If you’re teaching kids with learning differences in any capacity {at home, at school, as a tutor}, these these books are SUPER helpful!
Need more tips? Visit our page for Helping Struggling Readers and our Tips for Struggling Spellers.
What exactly are learning differences? Learning differences can take on many forms, but could include things like dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalulia, ADHD, Autism, processing disorders, and the like.
To further compound the differences learners have, attention and executive function, motor skills, and social-emotional adjustments are often coexisting difficulties experienced by these kinds of learners. This means we must look at our learners holistically instead of just addressing the academic skill(s).
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Teaching Kids with Learning Differences Book List
The eight books on this list are perfect for teachers, homeschoolers, and others who want to learn more about teaching kids with learning differences. I believe they can help you become a much-needed advocate for learners who struggle.
Please note: I have not read every single word of each book, but I have read enough of each book {and have friends who recommend these books} that I feel confident you can get the tools and answers you need.
1. Helping Your Child with Language-Based Learning Disabilities by Daniel Franklin, PhD
Franklin’s writes in a way that’s easy to read, which I greatly appreciate. He was a struggling learner his whole life, which qualifies him for writing about book about language-based learning disabilities {not to mention he studied under Jeanne Chall, whom I greatly admire as a reading researcher. While he gets in to the nitty-gritty about dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalulia, I love his tips on building a relationship with your child. This is a fantastic read!
2. Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson, EdD, and Richard Guare PhD
Executive dysfunction is one of those co-existing difficulties experience by many learners who struggle with language. For this reason, your learner will also need support in this area. This book will give you the specific tools you need to help your learner get organized and reach his/her goals. If you want to read something more specific for the classroom, I recommend Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents by the same authors.
3. Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.
Some will say this book is the “Dyslexia Bible.” I would agree with that. It’s one that I recommend for homeschoolers, parents, and teachers to read if they suspect they’re dealing with a child who is dyslexic. While it’s a little on the technical side, it’s FILLED with information specific to dyslexia and how the dyslexic brain works.
4. Visual-Spatial Learners by Alexandra Golon
Golon has some fantastic ideas for learners who are more visual-spatial learners. While I agree with her out-of-the-box thinking for teaching learners like this, I think these strategies should compliment, not replace, basic skills like phonics. This book is geared towards classroom teachers, but I think that homeschoolers could get just as much out of it.
5. 7 Keys to Comprehension by Susan Zimmermann and Chryse Hutchins
Of all the books I recommend on teaching comprehension, this one is the easiest to understand the implement with your child at home or your students at school. I love the simple philosophy of talking about what you’re reading and sharing your thoughts to help kids understand the main purpose of reading: comprehension. So many of our struggling readers are stuck in the trenches of figuring out the words that the idea of making meaning is lost. This book can help!
6. The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock L. Eide, M.D., M.A. and Fenette F. Eide, M.D.
So often, we focus on the deficits our kids with learning differences have. What if instead, we were able to see the advantage they have in how they think, reason, and process things? And what if we were able to help them appreciate the advantage they have? Yep. This is a total game-changer!
7. Handwriting: Brain-Body Disconnect by Cheri L. Dotterer, MS, OTR/L
Dysgraphia is when kids struggle with handwriting and/or writing. When it comes to language {listening, speaking, reading, and writing}, writing is the absolute hardest of the language skills. Writing well means we must have a firm grip on all four language skills AND fine motor skills. A deficit in any of these negatively affects writing. I appreciate the holistic look that Dotterer gives to a child who needs to work on handwriting. And while she does get technical in places, she describes terms and includes plenty of visuals.
8. Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World by Jeffrey Freed, M.A.T., and Laurie Parsons
This book is loaded with ideas and tips for the right-brained child, specifically those with ADD. Like The Dyslexic Advantage, Freed and Parsons focus in using the strengths that these learners have instead of focusing so much on their deficits. They also cover creative ideas for teaching spelling, reading, writing, and math.
What books would you recommend for kids with learning differences? Be sure to leave your comment below!
Find all Book Lists from This Reading Mama.
Enjoy teaching!
~Becky
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