Web Links

Links to great resources, sites and articles!

To report an outdated link or suggest a link, contact our webmaster here.

Reading/Dyslexia Research

[Scholastic] Ten Important Research Findings
http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/resfound2.htm

[EmaxHealth.com] Learning Disability Reversed in Mice
http://www.emaxhealth.com/2/85/26968/learning-disability-reversed-mice.html

The National Right to Read Foundation
http://www.nrrf.org/
The mission of NRRF is to return comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction (SBRI) and good literature to every elementary school in America. Great downloads/ phonics primers!

[ScienceDaily.com] Touch Helps Make The Connection Between Sight And Hearing: When visual stimuli can be explored both visually and by touch, adults [and children] learn arbitrary associations between auditory and visual stimuli more efficiently
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090318112937.htm

The Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center
Wealth of information on evidence-based instructional best practices, protocol on the five strands of effective reading instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension & vocabulary) and then some. Terrific resource.
www.flare.ucf.edu/FLaRE_REESOL.htm

Memory/Working Memory

[Sciencedaily.com June 6, 2008] Plastic Brain Outsmarts Experts: Training Can Increase
Fluid Intelligence, Once Thought To Be Fixed At Birth
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605163804.htm

[Sciencedaily.com] Psychologists Demonstrate Simplicity of Working Memory
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423171519.htm

[Sciencedaily.com] Brain Training to Improve Memory Boosts Fluid Intelligence
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505075642.htm

[National Science Foundation, June 2008 ] Plastic Brain Outsmarts Experts
http://128.150.4.107/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111659

[Pragma Synesi] Games Improve Mental Performance
http://pragmasynesi.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/games-improve-mental-performance/

[NYTs.com, April 2008] Memory Training Shown to Turn Up Brainpower
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/health/research/29brai.html?_r=1&sq=

[EmaxHealth.com] Learning DIsability Reversed in Mice
http://www.emaxhealth.com/2/85/26968/learning-disability-reversed-mice.html

[The Center for Development and Learning (CDL)] 10 Strategies to Enhance Students' Memory, Glenda Thorne, Ph.D.
www.cdl.org/resourcelibrary/articles/memory_strategies_May06.php?type=recent&id=Yes

[Monitor, American Psychological Association, September 2005] A Workout for Working Memory, Sadie F. Dingfelder
New research suggests that mental exercises might enhance one of the brain's central components for reasoning and problem-solving
http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/workout.html

[NYTimes.com) Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/health/research/06brain.html?_r=1

Fundamentals of Effective Reading Instruction

Six types of syllables found in English orthography, and why it's important to teach syllables and the sequence in which students learn about both spoken and written syllables
www.readingrockets.org/article/28653

Web video with Dr. Louisa Moats/Spelling: The critical role of spelling in reading and writing and what teachers can learn about a student's reading skills from "invented spelling"

Historical Layers of English by Dr. Louisa Moats and Carol Tolman (2008) From Anglo-Saxon, to Norman French, Latin and Greek
www.readingrockets.org/article/28652

Spelling and Students with Learning Disabilities, by Louise Spear-Swerling (2005)
www.readingrockets.org/article/5587

The Center for Development and Learning (CDL)
Founded in 1992, the Center for Development and Learning (CDL) specializes in the development and dissemination of leading edge research, knowledge, and best practices from multiple disciplines that impact teaching and learning.
www.cdl.org/
 

The Science of Dyslexia

[Sciencenews.org] Between Men and Women, Dyslexia Takes Sides
www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/38648/title/Between_men_and_women,_dyslexia_takes_sides

Children of the Code/PBS Documentary Series
Interviews & On-line Videos with some of the nation’s leading researchers on literacy acquisition and effective reading instruction and ramifications for public policy
http://www.childrenofthecode.org/

[Children of the Code/PBS Documentary Series] Dyslexia and Rapid Naming: The Double Deficit
http://childrenofthecode.org/interviews/wolf.htm

[Monitor, American Psychological Association, May 2007]
Twice Gifted: Exploring the seldom-studied phenomenon of twice exceptionality, by Dana Schwartz
www.apa.org/monitor/may07/exceptional.html
 

Adolescents & Learning Disabilities (LD)

[All about Adolescent Literacy; resources for parents and educators of kids in grade 4-12. It is an educational
initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital, and is funded by
Carnegie Corporation of New York and by the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.]
http://adlit.org/

Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy,
Biancarosa, G., and Snow, C. E., 2004—a report from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education
www.all4ed.org

