The NCLD and LD.org - A Website for Children and Families with Learning Disabilities

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2009/07/26 - Updated: 2010/07/16
Topic: Youth and Disability - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: The National Center for Learning Disabilities gives parents professionals and individuals with learning disabilities an incredible amount of information.

Introduction

Main Item

Their stated goal is to empower children with, "The Power to Hope, to Learn, and to Succeed." The NCLD gives parents, professionals, and individuals with learning disabilities an incredible amount of information, all while promoting research and programs which foster effective learning. The NCLD advocates for policies that both protect and strengthen educational rights and opportunities, leading parents committed to creating better outcomes for children, teenagers and adults with learning disabilities.

Through the LD.Org website, the NCLD offers programs, advocacy, education, newsletters, information on an incredible variety of topics and more. The site is absolutely packed with useful and relevant sources of relevant and up-to-date information related to learning disabilities, in a variety of formats. The NCLD credo speaks very loudly and well:

NCLD Credo

Let no children be demeaned,
or have their wonder diminished,
because of our ignorance or inactivity; Let no adults be deprived of discovery, because we lack the resources to discover their learning needs; Let neither children nor adults "ever "doubt themselves or their minds because we are unsure of our commitment.

PROGRAMS

The NCLD started in 1977, working to bring both help and hope to children and adults with learning disabilities. They carry out their mission in three important ways; these ways assist fifteen-million children, teenagers, and adults across America with learning disabilities. The first way that the NCLD helps people with learning disabilities is through Information.

The NCLD creates and disseminates information to parents and educators, giving them both hope and assistance. The NCLD has an online communications program - the very LD.Org website this article refers to. The LD.Org website is devoted to learning disabilities, early literacy, challenges affecting teenagers and young adults, as well as advocacy and policy. The LD.Org website presents online and print newsletters, and interactive programs such as LDTalk. The site also provides webinars that give parents, educators, advocates, and the media a single, comprehensive source of reliable information.

The NCLD is a trusted source of free, easy-to-use and access information concerning learning disabilities. Both the NCLD and the LD.Org website family provide tools parents and school personnel need in their search for national, state, or local resources. The NCLD is committed to assisting teenagers and young adults with learning disabilities to make decisions related to school, work, life responsibilities, and roles as members of the community. Educators will find that the NCLD gives them information concerning effective research-based practices.

The second way that the NCLD helps people with learning disabilities is through innovation. The NCLD develops and delivers programs and promotes research to improve instruction, assessment, and support services for persons with learning disabilities. Greater than eighty-percent of learning disabilities are language and reading based; they are best addressed through early identification and intervention. For these reasons, the NCLD's highest priority is to work towards helping to meet the learning and literacy needs of children between the ages of four and nine years. The majority of children can become successful readers if they enter school having acquired the literacy skills they need in order to learn how to read.

In an effort to help parents and early care providers to make sure that all children have these skills, the NCLD has developed, 'Get Ready to Read!,' an early literacy program. The program screens children for pre-reading skills before they enter kindergarten. The program provides skill-strengthening activities that promote reading success. The NCLD does not stop with just this program.

They are also building new programs and products which ensure that young children with learning disabilities are recognized and responded to early enough to allow for a successful transition to kindergarten and the years following. The NCLD is developing an observation tool, as well as related resources, that will assist early educators and care providers in detecting the early warning signs of learning disabilities. The NCLD is **also*developing an, 'Early Learning Passport,' system which will gather information concerning a child's strengths and challenges. The Passport will be passed along to kindergarten teachers with the intent of ensuring that the child who shows signs of a struggle will continue to receive instruction and support in order to succeed in school. The NCLD is also building programs and products that address a range of learning disabilities, to include mathematical disabilities.

The third important way the NCLD helps people with learning disabilities is through Advocacy. The NCLD mobilizes parents to strengthen opportunities and rights for everyone who struggles to learn, providing national leadership in the shaping of public and federal legislation. They work effectively to ensure that the voices of people with learning disabilities are heard by government representatives. The NCLD launched a public policy program in 1990; since then they have become a leader and national voice on learning disability issues in Washington, D.C. The NCLD has implemented a national public affairs program that includes an award-winning, Web-based advocacy campaign which has mobilized tens of thousands of parents to support improvements in federal legislation.

Below are just a very few of the many things you will find available through the LD.Org website. With so much available through this incredible website, there simply isn't enough room in one review to write about or list everything they offer! The LD.Org website is truly one to visit if you have **any*interest in learning disabilities. The site provides anything you could ever want related to people with learning disabilities.

*LD Basics: Learning disabilities (LD) are neurological disorders that can make it difficult to acquire certain academic and social skills. Whether you're a parent, educator, or an adult with LD, learning about LD will help you support your child's or your own success in learning and life.

*Did You Know: Learning disabilities are not caused by economic disadvantage, environmental factors, or cultural differences.

LD Explained: What is and isn't a learning disability (LD)LD is more than a difference or difficulty with learning "it is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive process, store, and respond to information.

Language & Math: Learning disabilities (LD) are a group of disorders than can impact many areas of learning, including reading, writing, spelling, math, listening, and oral expression. Learn how LD may affect these different skill areas.

Executive Functioning: Executive functioning describes a set of mental processes that helps people to connect past experience with present action. Learn how executive function governs your child's ability to manage time, make plans, and keep track of more than one thing at once.

Social & Emotional Issues: Healthy social and emotional skills are the most consistent indicators of success for people with LD, even more so than academic factors. Your child's ability to develop coping skills and to build meaningful friendships will have a positive impact well beyond the school years.

Keys for Success: Many people with learning disabilities lead satisfying, thriving, and successful lives. Learn what factors support success: the strategies and mindsets people use to work with and around their learning disabilities.

Research Roundup Archive: Each month NCLD's Director of Professional Services, Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D., writes a column on an LD-related topic for LD News. This section features the archive of Dr. Horowitz's "Research Roundup" articles.

Policy-Related Publications: We provide accurate and data-driven information and recommendations to policy makers and the media to positively influence the education and disability policy debate.

LD News: Read current and past issues of LD News in the LD News Archive.

RTI Action Update: Read this month's RTI Action Update on NCLD's RTI Action Network website.

Glossaries: The world of education and education law is filled with specialized terms. Browse our different glossaries to learn the terms you need to know to when working with the school, policymakers, and the media.

NJCLD's Position Papers: The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) is committed to the education and welfare of individuals with learning disabilities. It reviews issues for educational and governmental agencies, prepares and disseminates statements about key topics, and clarifies important issues in the area of learning disabilities.

Learn more about the sites: www.GetReadytoRead.org - www.RTINetwork.org - www.ncld.org

Author Credentials: Ian was born and grew up in Australia. Since then, he has traveled and lived in numerous locations and currently resides in Montreal, Canada. Ian is the founder, a writer, and editor in chief for Disabled World. Ian believes in the Social Model of Disability, a belief developed by disabled people in the 1970s. The social model changes the focus away from people's impairments and towards removing barriers that disabled people face daily. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and achievements, check out his bio.