Aisling Kennedy and Lauren McMaster July 13,2011

Definition of Learning Disability

According to the State Education Department: A student with a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which manifests itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. Includes conditions such as: Perceptual handicaps Brain injury Dyslexia Dyscalculia Dysgraphia Developmental Aphasia Does not include learning problems that result from visual, hearing, or

motor disabilities, emotional disturbance, or environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage. Exhibit a discrepancy of 50 percent or more between expected and actual achievement.

Possible indicators of learning disabilities in your students:

Difficulty learning new skills Rely on memorization Trouble learning about time Difficulty remembering facts Confusing basic words Poor coordination Unaware of physical surroundings Difficulty learning phonetics Reading substitutions Letter reversals, inversions and transpositions Problems with planning Impulsive behavior Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs

According to the DSM IV:

Learning disabilities can be broken down into four

different categories: Reading Disorder Mathematical Disorder Disorder of Written Expression Learning Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

Reading Disorder
Reading achievement, as measure by standardized

tests of reading accuracy and comprehension is substantially below that expected given the persons chronological age, measure intelligence, and education. The disturbance significantly interferes with the academic achievement or daily living that require reading skills If a sensory deficit is present the reading difficulties are in excess of what is normally associate with it.

Dyslexia symptoms:
Can't recognize a word they may have just read Cant sound out an unknown word. Slow, labored, inaccurate reading of single words in isolation When they misread, they often say a word that has the same first and last letters, and the same shape they may say a word that has the same letters, but in a different sequence Reading is slow and choppy and often ignores punctuation Becomes visibly tired after reading for only a short time Directionality confusion (b-p, n-u, or m-w) reading comprehension may be low yet listening comprehension is

usually significantly higher Substitutes similar-looking words, even if it changes the meaning of the sentence (sunrise for surprise, house for horse) Substitutes a word that means the same thing but doesn't look at all similar Misreads, omits, or even adds small function words, such as an, a, from, the, to, were, are, of Omits or changes suffixes, saying need for needed, talks for talking, or late for lately.

Example:
"current micltae het in of diwennig praticularly

pratcipiatino, in tohse stintiutions that not do bratitiollnay offer unit a 'leanirng-ruppost', it will vepro to invaluadle staff to medcrae new mehtosb to pruboce crouse matrelias and teaching and, or to gain an stannbigunder of the ffiberent pytes of bifficulties roganisational that dsylexic tsuednts have."
Question: What kind of participation is mentioned in

the passage?

Original:
"In the current climate of widening participation,

particularly in those institutions that do not traditionally offer a 'learning-support' unit, it will prove invaluable to staff to embrace new methods to produce course materials and/or teaching, and to gain an understanding of the different types of organizational difficulties that dyslexic students have.
Answer: widening participation is mentioned in the

passage

Example:

Question: Why might some dyslexic students not be

able to receive similar study skills tuition?

Original :
Widening participation initiatives are bringing in

many non-dyslexic students who would benefit from similar study skills tuition, but would not have funding to receive it. If the knowledge of mind mapping and other study skills techniques can be dispersed across academic departments it could benefit such students.
Answer: Some students might not be able to receive

similar study skills tuition because they don't have funding.

Strategies for dyslexia:

Use a multi-sensory teaching approach

Do not ask a dyslexic child to read aloud in front of

peers, rather do so 1:1 Use different colors for different lines when writing on the board Use flash cards Record classroom lessons and homework assignments Use storytapes or computer based reading programs Extra time to complete tasks

Mathematical Disorder
Mathematical ability as measured by standardized

tests is substantially below that expected given the persons chronological age, measured intelligence, and education. The disturbance significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily living that require mathematical ability. If a sensory deficit is present, the difficulties in mathematical are in excess of those usually associated with it.

Sample of dyscalculia:

Dyscalculia Symptoms:
Visual Processing Weakness Difficulty copying problems correctly Difficulty in geometric shapes and the visual changes as they are moved in space Output Difficulty Difficulty recalling basic facts, Difficulty in handwriting and deciphering numbers written down Organizational Difficulty Difficulty sequencing steps to solve a problem, difficulty Solving word problems that rely on inferences

Strategies for Dyscalculia in the Classroom:

Photocopy math textbook pages Break multi-step problems

down Use color differentiation Use graph paper to align problems Provide uncluttered worksheets Use manipulatives Extra time on tests in room free of distractions Hand-held calculators Talking calculators Textbooks on CD-ROM

Disorder of Written Expression

Writing skills, as measured by individually administered

standardized tests(or functional assessments of writing skills), are substantially below those expected given the persons chronological age, measured intelligence, and education. The disturbance significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily living that require the composition of written texts,( writing grammatically correct sentences and organized paragraphs) If a sensory deficit is present, the difficulties in writing skills are in excess of those usually associated with it.

