Thinking
Differently

New book provides strategies for
a successful school year
for kids with learning differences.

Jackie Headapohl I Managing Editor

F

or many kids
with learning
differences, back-
to-school time means a
return to the lowest read-
ing group, a daily struggle
to keep up with their
peers and finish their
homework, and the bruis-
ing of their self-esteem as
these "square pegs" try to
fit into the "round hole"
that's expected of them in
a traditional classroom.
A new book by Jewish
author David Flink,

parents had the sense that I
was trying really hard, but
there was a frustration of
not knowing what to do"
he says,
Flink adds, "I felt that I
An Inspiring Guide for
couldn't have the same kind
Parents of Children
of Jewish education my
with Learning
family really wanted, but
Disabilities
that wasn't the case.
"After I left my Jewish
FLINK
day school [for a school for
children with learning dif-
Er
ferences], I still had Shabbat
dinner. I made by bar mitz-
vah. When I started feeling
Thinking Differently: An Inspiring Guide
better about myself, I was able to feel bet-
for Parents of Children With Learning
ter about everything in my life, including
Disabilities (William Morrow, 2014), can
my Judaism.
help families of these children make this a
"My family reminded me that they loved
successful school year.
me for who I was, not for how well I did at
Flink, who has dyslexia and ADHD,
school — and there's nothing more Jewish
writes from a place of experience and con- than that"
veys the inspiring message that individuals
who learn differently can thrive and suc-
Accommodating Different
Kinds Of Learners
ceed — and they're part
of a wider community.
"Let's get one thing straight. Learning dis-
And he provides parents
abilities and ADHD have nothing to do
with native intelligence" Flink writes.
with an easy-to-under-
A common mistake parents make, Flink
stand guide to turn them
into advocates for their
says, is telling their children to "try hard-
children.
er" Learning disabilities have little to do
"From my experience,
with motivation, experts say. The expecta-
it's all about self-esteem" tion that kids with learning differences do
David Flink
says Flink, 34 and mar-
well in school without accommodations is
ried, in a phone conver-
like expecting a nearsighted kid to see well
sation from his home in
without glasses.
New York City. "If the sense of self-esteem
If you suspect your child has a learning
is high, that's what allows kids to be ulti-
challenge or ADHD, it is imperative to get
mately successful in school:'
them evaluated. If your child attends a
Often, he adds, challenges in school
public school, you are legally entitled to a
mean kids end up not feeling so good
formal evaluation known as the indepen-
about themselves. "A learning disability or
dent educational evaluation (IEE). The
ADHD label comes with lots of weight" he results will determine whether your child
gets an Individual Education Plan (IEP),
said. "These kids need something success-
ful in their lives to feel good about that's
if he or she is deemed eligible for special
not school-related:'
education services, or a Section 504 plan,
Before his diagnosis, Flink struggled
which may be available to children who
through elementary school, not learning to don't qualify for special education.
read well until he was in fifth grade. "My
According to the National Center for

38 August 21 • 2014

Thinking
Differently

Foreword by
Harold S. koplewia,
M.D.. President of the
Child Mind Institute

Cofounder and Met
Empowerment Olrom of
EYE TO EYE

JN

Learning Disabilities, "Accommodations,
which are alterations in the way tasks
are presented, allow children with
learning differences to complete the
same assignments as other students.
Accommodations do not alter the content
of assignments or give students an unfair
advantage. They make it possible for stu-
dents with learning differences to show
what they know without being impeded
by their disability"
There are a wide range of accommo-
dations available, from extra time or a
quiet place to take tests to access to audio
books, modified assignments or use of a
computer. Many students figure out how
they learn best through trial and error.
As students start out, parents have to be
their best advocates, but eventually, stu-
dents can work with teachers themselves
to make learning easier.

A Success Story
Lexie Sittsamer, 20, grew up attending
Farmington Public Schools in Farmington
Hills and attending Adat Shalom with her
family.
"I struggled with reading comprehen-
sion; I was always in the lowest reading
group, but I did well in math and excelled
at other things" she says.
She said her parents always wanted
the best for her, but at first, "They didn't
know what was going on:' Eventually, she
was diagnosed with ADHD and reading
problems and got a Section 504 plan.

When Sittsamer was
in middle school, she
says she learned how
to be a self-advocate. "I
would ask for and get a
quiet place to take my
exams, ask for someone
to clarify questions or
Lexie
read the exam to me"
Sittsamer
she says.
Now in her third year
at Western Michigan University, study-
ing to be a special education teacher,
Sittsamer says, "Reading is still not easy.
I use books on tapes or I have my text
books scanned and then use a screen
reader, a downloadable app.
"I ask not to take all my exams on the
same day and be allowed to take a short
break halfway through. I made the dean's
list more than once," she says.
Sittsamer was a one-on-one shadow at
Hebrew school and an employee of the
Federation's Opening the Doors program
last year where she assisted children with
special needs — and she is still fighting
for accommodations.
"My psychology professor at Western
thought if I could just change my actions,
I wouldn't need accommodation. But
that's not how it works. With my parents'
support, I took that class somewhere else.
"There's more to me than a disability"
she adds. "I'm going to be a special educa-
tion teacher. Nothing's going to stop
me:' ❑