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A guest Blog post by Karen Laughlin, a parent educator at the Exceptional Children's Assistance Center, the Parenting Training and Information (PTI) Center in North Carolina.
In hindsight, I may have been a bit over confident when my third child came along. After all, her older brother and sister were happy kids and great students. Yes, Carly was a quirky little girl and she seemed to need more "handling" than I was used to, but we always thought that was because she was our youngest. She was clearly smart, funny, and likeable...except when she wasn't, but didn't all kids have ups and downs? This changed abruptly when her third grade class was learning multiplication. While other kids were earning the cherry on top of the banana split on the bulletin board by mastering 9's and 10's, Carly couldn't get past the 2's and had only a scoop of vanilla ice cream in her bowl. No amount of drilling at home helped, and she came home crying about her almost empty bowl every night. I was at a loss-if working harder didn't help, what else could we do?

Fast forwarding to the present, Carly is 19 and we've known since she was about nine that her brain works differently-she has been diagnosed with both a learning disability in math and ADHD. Over the last ten years, I've learned a lot about both of those conditions, about brains, executive functions, and the ups and downs of special education. This all helped me to understand how a learning disability affects much more than learning academic skills, and I've used this knowledge to help Carly understand herself and to explain her LD/ADHD to others.

My most important lessons have been lessons of the heart, maybe even of the soul. I've learned to dig deeper as a parent and find the patience and understanding that Carly needed so that home could be a safe space after a long, hard, and often discouraging day at school. I've learned that there is no "one size fits all" parenting style for kids like Carly, and that I needed to be flexible in my approach to her. I've learned that however confusing it is to raise a child who is uneven in her abilities, it is much more challenging and confusing to BE that child every day.

As Carly struggled with so many aspects of high school, I had to confront my own expectations for her future, and to accept that each child finds her own path, and her own sense of timing. There are many good paths, and I am a better person for learning this lesson.

When I asked Carly what I should include in this post, she didn't hesitate to answer, "Tell them that their kids are trying, even when they wish the results were better." Did I forget to mention that besides having trouble relating to numbers, my daughter is a compassionate, insightful, loyal, and articulate 19 year old? These qualities, more than any academic strength, will bring her joy in life, and isn't that what all parents want for their children?

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Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Blog

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A guest Blog post by Karen Laughlin, a parent educator at the Exceptional Children's Assistance Center, the Parenting Training and Information (PTI) Center in North Carolina. In hindsight, I may have been a bit over confident when my third child came along. After all, her older brother and sister were happy kids and great students.

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Having a learning disability is different for every individual. Each individual goes through different obstacles and experiences in regards to their learning disability. For example Gavin Newsom learned that he had dyslexia when he was 7 to 8 years old. It stated that, "The thing for me was stress, the frustration, the anxiety, this self-esteem issue- that I'm just dumb, I'm not capable" (TheUnderstoodTeam,2014). This article truly emphasizes the difference between how many people feel in regards to their personal learning disability. You can never assume how someone may be feeling because everyone is different and this article really exposes that.

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Have you heard? October is ADHD Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, and Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. Help us inform and empower families by sharing these personal stories. We have one for each day of the month from celebrities, experts, parents, and kids who learn and think differently.

I was tired of hating math. I was tired of thinking I was inadequate. Everyone wanted to help me succeed-my mom, my teachers, and my friends. The only person left was myself. I had to see my dyscalculia for what it was-something that made me different, but not dumb or less than. Math was hard for me but it wasn't impossible. There was nothing wrong with getting help for my challenges.

My oldest child is very active. When he started first grade, he couldn't sit still in class, and I was worried because I know ADHD runs in my family. One day I went to observe him in class, and I was surprised to see his teacher allowed him to move around while she was teaching. She didn't mind as long as it helped him learn and didn't disrupt the other kids. By the end of the school year, and thanks to the informal supports she gave him, my son was able to pay attention and participate in class, and most important, he was happy!

