YOUR CHILD CAN WIN: Strategies, Activities and Games for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities

Noyes and Macneill can be forgiven occasional overenthusiasm for their (Ontario) Gym Club program--devised by Noyes to enhance ""recreational learning"" through special exercises, skating, and swimming: from their total experience as parents and instructors of learning-disabled children, they present a helpful array of information and activities. 'There are chapters on life at home and at school, on using transactional analysis and behavior modification techniques, and on the learning-disabled teen. There are sensible suggestions as to ways parents can help provide structure for the lives of their learning-disabled children (how to prepare them for new situations, how to organize work and play space, how to change behavior through low-key use of contracts). The last third of the book contains brief yet thorough descriptions of parent-child activities: making crayon batik patterns to enhance fine motor skills and color sense; reading a thermometer (or a map) to enhance general knowledge and visual acuity; keeping a scrapbook to aid in visual discrimination and laterality. Throughout, the tone is upbeat: the authors see teachers and psychologists as allies, though they do provide lists of questions to ask and suggest keeping accurate notes. A broad, action-oriented guide--to use, ideally, in conjunction with bedrock books like Betty Osman's Learning Disabilities: A Family Affair and No One To Play With.