Parent & Teacher Resources

www.freereading.net
FreeReading is an open-source instructional program that helps educators/parents teach early literacy. Because it is open-source, it represents the collective wisdom of a wide community of teachers and researchers. FreeReading contains a 40-week scope and sequence of phonological awareness and phonics activities that can support and supplement a typical kindergarten or first grade core, or basal program. Great “Word List Generator” function and much, much more…

Teaching reading is rocket science: What expert teachers of reading should know and be able to do
Lousia C. Moats, 1999. Developed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), this report discusses the state of teacher preparation in reading, and reviews the knowledge base that is essential for teacher candidates and practicing teachers to master if they are to be successful in teaching all children to read well.
www.aft.org
(Available in pdf; search under “Reading is Rocket Science”)

Teacher Professional Sourcebook (compilation of web links)
http://www.teachersourcebook.org/tsb/articles/2008/09/10/01websites.h02.html

LD Online
A national educational service of WETA-TV, the PBS station in Washington, D.C.
www.ldonline.org/

Reading Rockets
An educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in Washington, D.C., and funded by a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs
www.ReadingRockets.org

The June Stern Family Foundation
A local nonprofit dedicated to helping K-3 general and special education teachers in the Twin Cities area to more effectively teach reading, writing and spelling. Sponsors individual scholarships and collaborates with schools to provide professional development opportunities.
www.junesternfoundation.org
 

Differentiated Learning

All Kinds of Minds Website (ADHA, cognitive disability and LD resources)
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/activities.aspx

Lawlor Perspective
Accommodating Learning Differences in Higher Education
http://www.thelawlorgroup.com/files/pdf/perspective_accommodatingdifferences.pdf

(Central) Auditory Processing Disorders (CAPDs)

[The Associated Press, December 2, 2008]
Brain waves show autism language problems Imaging helmet reveals a delay in processing individual sounds
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27997150/

[ScienceDaily.com, November 4, 2007]
Sound Training Rewires Dyslexic Children's Brains For Reading
(cites Fast ForWord)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030114055.htm

[ScienceDaily.com, May 8, 2009]
Iron Deficiency In Womb May Delay Brain Maturation In Preemies
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090504151503.htm

Comprehensive Special Education Parent Advisory Site
Testing and evaluation, 504, IEP, Parent Toolkit and much, much more...
Concord, MA Special Education Parent Advisory Committee - SEPAC
http://www.concordspedpac.org/

Eligibility, Law & IEPs

[SchoolPsychologistFiles.com]
Erin N. King, Ed.S., Nationally Certified School Psychologist]
A Parent's Guide for when a child does not qualify for special education services
http://www.schoolpsychologistfiles.com/Ineligible.html

Disability Scoop website
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/

Wrightslaw
www.wrightslaw.com


College/Transition

Students With Learning Disabilities - Top 4 Benefits of Disclosing Your Disability In College
http://ezinearticles.com/?Students-With-Learning-Disabilities---Top-4-Benefits-of-Disclosing-Your-Disability-In-College&id=1995003

The ACT
ACT Test Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
http://www.act.org/aap/disab/chart.html

Scholarship Opportunities for Students with Dyslexia

FinAid.org
www.finaid.org/otheraid/ld.phtml
Comprehensive guide to scholarships for those with Learning Disabilities, billed as "the most comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice and tools -- on or off the web."

The Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia
http://dyslexia.mtsu.edu/areasofinterest/adults/collegescholarships
Weblinks to information on financial aid and scholarships opportunities for those with dyslexia.
 

Websites for Adolescents

www.pacerteensagainstbullying.org/
PACER Center’s National Center for Bullying Prevention launches TeensAgainstBullying.org, an innovative bullying prevention resource where teens can become a powerful part of the movement to end bullying. Teens themselves participated in the creative process of developing the site. Through videos, blogs, and social networking, the site’s resounding message is “the end of bullying begins with you.”

Websites for Young Readers

Websites for Young Readers
Pulled from the Top 14 Websites for Young Readers, The Examiner (CO), June 25, 2009,
www.examiner.com/x-7336-NY-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m6d24-Top-14-websites-for-young-readers


Five Strand Reading Resources...The Five Big Ideas

The Five Big Ideas: "Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary & Comprehension"

High Plains Educational Cooperative
This site includes great reading instruction resources from the High Plains Educational Cooperative (HPEC) of Southwest Kansas. The organization provides area special education students with programs that serve students whose unique learning needs cannot fully be met without intervention; believing these students require specially designed instruction to enable them to achieve their fullest potential. HPEC is on the leading edge of innovative practices, built off the foundation that inclusive environments are critical for effective learning and teaching. Great list of publications and websites on effective reading instruction in support of the National Reading Panel's Report of 2000's five components of effective reading instruction – what HPEC calls "the five big ideas" – can be found here.

