As LD Awareness month winds down, I want to share a few words (literally!) with you. They come from the 6 Word Parent Story contest that the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) ran earlier this month. NCLD received over 1,400 entries from parents of kids with learning differences. The parent entries range from hopeful, “No longer three grade levels behind,” and “Sarah is smart, and is trying,” to those that made me nod with understanding, “Silent e’s. She hates them passionately,” to those that made me sad, “Why can’t we find help??” and “Son out of district. Parents broke,” and finally, those that made me chuckle, “We three have ADHD! Go squirrels!” Each one holds important meaning for its author. I encourage you to read them for yourself! In response to the contest, NCLD’s Learning Advisory Board wrote 6 word encouraging phrases back to parents. Those phrases included great reminders: “Your child succeeds with your support,” and “Never stop being passionate about yours,” to things to consider, “Collaboration is a road to success,” and “Good can dramatically improve outcomes,” to my favorite: “Of course we can do it!” Six words can say so much! What’s your six-word phrase?

About the Author

Joanne Meier has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education, including serving on the faculty at the University of Virginia for six years where she trained reading specialists and future classroom teachers. Dr. Meier was Reading Rockets’ research-to-practice consultant from 2002 to 2014, where she wrote the Page by Page blog — sharing best practices in supporting young readers at home and in the classroom.

Publication Date
October 24, 2013

Related Topics

Learning Disabilities, Struggling Readers
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