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There is a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools available to help individuals who struggle with reading. While each type of tool works a little differently, all of these tools help by presenting text as speech. These tools help facilitate decoding, reading fluency, and comprehension.

There are many assistive technology (AT) products available, and new tools are frequently released on the market. The first step to narrowing down your search for appropriate AT tools is to analyze several factors: your child's individual needs, the particular task(s) she must accomplish, the AT tools that address her challenges and the settings where she will use the technology. Once you have identified these key factors, you will want to focus on the quality, usability and reliability of the AT tools themselves. Here's how to be a savvy consumer.

Writing is difficult. Most writers could relate to the frustration expressed by this student. Writing is a complex process that draws on: our knowledge of the topic our ability to anticipate what readers will need our ability to logically organize information our skill at finding the right words our ability to evaluate our efforts the perseverance to keep working

In a typical classroom, a teacher may find many students who are struggling readers, whether they are beginning readers, students with language-based learning disabilities, or students who are English language learners (ELLs). One motivating, engaging and inexpensive way to help build the reading skills of students is through the use of closed captioned and subtitled television shows and movies.

Autism touches all of us. . . through our children, grandchildren or the children of our friends. It is time to take action to combat this scourge that is stealing the minds of our children. If you or someone you know has a child with autism, here are some tips from a family that has been traveling the path for the last five years.

Each month, Dr. Tracy Gray answers selected questions from teachers, students, and other users regarding effective use of educational technology.

The Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarships offer financial assistance to two graduating seniors with documented learning disabilities (LD) who are pursuing post-secondary education.  The Anne Ford Scholarship was first awarded in 2002; in 2009, with a generous donation from Anne’s daughter, Allegra, the award was renamed the Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarship and granted to two students.Beginning 2012, we are offering two separate scholarships, the Anne Ford Scholarship and Allegra Ford Scholarship. To be considered, your complete application must be postmarked by December 31, 2011.

The Impact on Students with LD and AD/HD The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) was passed by Congress in December 2008 and became effective January 1, 2009. This significant piece of legislation corrected what Congress considered to be a departure from the intent of the original ADA (passed in 1990) brought about by several narrow interpretations of the law through Supreme Court rulings. These rulings weakened the law and made it difficult for people with disabilities to receive the protection the law intended.The ADAAA also has a direct and substantial impact on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) -an important law that provides protections for school-age children with disabilities.   This Parent Advocacy Brief will help you understand the changes brought about by the ADAAA, how they apply to Section 504, and how these changes may impact children with disabilities, including learning disabilities, as well as other conditions such as Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), Aspergers Syndrome, diabetes, asthma, and life-threatening food allergies.

Chelsea Eubank has such severe learning disabilities that her mother resigned herself long ago to the fact that her daughter would never be a reader. In spite of that, Chelsea, 20, is in college, has started her own business, and was recently named a national finalist for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

rom audio books to classroom sound systems, many families have found that assistive technology (AT) can provide a crucial boost — to struggling students' academic performance and self-esteem. Need some guidance when it comes to choosing the best tools for your child with a learning disability? Learn more about AT and how to find the right fit for your child's needs and strengths with this collection of articles developed in collaboration with Marshall Raskind, Ph.D., an expert on assistive technology.

The following articles provide information on the inclusion of students with learning disabilities or ADHD in the general education classroom.

What: Do you need to know more about how to promote successful outcomes for your students in the area of math skills? Come to the MASP Summer Institute to discover how to apply recent research findings in your classroom. Learn the essentials of math preparation that we now know underlie proficiency in mathematics, including the importance of effective instruction. Find out the implications for identifying mathematics disabilities and for planning intervention. This is an important conference because there is a great deal of new evidence about how to foster the acquisition of good math skills, information that is not widely known yet. This will be one of the first opportunities that most people in our audience will have to learn about current knowledge on how children learn mathematics and how that learning can go wrong. Presenter One of the world's leading authorities on how children develop understanding of mathematics, Michèle M.M. Mazzocco is a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is the principal investigator for the Math Skills Development Project at the Kennedy Krieger School. With Daniel B. Berch, she is the co-editor of Why Is Math So Hard for Some Children?: The Nature and Origins of Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Disabilities, a respected book that provides, in the words of one fan, "an exceptional review of literature on LD in maths." Dr. Mazzocco initiated the Math Skills Development Project in 1997, through which she has followed a group of students from kindergarten through 9th grade (so far!). This project involves an extensive study of normally developing children, children who have learning disability not associated with a genetic condition, and children who have genetic conditions that are known to contribute to math disability. The focus of the research is to seek an understanding of how cognitive, behavioral, and genetic factors contribute toward successful mathematics achievement. Dates and Times: June 12, 13, and 14, 2011 Registration opens at 5 o'clock on Sunday evening, June 12, 2011. The conference begins at 6:30 on Sunday evening and concludes for the evening at 9:30. On the following days, June 13 and 14, the conference continues from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The doors open at 8 o'clock each morning. Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Billings Treasure State Salon A & B 2465 Grant Road, Billings, Montana, USA 59102 (near Costco and Best Buy) Tel: 406-655-8800 Fax: 406-655-8802

It’s not a secret that college can cost a small fortune. What you may not know is that specific scholarships are available for students with learning and attention issues. There are also general grants, loans and scholarships. Explore some of the opportunities below. College financial aid offices are a great place to learn more.