Literacy & Struggling Readers
People of all ages may struggle with decoding letters and numbers on the written page, and there can be many reasons for this difficulty, including: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Selective Mutism.Alternate/accessible formats for reading
- Libby - an easy-to-use app to access ebooks and audiobooks, for library cardholders. Check out the Accessibility features.
- Librivox: public domain audiobooks; no account required to download; fun to volunteer
- NNELS: National Network of Equitable Library Service - digital delivery of books for library cardholders with perceptual disabilities.
- Overdrive is the library provider of digital resources and offers a dyslexic font option that may help some users.
Assessment: recognizing signs of struggle
- Could it be Dyslexia? - Links to videos and online articles.
- Misunderstood Minds (PBS) - designed to give parents and teachers a better understanding of different learning problems/processes, insights into difficulties, and strategies for responding.
- Signs of a Reading Problem (All About Learning Press) - read about signs and causes of reading problems, including different teaching approaches.
- Three types of ADHD (Understood website) - Starting point for assessment.
- What is Dyslexia? (TED-Ed video) - the experience of dyslexia isn't always the same among those who experience it. Animated video based on current science, with additional links.
Development tools for parents & teachers
- 10 Things About Dyslexia Every Teacher Needs to Know (We Are Teachers)
- Ten Things to Help Your Struggling Reader (Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity) - emphasize your child's strengths when addressing disabilities
- What Teachers Need to Know about Dysgraphia (We Are Teachers)
- What Teachers Need to Know about Dyscalculia (We Are Teachers)
Further information and advocacy
- Assistive Technology for Dyslexics: Whether you're grappling with homework or just trying to get things done, these tools will help your tech adapt to you—instead of the other way around.
- ADDitude - "inside the ADHD mind," the online magazine offers information about symptoms, treatment and resources for children and adults.
- Dyslexia Basics (International Dyslexia Association) - Facts, signs and treatments.
- Dyslexia Canada - a national voice and forum to advocate for all Canadian children with dyslexia.
- Learning Disabilities Society - offers accessible, comprehensive and expert learning and related supports for students aged 3 through adult.
- Understood - resources for parents, teachers and young adults, so that "people who learn and think differently can thrive at home, at school, and at work."