Other Parent Resources

There are a number of helpful resources available to parents whose children struggle in school.

Understanding how children learn and recognizing the importance of your child’s strengths are two subjects dealt with in the excellent book A Mind at a Time by Dr. Mel Levine, a pediatrician and founder of the All Kinds of Minds Institute and world recognized expert on learning.

We recommend the book The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg. The author points out that as students move from early elementary school to fourth grade and beyond, their teachers spend less time on “how to do things” like keeping their desk and papers in order and more time on “finished work”. These changes can be a real problem for students with attention, organizational or spatial issues. This book contains a number of useful suggestions for helping these students manage their books and papers and, in turn, reduce stress for both the student and parents.

Some children with learning differences have other issues that make life even more complicated. Issues such as non-verbal learning disabilities, Asperger’s syndrome, and Tourette’s syndrome (as well as social and behavioral difficulties without specific names) can all complicate the lives of some kids and their families. For parents of these children, we can recommend Quirky Kids, a book by two pediatricians, Perri Klass and Eileen Costello, that is enormously informative and compassionate. It avoids labels whenever possible and focuses on kids and how to help them. It is a very worthwhile read for those dealing with children whose learning issues are particularly complex and multifaceted.

And, for parents struggling to help with homework, we have come across a helpful site sponsored by New York City's Public Libraries. This site contains information on a wide variety of academic subjects, links to study guides such as Spark Notes and Cliff Notes and standard reference works, as well as links to obtain "live" help from teachers or librarians. While not specifically designed for students with learning differences, we think it will help both parents and students deal with homework assignments. You do not need to be a New York City resident or have a library card to use this site.