Developmental and Learning Disorders/Disabilities

Mental or physical impairments, or a combination of such, occurring in children.

Sub-headings:

Autism

Developmental disorder that manifests in the first years of life and often limits one's ability to interact socially and to communicate.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

These common, difficult-to-diagnose disorders are often characterized by an inability to concentrate and control one's behavior; ADHD can also include excessive motor over-activity.

Resources in this category:

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
http://www.aamr.org/

"AAIDD promotes progressive policies, sound research, effective practices and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities." Provides access to a vast number of online resources on various aspects of mental retardation and related issues, information on professional publications, meetings and continuing education.

American Hyperlexia Association
http://www.hyperlexia.org/

The American Hyperlexia Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the language disorder. This website contains information about the symptoms and treatments of hyperlexia, catalog of AHA resources, on-line 'toolkit' of advice for parents, connection to the hyperlexia listserv and links to related sites.

American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/

Scientific and professional organization representing psychologists in the U.S. Promotes health, education, and human welfare." Books, journals, and information on the PsychInfo database are available.

FRAXA Research Foundation
http://www.FRAXA.org/

The FRAXA Research Foundation is a national, non-profit organization run by parents and medical professionals dedicated to the research of Fragile X Syndrome, the #1 inherited cause of mental retardation. The website contains information on the cause, symptoms and treatments for Fragile X Syndrome, research funded by FRAXA, excerpts from FRAXA's newsletter and links to related sites.

Learning Disabilities Association of America
http://www.ldaamerica.us/

"The Learning Disabilities Association of America is a national, non-profit organization. Our purpose is to advance the education and general welfare of children and adults of normal or potentially normal intelligence who manifest disabilities of a perceptual, conceptual, or coordinative nature." Fact sheets and recent alerts/bulletins are available at this site.

Learning Disabilities Association of Canada
http://www.ldac-taac.ca/

"The LDAC is a national, non-profit voluntary organization which was founded in 1963 and incorporated in 1971. It is dedicated to advance the education, employment, social development, legal rights and general well-being of people with learning disabilities." Information about learning disabilities on this site includes a checklist of behavioral characteristics of learning disabled students, intended for teachers.