Free toolkit addresses learning disabilities

A free online tool and comprehensive resource guide is now available for pediatric health care practitioners to help with screening, evaluation, classification, and treatment of learning disabilities (LDs) in children.

Developed by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the LD Navigator, as it is called, is designed to support pediatric health care providers and to maximize their ability to help children with learning disabilities and their parents.

The site includes everything from basic definitions of conditions to an ages-and-stages section to links and resources. It includes up-to-date information and addresses sensitive and important concerns. The developers say that the tool was designed with flexibility in mind so that busy practitioners can adopt it into their pediatric practices in a variety of ways.

For example, the online tool includes options for enhancing clinical intake and assessment, for providing referral and relevant information to parents, and for empowering both children and adolescents with LD and their parents to access effective, research-proven interventions and related services.

The site was made possible through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It is an extension of the NCLD, which develops and delivers programs and promotes research to improve instruction, assessment, and support services for people with learning disabilities and works to ensure success for all people with LDs in school, work, and life. 

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