Review of Special Education Website for Teachers: Teaching LD

A very practical and useful part of this special education website teachers can use is the "Understanding LD" page. This page can be used by special education and regular classroom teachers. It is perfect for special education teachers, and resources on this page are presented in a question/answer format.

Some of the questions and answers about learning disabilities are:

• What are learning disabilities?
• What does "discrepancy" mean?
• Do children outgrow learning disabilities?
• What causes learning disabilities?
• Are learning disabilities an excuse for poor school performance?

One of the best sections on this page is the question and answer section on the topic of "What types of difficulties should I look for in my classroom?" The answer is divided into three parts--preschool, elementary school, and adolescence and adulthood--with age-appropriate questions to ask yourself for each of the three age groups.

One of the most popular features on this special education website teachers can use is the "Teaching How-tos" page to help students with learning disabilities. This page is divided into six sections: Content Enhancements and Adaptations, Reading, Written Language, Math, Transition and Technology, and Teaching Hints. Many articles from the magazine, Teaching Exceptional Children, are archived in these six sections and resources are available in pdf files. In order to access and read an article you are interested in on your computer, you must have installed Acrobat Reader.

This part of the special education website is extremely easy to use. Click on the tab for the section you need resources for such as Reading. You are then taken to a screen with articles about teaching reading. Review the titles and click on the PDF link to read the article.

Two pages on the special education website teachers can access are "LD Resources" and "Conferences." The LD Resources page is helpful for special education teachers and resources are listed by categories. For example, on this page, you could find special education resources about learning disabilities for current practices, research and practice, inclusion, and interventions. Several lists are provided by clicking on the category links such as: sources for instructional practices, professional organizations, national centers and educational databases, and lesson plans.

On the Conferences page of this special education website, teachers will find listings for national and regional Division of Learning Disabilities conferences.

The Teaching LD website is the perfect starting place for special education teachers or regular classroom teachers who are instructing students with learning disabilities and need some free resources and tips!