FREE Special Needs Teaching Resources

Happy New Year to all! As we turn another page on the calendar, it seems appropriate to provide you with some free resources that just might help your struggling learners have a great start to their new year, too.

So, here is a list of links that cover a variety of issues for challenged readers and learners. It is hoped that these resources will help them as well as their teachers and parents.

Please let me know how these various resources help your student(s), child(ren), or you. Feel free to contact me at joan@brennaninnovators.com. I will welcome your comments!

http://www.senteacher.org/Print/ Many FREE resources for teachers can be found here. There are numerous downloads and printables for immediate classroom use!

http://www.autismbuddy.com/ Aims to provide a FREE user-friendly website that provides high quality printables and resources for teachers and parents for use with children with special educational needs

http://www.watchknow.org/ Free educational videos categorized by age of viewer and content area

http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/4/7181.html Comic Books ADHD Children Will Love to Read (and Learn from, Too)

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/6608.html ADHD Adults Raising ADHD Children: Parenting Strategies

http://www.foniks.org/ Learn to read, write, spell & speak English with phonics & Instant Sound. The layout is in a step-by-step format, complete with hearing the sounds (turn your sound “on”!) and printables.

http://www.smarttutor.com/home/reading_menu.asp Free reading lessons and educational activities for K-5

http://www.softschools.com/language_arts/phonics/ Learn to Read: Free Phonics games, worksheets and flashcards

http://connectability.ca/visuals-engine/ Create visual supports for your child with FREE online templates!

http://www.ldresources.com/ A collection of resources on various aspects of learning disabilities with comments from community members.

http://www.ldonline.org/ One of the world’s leading websites for learning disabilities and ADHD

http://www.ldonline.org/parents “Parent page” of above website

http://www.additudemag.com/RCLP/sub/7059.html Safe Driving for ADD/ADHD Teen Drivers

http://www.FocusandRead.com For focusing tools that help children and adults with reading challenges

http://www.BrennanInnovators.com For info and support about reading challenges, ADHD, dyslexia and other issues

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com For ADHD focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For ADHD info and support
314-892-3897

Graphic courtesy of: http://www.school-clip-art.com/

Can "Color" Make a Difference for Some Readers?

Did you know that the white background on a page of text can be "visually offensive" to some readers? Most definitely! By changing the background color of a page of print, focus, concentration, comprehension, and retention can be improved for many. Certain colors can actually "unblock" pathways in the brain, making it possible to improve brain connectivity. This can result in improved reading success.

At several recent conferences, many parents, teachers, and students were able to test colored overlays and the Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759) that were available for them. For some, yellow overlays worked well to bring words into focus and to "stop the letters from moving". For others, amber (an orange color), green, deep blue, or tan (like the blog here) worked best.

For those readers who needed color AND focusing help, the Reading Focus Card kits were the best option. With a choice of blue, yellow, and clear/non-glare reading window filters in every kit, readers can customize their Reading Focus Cards to suit their individual reading needs.

Developmental optometrists can evaluate and diagnose individual reading problems. Many times, the treatment will involve vision therapy or other options. This can be expensive and time consuming; however, the benefits can be significant.

An inexpensive and timesaving alternative can be the introduction of colored overlays or the use of Reading Focus Cards. They certainly provided some much needed help for readers at the recent conferences.

Source

Press release: Patented ADHD Reading Tools Can Help ALL Kinds of Readers
http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/patented-adhd-reading-tools-can-help-all-kinds-readers

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com For ADHD focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For ADHD info and support
314-892-3897

Strategies for Attention Challenges

Strategies and Accommodations for Challenged Learners

Learning does not come easily for every student. Sometimes because of learning differences, disabilities and even learning styles, individual students learn differently and at different rates. Parents and teachers often look for specific strategies and resources to assist struggling readers and learners, especially those with ADHD, dyslexia, or other issues that can affect student reading ability.

Here are just a few that you might consider for the challenged student(s) in your life:

1. Have the course and book content available via audiotape.

2. Use a portable, hand-held spell checker (such as the Franklin Spelling Ace) for unknown words.

3. Use graph paper or other tools like the Reading Focus Card for math to promote accurate placeholder work.

4. Use interactive computer reading programs that require only a limited number of tasks at a time.

5. Underline or highlight important key words in a set of directions BEFORE beginning an assignment.

6. Fold a worksheet so that only a small amount of text, information, or problems is visible at one time. Using individualized tools can help with this as well.

7. Allow for moving to optional work areas with less distraction.

8. Allow for the experience of a variety of sensory learning techniques such as those from the use of a computer, tape recorder, projector, and manipulatives. The more senses you appeal to in the learning process, the more success the student will experience.

9. Use word processors or computers to complete written work, especially when writing is a struggle.

10. Allow for kneeling or standing at a desk (if needed), as long as it does not cause problems or distractions for others.

11. Have access to a copy of prepared notes, especially after a teaching session or discussion.

12. Arrange for a second set of textbooks at home so that materials are always at hand when needed.

13. Use very low-volume music (instrumental) or environmental sounds (seashore or other nature sounds) while doing independent work.

14. Work cooperatively at times with others as part of a "buddy" system of support.

15. Use colored paper for all printed materials including worksheets, outlines, notes, etc. Experiment with pastels as well as bright shades. One particular color may produce the best results for an individual.

16. Consider colored overlays or the Reading Focus Cards for focus and reading challenges because the white background of a page of text can be visually “offensive” to some readers/learners.

Copyright 2010 Brennan Innovators, LLC

For more information:

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com For ADHD focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For ADHD info and support
314-892-3897