Learning how to read, write and/or do math sometimes causes headaches, stomachaches, anxiety or sleepless nights for kids that learn differently or have a learning disability. How is it that something so easy for some can be so challenging for others?

Let’s meet Kyle:

Kyle is 10 years old and learns differently. He desperately wants to learn to read so he can be just like his friends. He knows that letters form words but when he looks at the page, the letters are scattered across the page, and not in rows at all. The teacher encourages him to sound out the word and Kyle tries hard but all the vowels sound the same to him. His puts all his effort into trying to make the connections. He places his head in his hands and wants to run as far as he can to get away. Why is it so easy for his friends but so hard for him? 

There are more children in our classrooms that feel like Kyle,  that are trying to keep up but are sinking in the process. They need direct intervention and explicit instruction to embark on the road to success.

We, at NILD Canada, are committed to offering hope and help for students that learn differently. In our Educational Therapy, we are committed to empowering students to use their strengths to build up their weaknesses. We focus on helping students think for themselves, to make new neurological connections so that students, like Kyle, CAN learn more easily. In our What to Learn culture, we focus on How to Learn – so that ALL learners succeed.

We are thrilled to launch this blog as a place to share ideas, encouragement and hope for parents, for teachers, and for friends of kids, like Kyle, that learn differently. Our team is excited and ready to go!

Let me introduce The Blogging Team:

	Barbara – is a homeschool mom and an NILD Educational Therapist. She is the Staff Writer and Editor for HSLDA Canada. She has been blogging for quite some time and we are thrilled to have her share her wisdom.
	Jane – is a retired special education teacher and vice principal, as well as an NILD Certified Educational Therapist. She is eager to follow her life-long interest in writing by sharing her experience with us.
	Verina – is an NILD Certified Educational Therapist and iLs practitioner, working in her own private practice. She enjoys working with her amazing students and seeing their progress.
	Diane – that’s me! I am an NILD Certified Educational Therapist, Marketing Director for NILD Canada and director of GeerLINKS Educational Therapy. My passion is to encourage parents, students and therapists.

 
We hope that you will follow our blog. Please share it with anyone you know that has or works with kids that learn differently. They might need some encouragement along the way!

National Institute for Learning Development is a non profit organization committed to training educators to become Educational Therapists to help children with learning difficulties. Please check out our website www.nildcanada.org to find a therapist in your area or to sign up for the training courses.