In fourth grade, we helped Mari practice how to respond if someone teased her about being a slow reader. The first step: Agree with the teaser. Then state something obvious-but not unkind-about that person. "Yes, I'm a slow reader, and you're shorter than me. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" Role-playing was so important. The right kind of matters a lot, but you also have to protect your child's soul. Now that my daughter is older, she knows there's no shame in dyslexia. It's on her resume, that she was part of a mentoring program at Yale for students with disabilities.

I had trouble concentrating in school, and it really affected my grades and self-confidence. I had to work and try very hard to get ahead. I think that learning those skills and pushing myself helped me become the person that I am. [ADHD] inspired a work ethic in me that I may not have had, if I hadn't had those struggles growing up. ... I do things that help me focus. I have a quiet time every day. I have learned when my mind has gone off in every direction that I need to focus.

Having a child who struggles with sensory processing makes me realize all the things I used to take for granted. Trick-or-treating is overwhelming and uncomfortable for my son. He doesn't enjoy running barefoot through a sprinkler. But understanding his struggles makes it more gratifying when we find ways for him to experience typical childhood rites of passage. We planned our Disney trip using a ride guide and a calendar to help us avoid crowds. We also brought noise-canceling headphones and delighted in his pure, laugh-out-loud joy in being, as he put it, "just a regular boy but with ear cymbals."

I first learned I had dyslexia when I was 7 or 8 years old ... My mom never allowed me to use it as an excuse. She would always be there to help supplement and always there to make sure that I was getting that support during the summer months. And she'd work a little harder to make sure there were the resources to do it and always taught me it's OK. The thing for me was stress, the frustration, the anxiety, this self-esteem issue-that I'm just dumb, I'm not capable. And so her thing was just being a mentor and a coach and saying it's OK, it's OK, it's OK.

Accepting that you learn differently is not the biggest challenge-it's having confidence in how you learn differently. I got a C in freshman chemistry and spent another year trying to learn against the grain. Then I set all of my schoolwork aside and turned my mom's one-car garage into a no-car machine shop. By learning through my own projects, I raised my grades, graduated, and am now in a chemistry lab pursuing my PhD in bioengineering. Remember: There are many people with learning disabilities and ADHD. But there is no one who learns exactly like you do.

There was a time when I could not get my son to read a book, even if I handed him a crisp $20 bill. Can you imagine? My husband and I write books! As parents of kids with dyslexia and ADHD, it took some trial and error for us to . We've learned that if we're preaching about reading-if our tone says " this is good for you "-that won't work. It's like saying, "Hey, kids, let's go get some dental work done! It's good for you!" We've also discovered that many activities fall under the umbrella of reading. Looking at fashion blogs, comics, or recipes-all of that counts.

I learn and think differently, and have always had significant problems with handwriting. I still hate to have to write something by hand. Thank goodness for computers-although they didn't exist when I was kid. I still hold my pen with an unorthodox grip and have to take breaks when writing by hand. I should point out that my dysgraphia hasn't stopped me from writing hit songs, a movie, and numerous articles. Difficulty with handwriting is not a reflection of intelligence or creativity.

- , Understood expert and a former dean at New York Institute of Technology

- Eliana Tardio, blogger and diversity director at a PTI Center

The day I was diagnosed with ADHD, my life changed. I was 21, drifting and confused. For as long as I could remember, I'd struggled to stay afloat. And after a disastrous freshman year of college, my self-esteem was at an all-time low. As the doctor explained the diagnosis, I felt a wave of relief crashing over me. I had spent years thinking of my ADHD symptoms as personal failings. Now I see them for what they are: patterns that point to a brain that works differently, something I can manage and embrace. Getting diagnosed was a turning point that helped me begin building a brighter, better future.

Getting lost in my own neighborhood, being unable to use openers or fasten my laces, not making friends so easily, getting food all over myself when I tried to eat-realizing that all these things were interconnected and they had a name was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Finally I could feel at home in my head, and know that I wasn't bad or lazy, just differently wired.

