Week 1

Objectives In Week One of the workshop you will learn the definition of a Learning Disablilty including:

Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NLD) Learning Disabled / Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (LD/ADHD) Learning Disabled / Attention Deficit Disorder (LD/ADD) Learning Disabled / Behavioural (LD) Dyslexia / Dysgraphia / Dysnomia / Dyscalculia What it means to have a Learning Disablilty

Overview
We are starting off the course by showing some of the most widely accepted definitions of learning disabilities. As an EA, you should be aware that the largest group of disabled children are those with learning disabilities. Learning disabilities are sometimes called "invisible disabilities" because kids with learning disabilities don't usually look, talk or behave very differently than other kids. Upon very close examination, you will see that they might not have the same vocabulary as their peers, or that they have difficulty making and keeping friends, or that they act inappropriately at times. No two people with a learning disability are the same. Learning disabilities, because of their invisibility, are difficult to define and great debates rage over which definition should take precedence. This can also lead to a reluctance to accept learning disabilities as legitimate. You, as an EA, may encounter attitudes that reflect a lack of understanding of learning disabilities, and as a result, a lack of support for your work with children with learning disabilities. As you read through the following material, try to think of some of the children that you work with, and how they fit the definition and how they don't. Think of some of the attitudes that you have encountered from teachers, kids and parents. Read on!

What it Means to Have a Learning Disability

Learning Disabilities is a term that covers the more severe degrees of learning difficulties. These difficulties are often most evident in children during schooling and may include social functioning. They affect one or more of listening, reasoning, remembering, speaking,

reading, written language, spelling, handwriting, mathematical computations, problemsolving, spatial relationships and social interactions. They are thought to occur due to difficulty processing information (i.e., the spoken and written word and/or body language). Often students can handle the ideas in content areas though some may have difficulty handling intent or subtle meanings. Once meaning is clear, they are able to use new information, but they may have difficulty in generalizing it to new contexts. In most instances, expression, either written or spoken, causes great difficulty. Difficulties in dealing with various types of information may cause students with learning disabilities to be disorganized, disoriented, uncooperative, socially awkward, accidentprone, slow to adapt to change, overly active or lethargic, and easily distracted. When thoroughly assessed, the social, emotional, cultural or educational histories of these students do not indicate that these are learned behaviours, although many of the instructional and management methods that are effective with other types of exceptional students may be helpful to students with learning disabilities. In general, their health histories should have no indication or medical problems, particularly vision or hearing, although a proneness to allergies may be indicated. Essentially, the student with learning disabilities is one who is trying to achieve, who has demonstrated abilities in some areas and is not achieving in others. Performance is uneven or inconsistent and may result in severe frustration with schooling. Recent findings suggest that students with learning disabilities can be greatly assisted by being taught how to approach and organize tasks. Sometimes termed meta-cognitive strategies, these skills in thinking about ways in which they can understand, remember and articulate content are particularly critical for secondary school students. From: Handbook for Teachers of Students with Learning Disabilities.

What Are The Most Common Causes of Learning Disabilities?

Experts do not know precisely what causes learning disabilities. Learning disabilities are presumed to be disorders of the central nervous system and a variety of factors may contribute to their occurrence. Learning disabilities may be due to:

Heredity: Learning disabilities tend to run in families. It is not unusual to discover that people with learning disabilities come from families in which other family members have reported similar difficulties.

Problems during pregnancy and childbirth:

Illness or injury during or before birth may cause learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities may also be caused by the use of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy, RH incompatibility with the mother (if untreated), premature or prolonged labor or lack of oxygen or low weight at birth.

Incidents after birth: Head injuries, nutritional deprivation, poisonous substances, (e.g., lead), and child abuse can contribute to learning disabilities Often there does not appear to be a specific cause for learning disabilities. Parents need not feel guilty or wonder how learning disabilities could have been prevented.

