BRIGHT FUTURES TOOL FOR FAMILIES
Learning Disabilities: An Action Plan
If you believe your child or adolescent has a learning disability, following the plan below can help you
get the services he needs. Recognizing an area of difficulty early and developing a plan to address it can
make a world of difference for your child or adolescent.
TALK TO YOUR CHILD’S services, consult your
OR ADOLESCENT’S school’s special education
TEACHER coordinator, your local
Discuss specifics about school district, your state
your child’s or adolescent’s department of education’s
academic performance to special education division,
identify her abilities and the U.S. Department of
skills. Education’s Office of
Special Education Programs (http://www.ed.
HAVE YOUR CHILD OR ADOLESCENT gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP), the IDEA ’97 Web site
ASSESSED (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA), or the U.S.
Ask school authorities to evaluate your child or ado- Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division
lescent to determine his strengths and weaknesses. (http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/edo).
Or, if you prefer, speak to your primary care health
FIND ACCOMMODATIONS TO HELP YOUR
professional about an independent evaluation.
CHILD OR ADOLESCENT
DEVELOP A SPECIALIZED PLAN WITH Work with your child’s or adolescent’s teacher to
YOUR TEAM find ways the classroom setting can work best for
Work with your child’s or adolescent’s school, your your child or adolescent.
primary care health professional, and other profes-
KEEP UP YOUR CHILD’S OR ADOLESCENT’S
sionals to design the best learning plan for your
SELF-ESTEEM
child or adolescent.
Your child’s or adolescent’s self-esteem is closely
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS linked to her academic performance. It is important
Learn about special education rights and responsibil- for you to be sensitive and empathic toward your
ities in order to understand the full range of services child or adolescent and continue to help her feel
provided by your school and government. Children competent, special, positive, and appreciated.
and adolescents with learning disabilities may be eli-
KNOW THAT THERE IS HELP FOR YOU AND
gible for special education and related services under
YOUR CHILD OR ADOLESCENT
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. An You are not alone! There is help, support, and hope
Individualized Education Program (IEP) is required for you and your child or adolescent from schools,
by IDEA. The IEP documents your child’s or adoles- professionals, specialized learning disability organiza-
cent’s current level of functioning, establishes goals, tions, and other families going through similar expe-
and delineates the services needed to meet those riences. The following are some resources to get you
goals. For further information about eligibility and started.
(continued on next page)
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Learning Disabilities: An Action Plan (continued)
LEARNING DISABILITIES RESOURCES
Learning Disabilities Association of America Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
4156 Library Road Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD)
Pittsburgh, PA 15234-1349 1920 Association Drive
Phone: (412) 341-1515 Reston, VA 22091-1589
Web site: http://www.ldanatl.org Phone: (703) 620-3660
Web site: http://www.dldcec.org
LD OnLine
Web site: http://www.ldonline.org Council for Learning Disabilities
LD OnLine is a service of the Learning Project P.O. Box 40303
at WETA, Washington, DC, in association with Overland Park, KS 66204
the Coordinated Campaign for Learning Web site: http://coe.winthrop.edu/cld
Disabilities
Schwab Learning
National Center for Learning Disabilities A Program of the Charles and Helen Schwab
381 Park Avenue South Foundation
Suite 1401 1650 South Amphlett Boulevard
New York, NY 10016 Suite 300
Phone information and referral service: San Mateo, CA 94402
(888) 575-7373 Phone: (800) 230-0988; (650) 655-2410
Web site: http://www.schwablearning.org
The International Dyslexia Association
8600 LaSalle Road National Information Center for Children and
Chester Building Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)
Suite 382 P.O. Box 1492
Baltimore, MD 21286 Washington, DC 20013
Phone: (410) 296-0232 Phone: (800) 695-0285
Web site: http://www.interdys.org Web site: http://www.nichcy.org
Source: Adapted, with permission, from Schwab Learning, A Program of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation. 1999. 1 in
5 Children Struggles to Learn [educational pamphlet]. San Mateo, CA: Schwab Learning.
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