5 Strategies to Support Your Child with LD

Let's face it: Having a learning disability can be discouraging sometimes. Children don't want to feel "different" from other kids. But on the up side, living with a learning disability shapes your child's personality and can make her a better, stronger person. Children with learning disabilities have to give it their all to be successful; they need their parents to be supportive and patient, and to advocate on their behalf when necessary. Here are the five most imporant things you can do:

From Spiderman to Mom: How Kids Choose Heroes

"My Hero"

Seven-year-old Ben S. has three heroes in life: Superman ("because he's really strong and he can punch your head off"), New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ("because he's really great at football"), and his mom ("because she works really hard at my school").

Eleven-year-old Jacqueline L. cites her parents as her heroes, and rejects the idea that a hero must be famous or especially brave.

Napkin Rings

Make napkin rings for a special occasion or to give as a gift.

Materials

• Empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls
• Scissors
• Crayons, paints, stickers, or glitter

Directions

1. Cut empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls into one-and-a-half-inch pieces.
2. Have your child decorate them with crayons, paints, stickers, or glitter.

Let's Talk about Sportsmanship

Talking About Sportsmanship

FOR AGES: Six and up

THE SCENE
Eight-year-old Alissa's soccer team is just about to lose its big game when you see her shove one of her opponents. The referee removes her from the game, and she sits sulking on the sidelines.

When Good Kids Are Bad Sports

The Scene
Eight-year-old Alissa's soccer team is just about to lose its big game when you see her shove one of her opponents. The referee removes her from the game, and she sits sulking on the sidelines.

It's always upsetting to see your child behave like a bad sport. But you can turn these incidents into conversations about good sportsmanship. Give your child some time to cool off and then approach the subject in a neutral way.

The Words You Need

As parents, we are in unprecedented times right now as we tackle both working from home and guiding our children through their remote learning journeys. Not to mention that we are doing this in a time of crisis as we face the COVID-19 global pandemic. If you’re not used to working from home, that alone would be stressful during normal times. If you’ve never homeschooled, this alone would be challenging.

Dealing with the Emotional, Physical, and Financial Burdens of Autism

One day you find yourself making breakfast, getting dressed for work, packing lunches, and sending your child off to school. The next moment you find yourself working from home (if at all) and becoming your child’s teacher for an indefinite amount of time. Talk about a shock to the system! As a teacher, please know that you can do this! While this abrupt transition has rocked everyone’s world, here are some things that teachers want parents to know about online learning.

While the summer can be fun and a highly anticipated season, it can also create a new level of stress for working parents as they try to figure out how to balance setting up child care, creating a summer schedule, and making sure there are plenty of opportunities for fun. Making summer memories can be some of the most special times of childhood, but leaving the summer plan completely up to chance is not actually stress-free for parents or for children.

Fun Money

Time

• 10 to 15 minutes

Materials

• Newspapers or magazines with grocery coupons

Directions

Work together to go through the newspaper and cut out coupons for things you need to buy, talking about not buying unplanned items just because there is a coupon.

Extensions

• When you have finished shopping, give your child the money saved with the coupons.
• Select a local charity together and donate the money saved, in person if possible.

Pom-Pom Spider

Materials

• Black yarn
• Small square of cardboard
• Scissors
• Black pipe cleaners
• Googly eyes (optional)
• Red construction paper (optional)
• Glue (optional)

Directions

As parents, we need to admit that screen time and an online presence are here to stay when it comes to our children and their education. While yes, it is true that hands-on learning through play is the ultimate and best way for young children to learn, electronic devices are a part of our culture for better or worse.

Tips for Developing Healthy Self-Esteem in Your Child

Most parents are aware that their child's feelings of self-worth are linked to social and academic success, but they sometimes don't realize how easy it is to damage their child's self-esteem. Research shows that children with learning disabilities are especially likely to suffer from a lack of self-esteem, but all children benefit when their parents take steps to help them develop positive feelings of self-worth. The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities and Dr.