Learning Disabilities are NOT

Learning disabilities are NOT the same as the following disabilities: mental retardation, autism, deafness, blindness, behavioral disorders. Nor are learning disabilities the result of economic disadvantage, environmental factors or cultural differences. A learning disability is not low intelligence; it is not mental illness; it is not autism.

LDAC Definition
Official Definition of Learning Disabilities Adopted by the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada January 30, 2002 Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency. Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to: language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g. planning and decision-making). Learning disabilities range in severity and may interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following: * oral language (e.g. listening, speaking, understanding); * reading (e.g. decoding, phonetic knowledge, word recognition, comprehension); * written language (e.g. spelling and written expression); and * mathematics (e.g. computation, problem solving). Learning disabilities may also involve difficulties with organizational skills, social perception, social interaction and perspective taking. Learning disabilities are lifelong. The way in which they are expressed may vary over an individuals lifetime, depending on the interaction between the demands of the environment and the individuals strengths and needs. Learning disabilities are suggested by unexpected academic under-achievement or achievement which is maintained only by unusually high levels of effort and support. Learning disabilities are due to genetic and/or neuro-biological factors or injury that alters brain functioning in a manner which affects one or more processes related to learning. These disorders are not due primarily to hearing and/or vision problems, socio-economic

factors, cultural or linguistic differences, lack of motivation or ineffective teaching, although these factors may further complicate the challenges faced by individuals with learning disabilities. Learning disabilities may co-exist with various conditions including attentional, behavioural and emotional disorders, sensory impairments or other medical conditions. For success, individuals with learning disabilities require early identification and timely specialized assessments and interventions involving home, school, community and workplace settings. The interventions need to be appropriate for each individual's learning disability subtype and, at a minimum, include the provision of: * specific skill instruction; * accommodations; * compensatory strategies; * self-advocacy skills.

Learning Disabilities: A New Definition

"Learning Disabilities" refers to a variety of disorders that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal information. These disorders result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning1,in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning. Learning disabilities are specific not global impairments and as such are distinct from intellectual disabilities. "Learning disabilities range in severity and invariably interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skills: oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding) reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension) written language (e.g., spelling, written expression) mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving) Learning disabilities may also cause difficulties with organizational skills, social perception and social interaction. The impairments are generally life-long. However, their effects may be expressed differently over time, depending on the match between the demands of the environment and theindividual's characteristics. Some impairments may be noted during the pre-school years, while others may not become evident until much later. During the school years, learning disabilities are suggested by unexpectedly low academic achievement or achievement that is sustainable only by extremely high levels of effort and support. Causes Learning disabilities are due to genetic, other congenital and/or acquired neurobiologicalfactors. They are not caused by factors such as cultural or language differences, inadequate or inappropriate instruction, socio-economic status or lack of motivation, although any one of theseand other factors may compound the impact of learning disabilities. Frequently learning disabilities co-exist with other conditions, including attentional, behavioural and emotional disorders, sensory impairments or other medical conditions. Interventions

For success, persons with learning disabilities require specialized interventions in home, school, community and workplace settings, appropriate to their individual strengths and needs, including: specific skill instruction;

the development of compensatory strategies; the development of self-advocacy? skills; appropriate accommodations?.

Footnote 1 The term "psychological processes" describes an evolving list of cognitive functions. To date, research has focused on functions such as:

phonological processing memory and attention processing speed language processing perceptual-motor processing visual-spatial processing executive functions (eg, planning, monitoring and metacognitive abilities)

Adopted by the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario. Last Modified: Monday Oct 25, 2010 - 13:34. Revision: 27. Release Date: Monday Apr 10, 2006 - 17:00.

