For Parents
How to Read Aloud to Children
You know it's important to read aloud to your children, but what is the best way to support children's reading skills as they sit down to enjoy a book? Look for useful tips as you watch AIM teacher and instructional facilitator Julia Salamone read to a group of AIM 1st and 2nd graders.
The AIM Institute is not just a resource and source for teacher training and research, it is a place where parents can learn more about literacy and learning differences whether through the many resources and book suggestions below or through our annual, free Community Speaker Series which features parent-focused presentations by visitors for our Access to the Experts professional series.
If you live in the Philadelphia area and have a child who learns differently and is struggling in their current educational environment, please take some time learn about our Summer Enrichment Program and to discover AIM Academy either on our website or by attending one of our monthly Open Houses.
Tonight, for the first time ever, our son asked if he could read me a book! I was amazed, surprised, happy, and encouraged all at once! He read with courage and motivation, tackling words he did not know at first and persisting through the entire book. A perfect example of AIM's fearless learning!" - Parent of an AIM 2nd Grader
ONLINE SUPPORT RESOURCES
Child Mind Institute
Cultivating Readers Booklist
www.familieslearning.org
Decoding Dyslexia
Dyslexia Help—University of Michigan
Dyslexic Advantage
Eye to Eye
Florida Center for Reading Research
Improving Literacy
International Dyslexia Association
Learning Ally
National Center for Learning Disabilities
The Reading League
Reading Rockets
Understood.org
The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity
PODCASTS AND ARTICLES
Hard to Read - How American Schools Fail Kids with Dyslexia - APM Reports
Why We Stopped Teaching Children How to Read - Slate Magazine
Hard Words - Why Aren't Kids Being Taught to Read - APM Reports
FILMS
The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia thebigpicturemovie.com/
Embracing Dyslexia embracingdyslexia.com/
Journey Into Dyslexia www.hbo.com/documentaries
On the Bookshelf
Research and Science
Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Berch, Daniel B. & Mazzocco, Michelle M.M. (2007) Why Is Math So Hard for Some Children? The Nature and Origins of Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Disabilities. Paul Brookes Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD.
Brooks, Robert & Goldstein, Sam. (2002) Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child. McGraw-Hill Education, New York, NY
Carroll, J. M., Bowyer-Crane, C., Duff, F.J., Hulme, C., & Snowling, M.J. (2011). Developing language and literacy: Effective intervention in the early years. West Sussex, England: Wiley-Blackwell.
Clarke, P. J., Truelove, E., Hulme, C., & Snowling, M.J. (2013). Developing reading comprehension. West Sussex, England: Wiley.
Colvin, Aidan. (2016) Looking for Heroes: One Boy, One Year, 100 Letters. Think Out of the Box Press.
Dawson, Peg & Guare, Richard (2009) Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential. The Guildford Press, New York, NY
Dehaene, S. (2009). Reading in the brain. New York, NY: Penguin Viking.
Flink, David. (2014) Thinking Differently: An Inspiring Guide for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities. William Morrow Paperbacks, New York, NY.
Hall, Susan. L. & Moats, Louisa C. (1999) Straight Talk About Reading: How Parents Can Make a Difference in the Early Years. Contemporary Books, Chicago, IL.
Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015). Essentials of assessing, preventing and overcoming reading difficulties. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Moats, Louisa C. & Dakin, Karen. (2008) Basic facts about Dyslexia and other Reading Problems. International Dyslexia Association, Baltimore, MD.
Oakhill, J., Cain, K., & Elbro, C. (2014). Understanding and teaching reading comprehension: A handbook. Abingdon, England: Routledge.
Seidenberg, M. (2017). Language at the speed of sight: How we read, why so many can’t, and what can be done about it. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Shaywitz, Sally (2003). Overcoming Dyslexia, A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY.
Stuart, M., & Stainthorp, R. (2015). Reading development and teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Tridas, Eric Q. (2007) ABC to ADHD: What Every Parent Should Know About Dyslexia. International Dyslexia Association, Baltimore, MD.
Willingham, D. (2017). The reading mind: A cognitive approach to understanding how the mind reads. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the squid: The story and science of the reading brain. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
BOOKS TO READ TO YOUR CHILDREN REGARDING LEARNING DIFFERENCES AND ADHD
ELEMENTARY
Gantos, Jack. (1998) Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. Harper Collins Children’s Books, New York, NY
Malchow, Hal and Malchow, Alex (2011) The Sword of Darrow. BenBella Books, Inc. Dallas, TX
Pollaco, Patricia. (1998) Thank you, Mr. Falker. Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, New York, NY
Robb, Diane Burton. (2004) The Alphabet Story: A Story About Dyslexia. Albert Whitman Company, Morton Grove, IL
Winkler, Henry. (2004-2009) The Hank Zipzer Series — 14 book series based on the life of Henry Winkler. Grosset & Dunlap, New York, NY.
ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE-SCHOOL AGE STUDENTS
Nadeau, Kathleen and Dixon, Ellen (2005). Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention: A book for kids about ADHD. Magination Press, Washington DC, American Psychological Association
Schultz, Philip. (2012) My Dyslexia. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Hunt, Linda Mullaly. (2015) Fish In A Tree. Nancy Paulsen Books. London, England.
MATH ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AND PARENTS
Zaslavsky, Claudia (2001) Number Sense and Nonsense: Building math creativity and confidence through number play. Chicago Review Press, Chicago, Il.
ADOLESCENT RESOURCES
Fischer, Gary & Cummings Rhoda Woods (1991) The School Survival Guide for Kids with LD. Free Spirit Publishing, Golden Valley, MN.
Frostig Center (with Foreword by Rick Lavoie) (2009) The Six Success Factors for Children with Learning Disabilities. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, CA
Hamblet, Elizabeth. (2017) From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities. Council for Exceptional Children, Arlington, VA.