From staff reports

ALTUS -- Research by the National Institute of Health indicates that one in five students has a learning problem. In a recent Roper Poll, 40 percent of all parents reported that their kids were dealing with issues that affect their ability to learn.

Children with learning differences can learn and succeed in school and in life. But they need help from teachers and parents who know how to address these differences. That's why the Great Plains Literacy Council, Advance Learning Center, the Altus Schools Special Education Department, Southern Prairie Library System and the Southwest Oklahoma Community Action Group have teamed together to sponsor a noon meeting Tuesday to increase awareness and understanding of children's difficulties with learning.

This "Learning Challenges Facing Children" meeting is open to parents, teachers, tutors and any other interested individuals. It will be an overview of practical and effective ways to help children who struggle with learning.

Great Plains Literacy Council Coordinator Ida Fay Winters will open the meeting with an overview of learning differences and resources available at the library. Dana Darby, director of Advance Learning Center, will address services and professionals available to families. Early development and indicators of learning difficulties will be covered by Disabilities and Literacy Specialist Tara Davis of Southwest Oklahoma Community Action Group, and Altus Schools Special Education Director Rita Beisel will discuss what services are available in the school system. The sponsors of this meeting hope to increase understanding of how to improve children's well-being both in school and at home.

This is a "lunch and learn" program that allows participants to bring a sack lunch to enjoy during the program. Beverages will be provided.

Darby has donated the "Developing Minds" video collection to the library. This collection features the work of Mel Levine, who for more than 25 years has pioneered programs to manage students' learning difficulties. Levine is a developmental behavior pediatrician, author and professor. He has researched the relationship between learning and brain functions.

This series can help parents and teachers recognize and respond to difficulties that children experience. Some of the video topics include attention, memory, thinking with numbers, language and many other topics that will be presented at the meeting.