Nonverbal Learning Disorder

Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD), also called Nonverbal Learning Disability, is a developmental disability which all too often goes undiagnosed. These children are often bright, sometimes incredibly so. As young children they may actually be targeted as gifted, due to their high level vocabulary, memory skills and reading ability. However, parents may notice early on that something is not as it should be. As preschoolers, they may have difficulty interacting with other children, are slow to develop self-help skills, and may not be physically adept. These children make their way through their early elementary years, usually handling academic demands fairly well. As they enter Grades 4 or 5, or begin middle school, they are asked to work more independently. Often their academic studies begin to deteriorate. They get lost, perhaps forget to do homework, attend class unprepared, have difficulty following directions, seem to have difficulty with their peers, continually

misunderstand their teachers, and are often at odds with their parents. Teachers, parents and friends accuse them of being lazy, angry and rude. This is the crucial period for intervention. Otherwise, the demands of high school, and the attendant social and emotional challenges of the teen years, may cause severe difficulties for these children.

Definition of Dyslexia
Dyslexia?, one type of specific learning disability, is a combination of disabilities and difficulties affecting learning in one or more of reading, spelling and writing. It is most often related to the use and mastery of written language, including alphabetic, numeric and musical notation. Other weaknesses may include speed of processing, auditory and or visual perception, short-term memory, spoken language, sequencing and motor skills. Dyslexia is not dependent on socio-economic background nor intelligence. Every dyslexic is different, and should be treated as an individual. Although people can learn to compensate for dyslexia, it is a permanent disorder. Many dyslexics show talents actively sought by employers, such as good visual-spatial skills, an ability to see the bigger picture, and good lateral thinking. Those finding difficulty problem solving in a conventional manner, may tap resources that lead to more originality and creativity, a talent often noted in the dyslexic individual.

Common Signs of Dyslexia

The following are indicators of dyslexia:

difficulty learning to read, write and spell difficulty telling left from right reversal of letters and numbers difficulty remembering sequences such as days of the week, learning the alphabet, songs in rhyme

difficulty remembering and following verbal instructions inattention disorganization, losing possessions coordination difficulties difficulty expressing oneself low self esteem

Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are terms that tend to be used interchangeably. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) one may be present without the other to qualify for a diagnosis. ADD is generally used to refer to those individuals who suffer from attention difficulties, but may present with other characteristics similar to ADHD. Persons with ADHD generally present with the similar characteristics with the primary difficulties in both attention and hyperactivity. According to the American Diagnostic Criteria, there are three types of ADD/ADHD: 1. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type 2. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type 3. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type ADD/ADHD are behavioral disorders that can affect a person's ability to concentrate, control behavior, learn, and maintain a "normal level of activity." ADD/ADHD is characterized by the main features of distractibility, impulsivity and hyperactivity. ADD/ADHD can also be displayed as anxiety or depression. The exact nature and severity varies from person to person. It occurs in both children and adults, and interferes with the person's ability to function normally in their day to day activities, such as work, school and at home. Children with ADD/ADHD are overactive, impulsive, and have trouble paying attention. The children tend to be forgetful, unpredictable, and restless to the point of disruption. They often know that their behavior is disruptive, but are unable to do anything to change it. No single cause for ADD/ADHD is known. It is suspected that a combination of genetic and heredity factors, prenatal influences, environment, and biological factors contribute to the development of the disorder. Diagnosing this disorder can be difficult since it is common for many people to have some of the symptoms of this disorder to some degree, such as difficulty paying attention or being easily distracted. It is normal for children to be easily distracted at various stages throughout their development for short periods of time. Most children out grow these stages naturally on their own. In order to be diagnosed accurately, the behaviours must occur in multiple settings, and consistently observed for six months or longer. In addition, the symptoms of lack of inattention, impulsively or hyperactivity must be easily apparent. Last Modified: Monday Oct 25, 2010 - 13:34. Revision: 7. Release Date: Monday Apr 10, 2006 - 17:00.

