet
Review: this is a very simple easy to read book on learning disabilities every parent should have a copy or borrow one from the library. another great one to have on hand is from emotions to advocate by pam and peter wright

Rating:
Summary: Little information, lots of misinformation
Review: Very disappointing. Perhaps I had the wrong idea of what the book would cover but I had hoped to learn types of learning disabilities and how to deal with them educationally. That is not the scope of this book, despite the title. It does not address LD in depth, test results and their meaning, educational alternatives, etc. My main concern is the misinformation about IDEA federal law and the rights of the learning disabled. Specifically, there is the sentence that states a school evaluation "can take up to six months or longer." (p.27). Federal law under IDEA states that the school has 45 days to complete their evaluation after the parent signs the consent. PLEASE don't wait months to have your child evaluated.! The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. I would not recommend this book.