Your Child Can Win: Strategies, Activities, and Games for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities

Ethel King-Shaw is a professor emeritus of curriculum and instruction at
the University of Calgary.

Parents of children who have a learning disability will find many uses for this timely book. The co-authors are both mothers of two children and have many years of experience in working with learning disabled children. Joan Noyes is a resource teacher in special education for the Peel County Board of Education and Norma Macneill has worked with similar children in recreational programs.

Throughout the book the reader senses the empathy the authors have for parents of learning disabled children. References to anecdotes will make it easy for parents to identify with the problems others are having. No attempt is made to give theoretical explanations of the causes of the problems; the focus is on helping parents deal with the situation in a practical way for day-to-day living. The approach to the challenge parents face is definitely a positive one so that they will feel they are contributing in a worthwhile manner to the overall development of the child.

Specific guidance is offered in effective parenting techniques, using transactional analysis, using contracts and conditioning, maintaining balance in structuring the child’s home life, assisting the child in adjusting to life outside the home, interpreting a psycho-educational assessment, and communicating with the teacher. A special section is devoted to setting up a recreational learning program.

Nearly one-third of the book contains games and activities (over 100) that are easy to make or carry out in the home. Although the authors claim the games are “original,” several will be recognized as old favorites and many lend themselves to variations. Of particular importance is the identification of specific skills that can be fostered.

The book is an extremely valuable one for parents of children with learning problems, and especially for the parent who becomes aware of the situation initially. It offers hope, insights, and constructive suggestions for caring parents.