Does WinterPromise work for children who have learning disabilities?

Here is the feedback we have received from parents who have used our curriculum with children who have learning disabilities. Their children often have trouble with caring to learn if they can’t see how it relates to their lives. Some may also have difficulty with too much sensory input, and do not do well with multi-tasking. They do, however, learn well when they are motivated, work well in a sensory-controlled environment, and apply themselves well to tasks broken down step by step. Therefore, before you begin our program, it may help to remember to set up a learning environment that reduces distractions and interruptions, and does not over-stimulate your student. It may also help to develop a pattern of breaking any assignment down into smaller steps. And most of all, it may help for you to “follow” your student toward those things that catch his or her interest, especially as you begin. Parts of our program have been successful for some parents, although you will want to follow your child’s lead as you choose what to do.

Our history books are often well-received as they are quite visual and interesting to read. It may help to ask the child to read some of the titles on their own or aloud, then read aloud the rest to him or her. The activities have been successful if they are not too easy, nor too difficult, and if you plan to break it into steps. Plan to set the activity aside in the middle for a time if your child becomes frustrated by the process; plan to come back to it later, not by forcing the child, but by interesting the child in completing the project. DVDs have also been highly successful, and some parents have noticed children taking material from the DVDs and using the information learned by setting up play scenarios, literally reinforcing their learning in their play activities. Our program does offer many learning avenues, and often one or another of them will catch your child’s interest. Let them explore areas of interest, and gradually, with time and patience, you might find you’ll be able to do more and more leading into areas that aren’t of strict interest to the student. One parent’s best advice was to make sure above all else that the child is developmentally ready for whatever level you choose to do. As to math, one parent recommended using real-life kinds of simulations, such as shopping situations or playing money games like Monopoly, and using manipulatives to make the math three-dimensional and practical for your student.