I remember in second grade wanting to read the books my friends were reading, but I didn't understand any of the words. They looked like blobs. I've been working with Ms. Henkels. She's my dyslexia teacher. (That's what I call my reading specialist.) She is very awesome at helping me. I don't have to pretend to read anymore. I also use Bookshare. I get it through my school. It highlights the words so you can see them while the computer reads them out loud. My favorite books so far are The 39 Clues and Percy Jackson. Percy's father is Poseidon, and Percy is a demigod-half-human, half-god. The book says Percy has dyslexia and ADHD, just like me. I think that's awesome.

My sister was never tested for learning and thinking differences. My mother never asked about an IEP. Our family just didn't know these were options. To this day, my sister struggles with . She struggles with both reading and writing. But she's never been formally identified with a disability. The fortunate news is that kids are resilient. Sometimes, love and a well-intentioned parent can work wonders. My mother did her best. And luckily that was enough for my sister. Despite her academic struggles, my sister never gave up. Today, she is a third-grade teacher with a master's degree in education.

My dad didn't want me to be a hairdresser. But I thank God every day I am able to make such an amazing living and be happy with what I do. When I'm working with five clients in the salon at the same time, I am hyperfocused. I am in the zone. How I manage to multitask at work I don't know, but my dream is to open my own salon. I was never formally diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. My dad wouldn't let me get tested. He thought I just needed to try harder. Looking back, I see now that I needed something different. I needed something more. I'm so glad my son has an IEP . He's really excelling. The IEP really helps.

Elias "Lee" Martinez Jr.

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At the Heart of It: 30 Personal Stories About Learning and Thinking Differently

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Have you heard? October is ADHD Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, and Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. Help us inform and empower families by sharing these personal stories. We have one for each day of the month from celebrities, experts, parents, and kids who learn and think differently. I was tired of hating math.

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Family Members of individuals identified with a learning disability ( do not use this one )

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Family Members of individuals identified with a learning disability ( do not use this one )

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It is extremely often for children to feel uncomfortable speaking upon their learning difficulties in classrooms. Which is why it is important as a guardian/parent to have these conversations with your child in order to emphasize the importance of advocating for yourself. In the article it stated, "If your child is reluctant to open up about her learning needs, doing a little groundwork at home can help get the conversation started" (Jacobson, 2021). It may not be that easy for your child to speak up due to feeling different in class as well as being ashamed which makes it even more important to reassure them and talk through those emotions and fears. This resource will teach you communication skills in regards to speaking to your child and their teacher as well as implementing advice to your child on how they should speak to their peers.

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"I learn differently."

Three small words that can make a world of difference for kids like me who grew up struggling with learning issues.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Wrong.

If your child has a learning disability, getting them help-working with the school to get an effective IEP -is the first thing on your mind. But helping them get comfortable talking about it is also important. And for a lot of kids, opening up isn't as easy as it sounds.

Without context, the symptoms of LD can look like laziness or disobedience, and, more often than not, that means kids find themselves being disciplined rather than helped.

I have ADHD and dyscalculia. As a kid I was dreamy, disorganized, and really (really) bad at math. I doodled during class and regularly missed homework assignments. On the other hand I was also smart, talkative, and good at writing. The discrepancy made my weaknesses seem willful.

"I was in trouble all the time," agrees Kaitlin, a 16-year-old high school student with ADHD and auditory processing issues. "I was afraid to tell them what was going on with me, so they just thought I was a bad student. It seemed like I didn't care about doing well, which wasn't true."

Kaitlin's mother was working with the school to get her the accommodations she needed, but Kaitlin was still uncomfortable talking about her learning disability.

"It took time for me to open up, but in my second semester of 9 th grade I started telling my teachers that I had learning difficulties and right away things got a lot better," she says. "For the first time, they saw that I really was trying, even if it didn't always seem that way, and I got the help I needed."

When you're a kid who's struggling to stay afloat, drawing attention to yourself can feel scary. If your child is reluctant to open up about their learning needs, doing a little groundwork at home can help get the conversation started.

Assess readiness: Some kids, especially younger ones, might not be ready to speak up, and that's okay! You can model good advocacy skills by talking with your child (and letting her see you talk to others) about learning differences frankly and comfortably.

