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Resources and Help

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The information provided on the Reading Disability website including such items as diagnostic methodology, intervention ideas and resources, selected school listings, suggested readings and various other informative resource materials, are provided as a service to the public and are not meant to serve as an alternative to diagnostic services and interventions provided by such specialists as school psychologists or special education teachers. Useful material presented on the website (e.g., books, schools/agencies, websites, software) is not endorsed by the Blumberg Center or the creators of this website. While these items are deemed to be reliable and valuable in nature, we cannot guarantee the utility or quality of these resources. With great care, the Blumberg Center constantly strives to obtain and maintain current and reputable resources for use by the public.

Where do you go to find help and information? Included in this section are references that address five major categories: children's books, computer software designed to help children learn to read, organizations to contact, sources of information on dyslexia, and sources of information specific to remedial strategies.

The Blumberg Center has compiled lists of resources in the five areas. They were chosen because of the information and materials they provide to assist parents and teachers. Although the lists are not exhaustive, they were carefully chosen to provide an excellent starting point for the reader in his or her search for information.

A note about website addresses:
The Resource and Help Section contains many website addresses that are links to other sites. Remember that websites, especially the large ones, are continually being redesigned. An address that works one day may not on the next. It is difficult to decide on the type of address (URL) to list. One that is so specific that it goes directly to the page of interest may change. One that relies on starting near the top of the site (home page) and "drilling down" by following navigational links may be too confusing, especially if the links are not specific or the links themselves change. (In addition, a website's server may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance or technical problems.)

We have used our best judgement on the addresses we have listed. However, although we test the links on a regular basis, we cannot guarantee that they will always work on any given day.

Also be aware that websites often change and update their content. Therefore, parts of the annotations could then no longer be relevant. However, even though the websites we have listed may be evolving, they will probably have useful information.

A note about software programs:
These software programs are produced by programmers and specialists and are marketed by different companies. As a result, the same software may appear in the catalogs of different companies which, in turn, may be owned by yet another larger company. The descriptions of the following programs were taken from descriptions provided by the producers themselves or quotes from reviewers. These were not examined personally by us. If you find it difficult to access the description of any software, try entering the key word in a search engine. An example of one of the popular search engines is Google.
www.google.com

Children's Books

Lists of Children's Books Provided by the International Reading Association
Each year the International Reading Association publishes "Choices" annotated book lists. Included are Children's Choices, Teachers' Choices, and Young Adults' Choices.

Computer Software Designed to Help Children Learn to Read

Annotated List of Computer Software
In recent years there has been a proliferation of instructional software that is designed specifically to enhance the reading skills of children. The most accessible of such software are listed and described in this section.

Organizations to Contact

	Associations Devoted to the Study of Dyslexia There are several institutions and organizations that can provide help. Many of these can be found only in metropolitan areas. Some institutions charge instructional fees.
	Schools and Agencies That Teach Children with Reading Disabilities There are also full-time day schools and residential schools which specialize in teaching children with reading disabilities.

Sources of Information on Dyslexia - Annotated Lists

	Books for Parents That Are Also Very Useful for Teachers This section contains several books written for parents with children who experience difficulty in learning to read.
	Books for Teachers Unlike parents, teachers see children with different levels of reading ability. Books listed in this section are specially aimed at teachers even though parents also could profit by reading these books.
	Websites for Parents Who Want to Know What To Do These websites provide access to professional information about several aspects associated with reading problems and how to help children become better readers.
	Websites for Teachers Several websites exist which can be tapped by teachers for very useful information. In addition, teachers can also communicate with other teachers and share their questions and solutions.

Sources of Information Specific to Remedial Strategies

These resources are found within the section on "Remedial Strategies". After viewing the resources, return to this page by using the "Resources and Help" link at the top of the page.

	Websites and Software Designed to Improve Vocabulary Knowledge Many of the references are in computer software format. Some of these come with activities books and instruction booklets. Most of the software is in a game-like format, making them attractive to even reluctant readers.
	Websites and Software Designed to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills Many of the software packages also contain programs for improving vocabulary. Many are in a game-like format.
	Instructional Resources for Improving Word Recognition Skills This section focuses on phonics instruction. It contains books and computer software for use in phonics instruction. It also has a list of children's books for improving phonics skills.
	Computer Software Designed to Improve Reading Speed This section focuses on materials and tools to improve reading fluency.
	Decodable Text Sources These books are constructed of words the child can decode easily and read at a reasonably fast rate. They minimize failure, improve confidence, and provide motivation to read.
	Dolch Sight Word List and Fry's Instant Word List Age appropriate words can be selected from either of these lists. Familiarization with these words decreases reading time and improves reading fluency.

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