Life Success for Children with Learning Disabilities

A project of the

Funding for the research and development of these guides was generously provided by:

>Sharon Disney Lund Foundation

>Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation

>Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation

Special thanks to the students who participated in the Frostig longitudinal research on success attributes.

Climbing Tree Life Success
For Children With Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities (LD) affect some 15 percent of the U.S. population. Today, almost 3 million school age students receive special education services because of learning disabilities.

Drawing on more than 20 years of groundbreaking research tracing the lives of children and adults with LD, researchers at the Frostig Center in Pasadena, California have identified key factors that contribute to success.

Understanding and nuturing these key factors - called "success attributes" - can aid in a child's development and ability to overcome LD. Each of the six success attributes - self-awareness, proactivity, perseverance, goal-setting, support systems, and emotional coping strategies - has been shown to lead to successful life outcomes for children with LD.

Now, these innovative guides for parents and teachers offer new tools to help foster the development of these success attributes.

"Recognizing the importance of Success Attributes in achieving positive life outcomes, we believe we should teach and promote them to the same degree as we are striving to increase our students' potential and academic growth."

-- Dr. Olga Jerman, Director of Research, Frostig Center

A GUIDE FOR PARENTS:

This Guide describes each of the six success attributes and features quotes from successful adults with LD who help explain each attribute from the viewpoint of individuals who live with LD. Recommendations for how to develop success attributes in children with LD, as well as tips on how to recognize if a child possesses any of these important characteristics and behaviors are also included. A downloadable version is also available.

A GUIDE FOR TEACHERS:

This Web guide was originally designed to explain the six success attributes and provide supplemental information and materials. Since its creation, Frostig educators have developed more lesson plans and activites. The guide on the website is a preview to our new teacher guide, "The 6 Success Factors for Children with Learning Disabilities: Ready-to-Use Activities to Help Kids with Learning Disabilities Succeed in School and Life.," which will be published by Jossey-Bass in the Spring of 2009.