Schwab Learning, a nonprofit program of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation dedicated to helping families of children with learning and attention problems, provides easy-to-understand advice for parents wanting to take advantage of these tax benefits at www.schwablearning.org/tax. The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation operates independently of the financial services firm, The Charles Schwab Corporation.

Medical Expense Deductions

An estimated 15-30 percent of families with a disabled child fail to claim one or more tax benefits available to them. Many of these fall into the category of medical expense deductions. The IRS allows guardians of children with LD (which may include parents, grandparents, and other non-relative caretakers) to deduct the following medical expenses from their gross income:

-- Tuition for schools with programs designed to educate children with LD

-- Tutoring by a teacher qualified to deal with severe LD

-- Related instructional books and materials

-- Transportation expenses to the special school or tutor

-- Diagnostic evaluations by a psychologist, neurologist, or other qualified professional

The National Institutes of Health estimate that 15 percent of the U.S. population has some type of learning disability. Further, the U.S. Department of Education states that almost one-third of students with LD drop out of school - nearly twice the rate of students without LD. Yet, families searching for information on LD are often met with roadblocks - a lack of accurate information or resources that are difficult to understand.

SchwabLearning.org, a parent's guide to helping kids with learning difficulties, provides research-based information and guidance on the academic, emotional and social needs of children with learning and attention problems. Offering practical strategies parents can use to help their child, the site helps parents to work effectively with schools and teachers, maximizing their ability to cope with the day-to-day effects of a child with LD. Year 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities, by Michael A. O'Connor, provides clear, detailed information on the tax benefits available to LD families, and is just one of more than 300 articles available to families at SchwabLearning.org. - SOURCE Schwab Learning