Early Warning Signs of Learning Disabilities
	Kindergarten Screening
	Primary Intervention Program
	What is a Learning Consultant?

Early Warning Signs of Learning Disabilities

Kindergarten Screening

All children enter school at various developmental levels. Some have the skills needed for understanding simple directions, working cooperatively in small groups, listening, manipulating small objects and expressing themselves verbally. Other young children need more time to develop these skills.

The Kindergarten Screening is the first step in the process of evaluating these skills. Midway through September the children in all of the kindergarten classes at LPES are screened to determine if they can benefit from some extra help in the areas of fine motor, cognitive and speech/language development. The entire screening process takes approximately 30 minutes and the child’s individual strengths and weaknesses in the areas indicated above are assessed.

Children who need extra help in a specific area of learning are eligible to participate in our Primary Intervention Program. Parents are notified of their child’s performance on the screening only if the child is determined to be eligible for the Primary Intervention Program. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Grace Marinello, LDTC at (973) 696-9150.

Primary Intervention Program

The underlying philosophy of the Primary Intervention Program (PIP) is that children learn best when they are actively engaged and when they experience challenges that are presented to them at their level of functioning. This is accomplished by working with the children two times each week, in a small group setting. Children take part in lessons geared toward developing fine motor skills (i.e. cutting, writing), phonological awareness (i.e. naming the letters and the sounds the letters make) as well as early literacy development in the form of reading readiness and writing. The program is voluntary and offered to students in the LPES kindergarten classes based upon the child's performance on the Kindergarten Screening or teacher recommendation.

What is a Learning Consultant?

The Learning Consultant, or LDTC, is an educational clinician who assesses children, and adolescents to determine learning difficulties. The Learning Consultant analyzes the learning characteristics of a student and determines educational strengths and weaknesses. She confers with other specialists for the purpose of determining the needs and placement of pupils with learning difficulties.

The Learning Consultant’s role is one of helping to establish and maintain an appropriate program for children who have special learning needs. The planning of educational programs and the designing of instructional strategies to help maintain these programs are primary responsibilities of the Learning Consultant. She also works with classroom teachers in a variety of educational settings to ensure that the student’s classroom experiences meet the student’s needs.

As a case manager, the Learning Consultant is a liaison between the student and other professionals providing services. The Learning Consultant provides information and guidance to parents regarding their child’s educational program and progress.

Sometimes the Learning Consultant teaches. She may work with individuals or small groups to remediate learning problems. She can also provide in-service training to teachers within the school system.