Ask and listen: If your child is uncomfortable talking to others about their learning issues, have a talk about what's bothering them. They may be feeling embarrassed or ashamed of being "different." Take this as an opportunity to reassure them and talk through their fears or doubts. They'll feel better and you'll have the information you need to support them emotionally, as well as academically.

Once your child is feeling comfortable and you're confident they've got a strong understanding of their LD, help them get their message across clearly with these pointers:

Name your LD: Even though teachers should have the information, it's good for a child to get in the habit of naming of their learning difference-for example, "I have auditory processing disorder"-so there is no confusion.

Be specific: Not all kids with learning issues are the same, so encourage your child to spell out the ways their LD affects their personally: "It's hard for me to hear when there's a lot of background noise, so sometimes I miss parts of the lecture." Knowing what has worked for them in the past-and what hasn't-will give teachers a head start on providing the best support.

Talk about strengths, too: Encourage your child not to just recite a list of things they're "bad" at, but to talk about things they're good at, too, and their interests. This will not only boost their self-esteem, it will help the teacher place them in activities that allow them to demonstrate their strengths.

Express enthusiasm: Sometimes learning issues can make it hard for others to see how passionate kids are about succeeding in school. Expressing enthusiasm and interest in doing well will help your child turn their teachers into allies.

Tell on yourself: If your child has habits or strategies they use to manage their LD that don't necessarily look like what they are, encourage them to let the teacher know. For example: I pay attention best when my hands are occupied, so I used to draw all through class. I heard every word, but to my teachers I looked disinterested and bored. Once I learned to let teachers know why I was doodling, they knew I was paying attention, even if it didn't always look like it.

Test drive: When your child feels ready, go over what they're going to say a few times at home. This way you can be sure they're sharing useful information and give them a chance to practice in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

Provide back up: Talk to them about how they'll handle situations that are less than perfect. And if they're not getting the accommodations they are entitled to, agree that they'll tell you about it right away. This way you can provide comforting, positive feedback, and make a time to talk with the teacher and the administration if you need to.

Start small: If they're feeling nervous, encourage them to pick one person they feel comfortable with-a favorite teacher, camp counselor, or even a family friend, as a "test" candidate they can practice on.

"I didn't really learn to talk about my ADHD until college," says Lauren, who struggled with learning issues throughout middle and high school. Looking back, she feels strongly that finally having a community of LD/ADHD-friendly peers was what helped her to open up.

"I ended up at a school where other students had learning issues and talked about them!" she says. "For the first time I had friends who spoke openly about having LDs. Finding out I wasn't alone made me feel more comfortable talking about my ADHD. Now I'm more forthcoming. It's almost like a disclaimer: 'You'll have to be ok with this part of me if you want to be my friend.' "

For many kids who struggle with the stigma of learning differently, finding out that other kids they like and respect also struggle with learning issues boosts self-esteem and helps bust stigma. It was huge for me.

We all have, somewhere, a list of things we wish we could tell our younger selves. It's going to be okay. You don't have to change to fit in. Your hair looks great. I promise!

But if I had to pick just one thing to tell my past self it would be this:

Speak up about your learning issues. Do it loudly and often. Don't be scared. You won't be sorry.

As a parent though, you don't need to be a time traveler to help your kids develop the confidence to advocate for themselves. Just pass the message on. You'll be giving them the tools they need for a brighter, better future.

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How to Help Kids Talk About Learning Disabilities - Child Mind Institute

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Sometimes opening up about learning differently is hard, but with practice, the rewards can be huge. How to talk to kids about learning disabilities.

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Federal, government, and/or Medical Definitions

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Federal, government, and/or Medical Definitions

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The article from the CDC describes some of the symptoms of learning disabilities as well as treatment and things parents should know. Various symptoms include, difficulty with reading, writing, following instructions, and reversing letters or words. It is stated that, “The combination of problems can make it particularly hard for a child to succeed in school”. Proper treatment for this disability involves extra help and instruction or seeing if the child qualifies for special education services. Testing for learning disabilities can be done through schools or further evaluation by healthcare professionals.

