Diversity Guide

In this video, adolescent medicine specialist Marina Catalozzi, MD, MSCE, of Columbia University Medical Center, discusses learning differences in adolescents and how to address them. Topics include: types of learning disabilities, learning disability assessment, and how to advocate for teens. From The American Academy of Pediatrics publication "Reaching Teens: Strength-Based Communication Strategies to Build Resilience and Support Healthy Adolescent Development." 

This 30-minute documentary takes an enlightening look at young people with a wide spectrum of learning differences, offering a compelling portrait of the ways in which these children are able to compensate by using their strengths to overcome their challenges. Many say they are no different from other kids, and can accomplish the same things – just differently. We hear from their parents as well as their teachers, all of whom are committed to helping the children discover the ways they learn best. Kids’ interview segments are intercut with scenes of the children engaged in the activities that reflect their talents: one is a gifted muralist, another shines as a poet. Another boy is so articulate no one would ever suspect that he has dyslexia and has trouble spelling words and recognizing them on sight. A group of students attending Denver Academy, a school for students with learning differences, find that being surrounded by others with similar challenges helps them to accept themselves, as well as succeed academically and in the arts. The documentary ends on an uplifting note, reassuring children of different abilities that they are no less capable of performing great feats in their lives. An HBO Production. 

Often viewed as a weakness, dyslexia actually means that a person processes information differently, and many with the disorder have learned to see it as a strength. This program illustrates the challenges faced by Amanda, Carmen, and Gio—three young people living with dyslexia—through personal interviews with them and those close to them. Viewers are guided into their unique and often overlooked world, made clear through eye-opening scenes at school and home. Produced by filmmakers who are themselves dyslexic, the film serves as a tool for educating others about dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, and for identifying a common vocabulary that can bridge the gap between those with and without learning disabilities.

General education teachers are finding an increasing number of students with ADHD and learning disabilities in their classrooms. This video gives elementary and middle school teachers the tools they need to help students succeed in the general education setting within a Response To Intervention framework. Presented by leading education expert Sandra Reif, this content-rich video offers viewers a range of effective strategies to meet both the behavioral and academic needs of students.  Targeted strategies and examples for small group instruction are also offered as Tier 2 RTI strategies. Topics include: communicating with parents and clinicians; differentiating instruction; collaborating with co-teachers and other staff; engaging student attention; behavior interventions; teaching study skills and written language.