How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop

“Life without friends is a lonely and barren existence,” but that’s a common fate for children who fail to develop proper social skills, writes veteran special education teacher Lavoie in his insightful guidebook to helping children with learning disabilities overcome social skill deficits. Eschewing sink-or-swim and carrot-and-stick approaches, Lavoie stresses communication and patience for parents looking to guide their children through the maze of social interactions encountered daily, from arranging successful play dates and navigating the hidden curriculum of school, to language difficulties, social anxieties and family issues. Lavoie, who has taught and worked in the special education field for over 30 years, shows how to detect learning disabilities, discusses their impact on a child’s social development and provides strategies for implementing behavior change.

Backed by decades of experience in the classroom, Lavoie explodes common myths and gives specific advice for motivating children with learning disabilities. He outlines parents’ and teachers’ roles, suggesting ways in which they can work together to encourage any child to reach his or her potential. Finally, he reveals what we can learn from some of the most powerful motivators in the world: advertisers. With empathy and understanding, Lavoie offers parents and teachers the key to unlocking enthusiasm and responsiveness, proving any child can be motivated to learn.

This book identifies the six attributes that lead to success for children with learning disabilities — self-awareness, proactivity, perseverance, goal-setting, social support systems, and emotional coping strategies — and presents structured activities that foster those traits in students. Each of the 60 fun, ready-to-use activities contains a lesson plan and reproducible student worksheet, complete with modifications, accommodations, and helpful teaching tips.