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Author, Jerome Schultz started off his professional career as a middle school special education teacher. He explains that students with learning disabilities may experience school as an emotionally unsettling place as they face frustration having trouble learning. Schultz says he is worried for students, families, and teachers as faculty trained to teach “regular” not “special” education may not be prepared to meet the needs of a student with learning disabilities. He also states, “special education has simply meant making school easier by cutting down the workload and turning down the difficulty level. This practice left us within a large population of students who were not prepared to return to the demands of an integrated regular classroom”. Schultz then explains the “Hybrid Teacher”, who teaches all types of kids, in ways which they all understand. The hybrid teacher can accomplish this by understanding emotional reactions of students so they are able to work around it and knowing that all students learn things in different ways.  He continues to explain the role of the hybrid teacher also including that in order to get students to work harder, you can help them recognize strategies used to learn information in the past, which results in a more positive learning experience.

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By: Jerome J. Schultz

I was asked by LDOnline to write an article about what makes a good teacher of kids with learning disabilities. I hope that by putting this task in an historical context, it will reflect the realities that educators face and the environments in which they work, and that it pays respect to this very difficult and very important task. The list of traits you will find near the end of this article should not be construed as a "report card" for teachers, nor is it an effort to describe the ideal teacher. It is offered as a way to acknowledge both the challenges and the opportunities that exist for teachers working in tough times.

Having started out my professional career as a middle school special education teacher, by the grace of wonderful mentors, hard work, a great family and good fortune, I have evolved into a neuropsychologist serving as a director of a university based clinic for children and adolescents with learning disabilities and related learning difficulties. Kids come to us because they have trouble learning. Many of them have other things going on that make learning difficult, but most of them have what most people regard as a learning disability—a neurologically based condition that makes it hard to do many of the tasks required by students in school. For these kids, the unrelenting frustration involved in taking in, processing and producing information is like pushing a large stone up a steep hill. There may be occasional plateaus or small ledges on which the stone can rest (summer vacations?), but most of these kids experience school as a difficult, frustrating and emotionally unsettling place. Too few know the joys that come from repeated successes; too many are beaten down very early by sense that they are supposed to be able to do what the other kids do, and do it as easily, but for some reason, they just can't.

In the pre-inclusionary times of the mid-seventies and early eighties, college graduates who chose to be special educators ended up working in learning centers, resource rooms or self-contained programs. They had the time to work with a relatively small number of kids and provide them with intensive, direct instruction that was supposed to make a difference. In some cases that model worked; kids learned and moved through school and became successful, happy and productive adults. Although there were methods that were designed to help students overcome or work around their learning disabilities, too often these approaches were not used well enough or long enough to have the desired impact. Also, there was very little done to evaluate the effectiveness of specialized approaches for individual kids, and much of special education was characterized by good intensions and warm-hearted guesswork. We thought that these were the "glory days" of special education by who knows? The pendulum continues to swing...

Over the past two decades, primarily as a consequence of the inclusion movement, we have witnessed a reduction in specialized programs, and a corresponding large-scale return of students with learning (and other) disabilities to "regular" classes. Since a majority of seasoned faculty working in "regular" classrooms were trained as "regular" and not "special" educators, many--despite their excellent track records-- find themselves ill-prepared or inadequately supported to meet the special needs of students who require specialized instruction.

The re-integration of children with so-called special needs into regular classrooms, coupled with the increasing emphasis on standards-based education and "high-stakes" testing, has placed new and difficult demands on students and teachers. It has brought to light the reality that in far too may cases, especially for students of color and whose first language is not English, special education has simply meant making school easier by cutting down the work load and turning down the difficulty level. This (mal?)practice left us with in a large population of students who were not prepared to return to the demands of an integrated regular classroom, especially one in which the train moves at the same speed, on the same track for everyone, where the station-stops are few and far between, and where you'd better hurry to get back aboard before the engine pulls out. The consequence of this situation is that many kids are not being adequately served; both those with learning disabilities and those with other impediments to learning.

