Where do you go when your child struggles?

At Hunter Learning Solutions, we believe in treating the entire child, not just putting bandages on the obvious issues.

That's why we screen for deficiencies at every level of the learning ladder. By starting at the bottom and working up, we are able to identify weaknesses at the lower levels of learning which are affecting the upper levels of learning.

A comprehensive evaluation process is used to determine at what level your child should start re-training their learning skills. Tested and researched programs are then implemented in addition to making referrals to other specialists when needed. We also offer guarantees with each program.

Specializing in evaluations, treatment and referrals in the following skill areas:

• Processing Speed
• Working Memory
• Visual Processing
• Vision Therapy
• Word Attack
• Auditory Analysis
• Auditory Processing
• Logic & Reasoning
• Selective Attention
• Sensory Integration

Also working with students in the following academic areas:

• Reading
• Math
• Writing

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I would like to introduce you to Danny.

Danny is currently a Kindergartener in a Maryland public school. He is a beautiful, smiley boy in a regular classroom who is keeping up nicely with his classmates, both socially and academically.

But is hasn't always been that way for Danny.

When Danny was three, his mother, Deb, began to notice that he was slowing down developmentally and actually regressing in some of his skills. This concerned her so she began the journey to find out what was happening with her son.

He was eventually diagnosed with autism.

For Danny and other children like him, having autism means they exhibit general behaviors such as impaired social interactions, problems communicating and unusual or repetitive behaviors. It also means they do not implicitly learn things; rather they need information taught to them over and over in smaller chunks before they are able to independently remember it and apply it to other things in their life.

Many children with autism also display sensory issues which make it difficult for them to focus and learn in a large room with lots of background noise, competing visual stimuli, certain smells, etc.

The bottom line for these children, however, is that they are able to learn; they just need a repetitive, one-on-one learning environment to make learning easier and quicker.

Danny wants and needs each of you to get to know him better.

So, his mother made a video about him to share with his educational planning team. Her goal was to assist them in developing an effective individualized education program (IEP) which would include a range of proven programs such as VB and ABA to ensure he receives the help he needs.

Deb is also sharing Danny's story with anyone who is interested in learning what autism looks like and she has graciously given permission to publish the link so each of you can get to know more about Danny and see the face of autism. So, when you're done reading this article, grab a tissue, visit www.youtube.com and search for “Danny IEP 2006” or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-1N-5S-YKM. Be prepared to laugh, cry and ask yourself, “What can I do to help Danny and other children like him?”

And children like Danny are all around us. In their February 2007 ADDM autism prevalence report, the Centers for Disease Control reported that autism has risen to 1 in 150 American children and almost 1 in 94 eight-year-olds!* That means that each of us knows someone, whether it be a son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, parent, sibling, coworker or friend who has autism.

As adults, the more we learn about autism, the better we can provide the specific help that children like Danny need to socialize, communicate and learn. While autistic children can catch up to their peers, they will not be able to do it without our help.

*Visit www.autism-society.org for more findings regarding autism prevalence.

At Hunter Learning Solutions children are trained to overcome learning problems by making permanent changes in the way they think and learn. For more information about getting help for autism, sensory issues, or other learning challenges, please contact us at 518-441-4236.

We have broken the record! So far, we have counted over 250,000 children that read The Story of Ferdinand on Thursday, September 20 and more emails and faxes are coming in every day. Keep checking back!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Read for the Record campaign by donating books, reading to the children, or stopping by with your children to share in this special event.

Over 140 children in our area alone enjoyed The Story of Ferdinand.  It was a pleasure to see so many children sharing the same book and to hear how many parents have fond memories of this classic story about being true to yourself.

The next Read for the Record event will be held October 2, 2008 when we read Corduroy!