Living with LDs

LD@home knows that Living with LDs can have it’s challenges, but here you’ll find support from experts and our team, as well as inspirational stories to help guide you on your journey.

Expert Advice

Our Expert Advice page is designed to help you interact with our experts and staff around the issues affecting those living with LDs. Your question can be about a parenting challenge at home, a challenge at school or even planning for further education. Our experts include educators working in the classroom and researchers investigating the latest studies in the area. As well, LDAO staff will use the 50 plus years of our experience to guide you.

With every answer, we encourage you to use it as a part of your process, which may also include using other sources from our partners, conducting further research and having conversations with your child and their teachers to formulate a specific course of action. Every child is different, so sometimes trial and error is a key part of finding what works for you.

Personal Stories

Picture of Abigail

“I discovered I was dyslexic at the end of the third grade.”

– Abigail

Picture of Alexis

“I remember that I didn’t learn like other students did.”

– Alexis

Articles

Understanding Learning Disabilities – How Processing Affects Learning. By the York Region District School Board. Click here to access the resource.

A Teacher’s Journey with Student Self-Advocacy – A Strategy for Parents. By Julia Osborne, Special Education Resource Teacher, York Region DSB. Click here to read the article.

Accommodations, Modifications & Alternative Skill Areas for Students with LDs. Click here to read the article.

LD@home’s Survival Guide for Parents. This guide was developed to supplement the webinar, My Child was Just Diagnosed with a Learning Disability. NOW WHAT? Click here to access the PDF guide.

Surviving Homework: an overview. By Eve Dufour, M. Ed. Click here to read the article.

Learning to Read, The Importance of Morphemic Awareness. By Dr. Deborah Berrill, Professor Emeritus and Founding Director, Trent University School of Education & Professional Learning. Click here to read the article.

How to Explain a Diagnosis to a child: Ten steps to help guide you through the process. By Janet Arnold, BA Psych., RECE and Francine McLeod, BSW, RSM. Click here to read the article.

Keeping Records. By Amy Gorecki, OCT. Click here to read the article.

PPM 8: Identification of and Program Planning for Students with Learning Disabilities. Click here to read the article.

Assistive Technology Available on Standard Mobile Devices. By Michael Kerr, Instructional Leadership Consultant – Special Education, Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB. Click here to read the article.

Building Resilience in Youth with Learning Disabilities. By Amy Gorecki, OCT and Eve Dufour, M. Ed. Click here to read the article.

Seamlessly Transitioning to Summer. A post inspired by an understood.org twitter chat to help parents get ready for the summer months. Click here to read the article.

Supporting Reading Skills at Home: Preschool to Grade 6. By Sarah Calvin, OCT. Click here to read the article.

LDMH: A Handbook on Learning Disabilities and Mental Health. By The Integra Group at the Child Development Institute. Click  here to access the handbook.

Beyond Social Skills: Understanding Social CompetenceBy Dr. Marjory Phillips, C.Psych. Click here to read the article.

Understanding Learning Disabilities: How Processing Affects Mathematics Learning. By the York Region District School Board. Click here to access the resource.

Media

Videos

Video: This is Zoe

This video can be used as a conversation starter for parents to talk to their young children about what learning disabilities are and what it means to be diagnosed with learning disabilities.

Click here to access the transcript.

Webinars

Webinar: Establishing and Maintaining the Parent-Home Connection to Best Support Our Students Living with LDs

Click here to access the transcript.

Click here for a list of resources presented during the webinar.

Podcasts


Podcast: Success Story of Jay Mandarino

Click here to access the transcript for this podcast.

Podcast: Becoming Your Child’s Advocate

Click here to access the transcript for this podcast.