Writing Sample of 8 year old with Dsygraphia

 Translation: The worst storm I have been in is probably

Hurricane Katrina. It was a disaster. Everything went everywhere. It was so difficult. The garbage went everywhere and our garbage can flew in the middle of the road. When we woke up, we saw it and a lot of other garbage can, and there was hail banging on our windows. It almost broke the window and it was big hail, the size of a golf ball. The end.

Dysgraphia
Common symptoms of dysgraphia include: problems with spelling poor handwriting difficulty putting thoughts on paperwritten content is sparse and lacks content written thoughts are poorly organized Thinking skills involved in dysgraphia: Working Memory - These children may have difficulty in putting written material on paper as they take thoughts from mind to paper. Organization - Children may experience difficulty with simple organization of written thoughts such as writing introductions and conclusions.

Dsygraphia symptoms:
Unusual pencil grip, often with the thumb on top of the fingers (a "fist grip) Young children will often put their head down on the desk to watch the tip of

the pencil as they write The pencil is gripped so tightly that the child's hand cramps. Writing is a slow, labored, non-automatic chore. Child writes letters with unusual starting and ending points. Child has great difficulty getting letters to "sit" on the horizontal lines. Copying off of the board is slow, painful, and tedious. Child looks up and visually "grabs" just one or two letters at a time, repeatedly subvocalizes the names of those letters, then stares intensely at their paper when writing those one or two letters. This process is repeated over and over. Child frequently loses his/her place when copying, misspells when copying, and doesn't always match capitalization or punctuation when copyingeven though the child can read what was on the board. Unusual spatial organization of the page. Words may be widely spaced or tightly pushed together. Margins are often ignored. Child has an unusually difficult time learning cursive writing, and shows chronic confusion about similarly-formed cursive letters such as f and b, m and n, w and u. They will also difficulty remembering how to form capital cursive letters.

Initial strategies for dysgraphia:

Use paper with raised lines for a sensory guide to staying

within the lines. Try different pens and pencils to find one that's most comfortable. Practice writing letters and numbers in the air with big arm (or smaller hand or finger) movements to improve motor memory of these important shapes. Encourage proper grip, posture and paper positioning for writing. Use multi-sensory techniques for learning letters, shapes and numbers.
For example, speaking through motor sequences, such as "b"

is "big stick down, circle away from my body.

Introduce a word processor on a computer early but do not

eliminate handwriting for the child.

Strategies for dysgraphia:

Allow extra time for writing assignments and use of print or cursive. Begin writing assignments creatively with drawing, or speaking ideas into a tape

recorder Alternate focus of writing assignments - put the emphasis on some for neatness and spelling, others for grammar or organization of ideas. Explicitly teach different types of writing expository and personal essays, short stories, poems, etc. Do not judge timed assignments on neatness and spelling. Have students proofread work after a delay - it's easier to see mistakes after a break. Help students create a checklist for editing work spelling, neatness, grammar, syntax, clear progression of ideas, etc. Reduce amount of copying; instead, focus on writing original answers and ideas Have student complete tasks in small steps instead of all at once. Find alternative means of assessing knowledge, such as oral reports or visual projects Encourage practice through low-stress opportunities for writing letters, a diary, making household lists or keeping track of sports teams

 Organize thoughts using POWER: P: Plan out what you are going to write about O: Organize with idea maps or outlines W: Write your thoughts E: Edit your writing R: Revise your draft using the edits

Aphasia
Disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain

that are responsible for language

Usually the left hemisphere of the brain

Usually occurs suddenly often due to a stroke or head

injury Can also develop slowly because of infection, dementia or brain Impairs the expression and understanding of language, reading, and writing. May co-occur with speech disorders Two types: Fluent and Non-Fluent

Aphasia continued
Implication in the classroom
Reading and writing

Strategies
Use simple, short, uncomplicated

weaknesses Difficulty making themselves understood Difficulty with word retrieval Difficulties with speech and language usage

sentences to ensure maximum understanding. Repeat instructions or directions Keep distractions to a minimum. Keep conversations as normal as possible to maximize inclusion with peers. Don't correct the student's speech or ask for detailed responses. Allow the student plenty of time to talk. Be patient! Assist with coping strategies.

Learning Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

This category is for disorders in learning that do not

meet criteria for any specific Learning Disorder. Might include problems in all three areas (reading, math, and written expression) that together significantly interfere with academic achievement.
Although performance on tests measuring each

individual skill is not substantially below that expected given the persons chronological age, measured intelligence, and education.