Parents

PARENTS of children with learning differences have many tools at their disposal. For instance, have you considered audio books? They are a wonderful way to instill the love of literature in those impaired children who normally hate to read. Audio Books are available at your local libraries along with the printed copies. Please be sure to tryout both versions, this way your child will learn to connect with the actual written word.

Some other tools include free testing by Scottish Rite Hospital, support groups, and visual aids. There are great strides toward understanding learning differences and the cause of problems like dyslexia and autism. Our children’s minds are inundated with video games and television. Their developing brains are being visually stimulated on an almost constant basis. Why, even baby toys light up and require batteries. When a child sees a sunset he may think, “That’s pretty.” However, if a child’s brain is forced to bring forth a mental picture of a sunset, they use gray matter that is seldom exercised. The evening sunset looked like a radiant fiery-red ball, and it hung low like a huge Japanese lantern in a lavender-blue sky.

What just happened? Hopefully your mind’s eye just brought forth a breathtaking sunset! Don’t you want that for your children? Audio books can be there when you can’t. Exercise your child’s imagination, and try audio books. Imagine if you will, a generation of children growing up and listening to the classics. Books like Little Women, Gulliver’s Travels, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, or The Wind in the Willows can all be a part of your child’s memories. We all know what reading does for mental growth, test scores, and building imaginations. Don’t feel guilty if you haven’t got the time or energy to read to your children every night. Audio books are the perfect alternative for those occasions when reading is restricted or for those who are visually impaired. You are the guardian of your child’s future, make it a bright one. Read a book or simply push a button and play an audio book. Either way, your child will benefit from all the wonderful storytellers who make up the rich world of literature. Literature is the fiber of civilization that has entwined generations for thousands of years.