Written by Cristine R. Jimenez, Language Stimulation Specialist The new school year is just around the corner and its time to start thinking about the many ways you can help your children have an excellent academic school year. Having a child with special needs is not an easy task; especially during the school year. School brings stress and discomfort for many families especially when they feel their child is not learning. Going to school alone is not enough; your children need your love, support, and help in order to succeed. No matter what age, grade, or gender your child is, these tips are sure to improve grades, and advocate to better learning! Set up a positive study area in your home- rather than allowing your child to study in front of the television, set up an area designated for quiet study time. A great place is the kitchen table where you can supervise your child without disrupting. Special needs children need their complete and undivided attention on a specific task in order to understand it. Take away any distractions that may be in the way. Siblings should also sit down and do their homework as well. This will show your…

What You Need to Know About Learning Disabilities Most people think a learning disability is a problem where a child cannot learn. That is simply not the case; a learning disability should be a called a learning difficulty, because the issue really lies within grasping and storing information. One of the key signs of LD is the child will learn something, at least you think he learned it, and then the next time you inquire about it, he/she has no clue. The biggest problem with LD is the following, if the learning disability is not detected, the issue will worsen over time. I am writing this article to inform our community on learning disorders. This is a very common issue amongst children and like autism, one that cannot be cured. But, it can be modified and facilitated through an array of intervention methods. What is a Learning Disability? There are some key factors you need to know before we continue our discussion on learning disabilities: 1.    A child with LD is NOT dumb- in fact; he/she may be just as smart or even smarter than his/her peers. 2.    A learning disability is a neurological disorder- the brain functions differently than…