Phonological Awareness

[ScienceDaily November 20, 2008] Certain Skills Are Predictors Of Reading Ability In Young Children
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120122151.htm

Vocabulary

www.freerice.com
FreeRice provides free English vocabulary practice, and at the same time helps end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free through the United Nations World Food Program. “Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.”

www.vocabulary.com
A free, comprehensive resource that can be used to enhance vocabulary mastery and written/verbal skills with Latin and Greek roots.

Children of the Code Reference Library: Vocabulary & Reading
A series of short snippets of information regarding vocabulary and reading from Children of the Code's noted interviews over the years–including Dr. G. Reid Lyon, Dr. Anne Cunningham, and others.
 

Math Resources

PBSKids.org Talking Calculator
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/calculator/index.html

Visual Fractions
www.visualfractions.com/
Fractions are best understood when visually seen. Main categories include: Identifying Fractions, Renaming Fractions, Comparing Fractions, Adding Fractions, Subtracting fractions, Multiplying Fractions, Dividing fractions, Investigate Fractions, and Fraction Games. Includes 80 different Visual Fractions Worksheets, and Fraction Maker, a program that let's you design your own fraction circle and number line examples...all free! ICCS Childsafe Certified.

General

http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org
National Reading Panel Report 2000
The groundbreaking report from a 1997 Congressional directive asking the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to convene a national panel to assess the effectiveness of different approaches used to teach children to read.

International Dyslexia Association
www.interdys.org

Reading Rockets/Colorin’ Colorado
National, multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. The Reading Rockets project is comprised of PBS television programs, available on videotape and DVD; online services, including the web sites ReadingRockets.org and ColorinColorado.org; and professional development opportunities. Reading Rockets is an educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital, and is funded by a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
www.readingrockets.org and www.colorinccolorado.org

LD Online
LD Online is the world's leading web site on learning disabilities and ADHD, serving more than 200,000 parents, teachers, and other professionals each month. LD OnLine seeks to help children and adults reach their full potential by providing accurate and up-to-date information and advice about learning disabilities and ADHD. The site features hundreds of helpful articles, multimedia, monthly columns by noted experts, first person essays, children’s writing and artwork, a comprehensive resource guide, very active forums, and a Yellow Pages referral directory of professionals, schools, and products.
www.ldonline.org

National Center on Student Progress Monitoring
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has funded the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring. Housed at the American Institutes for Research, and working in conjunction with researchers from Vanderbilt University, the NCSPM is a national technical assistance and dissemination center dedicated to the implementation of scientifically based student progress monitoring. The Center's mission is to provide technical assistance to states and districts and disseminate information about progress monitoring practices proven to work in different academic content areas (Gr. K-5).
www.studentprogress.org

The Florida Center for Reading Research
The mission of the FCRR is to disseminate information about research-based practices related to literacy instruction and assessment for children in pre-school through 12th grade. They conduct basic research on reading, reading growth, reading assessment, and reading instruction that contributes to the scientific knowledge of reading and benefit students throughout the nation. Note: FCRR has recently suspended new program assessments to concentrate on their new initiative: Florida Reads! Information to date is still assessable off the site.
www.fcrr.org

Research-Based Instruction in Reading
www.ed.gov/admins/lead/read/rb/edlite-index.html
U.S. Department of Education topics on Research-based Instruction on Reading, includes information on: Phonemic Awareness, Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension.

PACER List of Disability Resources
PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights), Bloomington, MN, offers a comprehensive list of disability organizations/resources, that they update annually (each September). It is downloadable from their website at:
www.pacer.org/help/symposium/resource%20list-sept%2006.pdf

Assistive Technology

TechMatrix
A user-friendly, searchable database pulled together by the National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) to help educators and families identify and compare assistive and learning software, and related products for students with special needs. Funded by the NEC Foundation of customize America and the U.S. Department of Education, TechMatrix gives users the opportunity to an individual search of products and to generate a detailed report within seconds, for four academic focus areas: reading, mathematics, writing, and assistive technologies. In addition, users can conduct searches by subject area, learning support, technology feature, and/or product name. Its dynamic database also allows consumers to compare features and functionalities of current software and tools.
www.TechMatrix.org

Assistive Technology Wikis
by Paula Walser, MS/CCC, SLP, ATP, Director of e-Learning/Assistive Technology, CESA 6 (Oshkosh, WI)

Wiggle Web 2.0–Wiggling your way through the Web 2.0
http://wiggleweb2.pbworks.com/

Wiggling your Way Through the Web 2.0 - Struggling Students
www.web2specialeducation.pbworks.com 

Science News

ScienceDaily.com
Daily updates of breaking science/research news with citations and great search engine (search dyslexia, reading and working memory)