This section is a work in progress. Please submit questions you have that will be considered for inclusion in this section: Slido.com with the code #7071837. You can upvote questions others have posted as well.

My child is struggling with reading; as a caregiver, what can I do in addition to working with my child’s school?

• Learn: Explore information about dyslexia and related challenges (ADHD, dyscalculia, language disorders, written expression disorders) in the IDA Parent Handbook and on this site: https://www.understood.org/.

• Learn: Consult the Parent’s Guide to Special Education: https://fcsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/pgenglish.pdf

• Do: Explore tailored recommendations based on areas of challenge/strength in literacy/math by grade (or adults): https://lvp.digitalpromiseglobal.org/ (Scroll down to ‘Choose your model to get started’)

• Do: Explore personalized recommendations and resources for language, reading, and writing skills for children in grades K-5 using the Literacy Skill Checklist (free, no identifying information requested): https://improvingliteracy.org/checklist/

• Do: Explore potential symptoms associated with learning and development broadly, including ADHD and language/learning disabilities: https://childmind.org/symptomchecker/

• Do: Explore options for an evaluation through the school and/or through clinics. Your local state/regional chapter of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a great resource for finding local clinics: https://dyslexiaida.org/. Resources are also available here for finding accessible evaluations: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-get-free-low-cost-evaluation-for-child. The Child Mind Institute in NY offers a free evaluation for qualifying individuals as part of research (https://childmind.org/center/early-childhood-evaluation/), as do many local research teams.

• Do: Learn about advocating for public school services (https://dyslexiaida.org/advocating-for-a-child-with-dyslexia-within-the-public-education-system/) and about specialized schools serving struggling readers (https://ldschools.org/)

I work with adolescents who are experiencing difficulties with academic performance. What resources can I look into?

• ‘Academic language’ can be a barrier to performance for students who are not sufficiently knowledgeable about words used in academic/school contexts. These two (free) resources address academic language development for students:

  (1) The Word Generation program fosters academic word/concept knowledge https://www.serpinstitute.org/wordgen-weekly

  (2) This platform guides educators in academically productive talk: https://www.academically-productive-talk.org/

I am interested in learning more about early language development milestones (before school age); what resources are available?

• Children’s vocabulary development across languages: https://wordbank.stanford.edu

• CDC milestone guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html

I want to learn more about recommendations for media use and children. What is available?

• This organization studies media use in children: https://www.childrenandscreens.org/ and shares resources including a research overview on the impact of screen time for children.

• This Family Digital Wellness Guide is shared by the Digital Wellness Group at Boston Children’s Hospital: https://digitalwellnesslab.org/family-digital-wellness-guide/

As an educator, I don’t have enough time to provide sufficient reading instruction. What can I do?

• If you cannot lengthen instruction, consider intensifying instruction. Free resources include:

  >Practice guide (https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED531907) by Vaughn, Wanzek, Murray, and Roberts (2012)

  >Mini-courses on intensifying instruction: https://intensiveintervention.org/training/course-content/intensive-intervention-reading

  >Overview article: https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599241242124

What is the state of the field of learning disabilities/difficulties from a bird’s eye view?

• National Center for Learning Disabilities provides many resources for caregivers, young adults, and educators interested in learning disabilities and differences: https://www.ncld.org/resources/.