So...I am worried. As a psychologist, I am worried about kids and I am worried about their families. And as a teacher educator, I worry about teachers. A lot.

Yet I am optimistic, for I have been to the classroom (hundreds of them, in fact) and there is light. For example, one of the major contributions of inclusion, when well conceived and well supported, has been the transformation that takes place when talented and motivated regular and special educators work together on a team. In my role as a consultant and as a teacher educator in a university that embraces an inclusive philosophy and the practices that support it, I have witnessed the emergence of what I call the Hybrid Teacher—a new kind of professional who creatively builds bridges between curriculum and kids—all kinds of kids with (to use Mel Levine's words) "all kinds of minds." Let me use this opportunity to list some of the characteristics of this teacher, so that you will recognize one when you see her or him. In my view, a professional with many of the traits listed below is the closest thing I can find to a "great teacher" for kids with learning disabilities.

The hybrid teacher...

Understands the relationship between emotion and cognition. Unless she's working with a child who is known to have primary emotional disturbance, she does not assume that learning difficulties are the consequence of being upset. Rather, she understands that emotional reactions and in many cases, negative behaviors are coping mechanisms triggered by the stress generated by frustration and fear of what a child sees as inevitable failure. She does not use this understanding to excuse, or allow the student to excuse this behavior, but to help explain it and work through it or around it. She also understands that many of these negative emotions and troubling behaviors go away when students feel competent and successful.

Knows that students learn in different ways, but does not trivialize this by saying: "He's a visual learner." The Hybrid Teacher says things like: Because testing and my observations have confirmed that Jamilla can't hold on to the auditory images of [sounds, syllables, words, sentences, paragraphs, my voice, the voices of many kids and teachers in the cafeteria, the sequence of directions, etc. etc., etc.), I need her to understand that (1) this task is going to be difficult and (2) that she has the skills, or that I am going to teach her the skills to handle this task, and (3) that some of the other kids may not have to use these tools, but that she does, and (4) that she will be successful if she does.

Focuses on the learner first and the curriculum second. He takes the student to a place of cognitive and psychological safety before venturing into deeper waters of new material. He reviews not what was taught yesterday, but the student's feeling of success with that material. This teacher understands the importance of creating a positive connection to prior learning, of tapping into a student's positive emotions about a task or a topic, and helping students recognize and reduce negative influences on learning (e.g., automatically saying or thinking: I can't DO math!") by practicing thought-stopping techniques and generating positive self-statements that are tied to actual successful experiences.

Demonstrates the ability to expose students to a variety of stimuli, and knows when students are connected emotionally and cognitively to the experience. He also gives students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in a variety of ways, and publicly values these alternative ways to display knowledge and skills.

Is guided and energized by finding out what facilitates effective learning and what gets in the way. The focus of teaching is to minimize the impediments by educating the learner about his own cognitive style, modifying the curriculum without lowering standards, and creating a learning space in which students can feel safe and competent.

Praises the process that students use as often or more than the product, since the product may be sub-standard (in the child's perception or in reality) even if the process is right.

Teachers who ask kids "how did you get that answer" generally get a scowl or a "huh?" response, which isn't very reinforcing. When Hybrid Teachers get a blank stare in response to this question, they give the student a couple of possible choices ("because you took all the distracting things off your desk," or "I noticed that you put on the headphones to block out the noise from the classroom." This can generate an "Oh, yeah" response; the next time the question is asked, that student is more likely to come up with an answer that address how she figured something out. That's the behavior of a successful learner.

Understands that it's not about having kids work harder, but rather that they work smarter. Hybrid Teachers ask kids what strategies they have used in the past to be successful in any kind of learning (in school or outside of school) and helps to translate that skill and recreate that positive learning experience in the classroom. We all know the student who can take apart and rebuild a computer but can't read. The Hybrid Teacher focuses on how the student learned to do the former and uses that knowledge as a basis for specialized instruction in reading. If I child says "I remember everything I see" ought to be able to capitalize on that strength by developing a sight word vocabulary that will jumpstart more difficult reading.

