Letter from NCLD (LD News: March 2007)

Dear Supporters and Constituents,

We understand the stress and responsibility that face so many students across the nation as they plan for the future -- from preschool and kindergarten through the workplace and college. NCLD is committed to providing essential resources and guidance to help ease the stress that individuals with learning disabilities face as they plan for the future.

In NCLD's newly expanded Transition to College and Work for Teens section, we've gathered recommendations for students and parents -- the NCLD Parent Advocacy Brief, a checklist on Planning for Transition, and other helpful resources to guide students and parents through this challenging time. Many of these resources have been adapted from a conference co-sponsored by NCLD and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) on Addressing Achievement Gaps: Students with Learning Disabilities Transitioning from High School to College. In a recent LD Talk, Making the Leap to College: What Students with Learning Disabilities Need to Know, experts Dr. Jennifer Zvi and Vincent Varrassi discussed how students and parents can, with the right planning, support, and information, take positive and successful next steps towards higher education. In his February, 2005 Research Roundup column, Dr. Sheldon Horowitz, NCLD's director of professional services, discussed research on transition of adolescents and young adults with LD.

On the early education front, NCLD has developed the Transitioning to Kindergarten Toolkit, which includes tools and materials for parents, school administrators, pre-K teachers, child care providers or kindergarten teachers to help enhance children's transition to kindergarten. For those children just entering preschool, be sure to check out our Get Ready to Read! screening tool to see if your child has the essential skills he or she needs to learn how to read.

We hope that our continuing support and collection of resources will help you navigate the often unsteady waters of transitioning with LD, from preschool, to school, to college, and beyond.

James H. Wendorf
Executive Director
National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc. 

The National Center for Learning Disabilities is listed by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All gifts made to NCLD are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. I hope that you consider making a contribution to NCLD today and thank you in advance for your generosity. NCLD greatly appreciates your support of our work!