Knows that it's important to separate skill instruction from content acquisition. A blind student may not be able to read small print, but she can certainly learn content. Making modifications in that case is a "no-brainer." Hybrid Teachers keep that image in mind when they work with students with visual perceptual difficulties that get in the way of fluent reading. Remember that when poor readers rely on reading to gain knowledge, they miss a lot of information. Students who have problems holding words or sounds in working memory simply cannot benefit from a lecture that's not supported by visual cues. Remember what it's like to know just a little Spanish when you try to understand those rapidly delivered directions to the airport in Mexico City.

Is willing to take a risk when it comes for advocating for a student with LD in her classroom. To tell an administrator that "This kid will just not be successful without some significant supports—more than I'm able to give in this classroom even though I'm awesome—takes courage.

Examines his classroom practices to identify what works and what doesn't. These teachers are more likely than other teachers to want to work with another adult, ask for feedback about performance, go to professional conferences and inservices with the needs of individual students in their heads, and be willing and able to teach others what they know.

Knows how to work as a team with the student as the key member. Building and maintaining relationships with the family takes time and a sincere desire to hear the family's story. Giving the family the time to tell a teacher what worked and what didn't in the past, or what the struggles are around homework, yields data that may be more important than any test score. Reaching out to physicians to get and give information if medication or health issues are involved is an important skill. Working with ancillary personnel in the school (speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc.) and helping them help the teacher incorporate therapeutic interventions in the classroom is critically important.

Understands that cultural and language factors play an important role in learning. Just because a student "speaks good English" doesn't rule out the possibility that there is confusion between the first and second language or that delays in language processing or reading are related to the simultaneous translation that's going on in the student's head. Hybrid Teacher's are able to read subtle but important behaviors such as eye contact or physical proximity, and accurately interpret them in the social/cultural context of the child. She knows how to differentiate a language difference from a learning disability or knows who to ask.

Is able to cover the curriculum by understanding the child. To consider each child as a unique individual is for these teachers not just a euphemism; this belief is acted upon minute by minute, even in large and diverse classrooms. Each child is connected to the teacher by a line. For some students, it's a gossamer spider's thread that registers every movement of the learner; for others it's a large ship's cable that takes a powerful action to get it to move. The Hybrid Teacher is connected to kids and kids are connected to this teacher most of the time. This allows the teacher to be responsive to not only the student with LD, but all learners in the classroom.

I know that there are other traits that distinguish this teacher. The reader can add to this list, as I will as time goes on. By the way, I forgot to mention: The Hybrid Teacher is always a twin, or has been cloned, so that one of them can sleep, eat, do research on best teaching practices and go to the toilet while the other teaches.

In all seriousness, it is a delight to watch these teachers in action. They are everywhere if you look. They may be young or old or professionally trained or "natural" teachers. Parents need to seek them out, reward them, advocate for more time, money and resources to support them, praise them for their work and bring them flowers. If your child gets one of these teachers every two or three years, he or she is probably going to be ok. Administrators need to pay these people more money, praise them more, show them off more. They are the hope for children with learning disabilities in these challenging times, and my experience suggests that we have reason to be hopeful.

About the author

Dr. Jerome Schultz is a Professor of Education and Psychology at Lesley College, currently on leave to study inclusive programs and practices. He is a Clinical Neuropsychologist in private practice in Wellesley, MA, where he specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children and adults with LD, ADHD and other special needs, and he serves as a consultant to many school systems in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Schultz is on the Board of Directors of the Learning Disabilities Network and is Vice President of the Learning Disabilities Association of Massachusetts.

Jerome J. Schultz, Ph.D. Director and Clinical Neuropsychologist The Learning Lab @ Lesley University tel: 617-349-8570 fax: 617-349-8566 email: thelab@mail.lesley.edu

LD OnLine Exclusive

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What Makes a Great Teacher for Students with LD: Introducing the Hybrid Teacher

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LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children will find authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading difficulties, speech and related disorders.