Common Signs of ADD/ADHD

Symptoms of ADD/ADHD include

failure to give close attention to details

often does not seem to listen when spoken to often fails to follow instructions carefully and completely losing or forgetting important things excessive talking blurts out responses difficulty awaiting turn difficulty sustaining attention to tasks often fidgeting with hands or feet often makes careless mistakes often has difficulty organizing information avoids activities that require sustained mental effort often interrupts or intrudes on others

Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia? is a life long learning disability involving math skills. Problems with numbers or basic concepts are likely to show up early in life. Difficulties with problems involving reasoning, often become apparent in the later grades. Dyscalculia can manifest as a deficit in counting and calculating, as a difficulty in the conceptualizing of math processes, and in the inability to work with numbers or symbols.

Common Signs of Dyscalculia

Symptoms of dyscalculia include:

poor mental math ability. difficulty in use of money, such as balancing a checkbook, making change, and tipping. fear of money and its transactions. difficulty with math processes (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication) and concepts (e.g., sequencing of numbers); poor retention and retrieval of concepts, or an inability to maintain a consistency in grasping math rules. poor sense of direction, easily disoriented, as well as difficulty reading maps, and telling time . difficulty with abstract concepts of time and direction, schedules, keeping track of time, and the sequence of past and future events. common mistakes in working with numbers including substitutions, reversals, and omissions. difficulty learning musical concepts. difficulty following directions in sports that demand sequencing or rules, and keeping track of scores and players during games. normal or advanced language and other skills, often good visual memory for the printed word.

Dysgraphia
The word "dysgraphia?" means difficulty expressing thoughts in writing. It is generally used to refer to extremely poor handwriting. It is a neurological disorder, ranging from mild to moderate, characterized by writing disabilities. The disorder causes a person's writing to be distorted or incorrect. In children, dysgraphia generally emerges when they are first introduced to writing. They make inappropriately sized and spaced letters, or write wrong or misspelled words, despite thorough instruction. Dysgraphia interferes with the communication of ideas in writing, which presents increased difficulties with written expression as the child progresses into the upper grades. Children with the disorder may have other learning disabilities; however, they usually have no social or other academic problems. Those with dysgraphia sometimes confuse words of similar meaning, for example, "house" may be confused with "home". Dysgraphia is not laziness, sloppy or careless writing, lack of effort, lack of motivation, or visual-motor delay. It has no relationship to the intelligence of the individual who is dysgraphic. It can lead to frustration for child, teacher, and parents, especially when the gap between linguistic abilities and written expression widens.

Characteristics of Dysgraphia
Symptoms of dysgraphia include:

letter inconsistencies mixture of upper/lower case letters or print/cursive letters irregular letter sizes and shapes unfinished letters struggling to use writing as a communications tool

Dysnomia
Dysnomia is a disability in which a person may have a marked difficulty with remembering names or recalling appropriate words in a discussion, or when using written language. A person with dysnomia has difficulty converting both the printed word and the concepts in their minds into words. Although this is a common occurrence for most people at some time or another, for those with dysnomia, this is an everyday occurrence. It is a frequent component of a language or learning disability. This problem may be particularly troublesome if the person is asked to answer a question to which he/she must supply an immediate answer. However, when the person speaks spontaneously, without prompting, his/her speech appears perfectly normal.

Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is a perceptual difficulty with thinking, planning and carrying out sensory tasks and motor tasks. It is know by other terms including 'developmental co-ordination disorder,' 'motor learning problems,' and 'minimal brain dysfunction.' These children generally have a normal intellect, but tend to be clumsy and lack co-ordination. They know what they have to do, but have difficulty figuring out how to perform the given task.

Common Signs of Dyspraxia

The child with dyspraxia may have a combination of several problems of varying degrees, such as:

poor balance, poor fine and gross motor co-ordination, difficulties with vision, poor awareness of body position in space, poor social skills, difficulty reading, writing and with speech, tactile dysfunction, motor planning and perception difficulties emotional and behavioural problems.

Symptoms of dyspraxia: Preschool children may have difficulty with:

rolling, standing and walking eye movements climbing stairs speech development puzzles learning new skills concentrating for more than 2 to 3 minutes

Older children may have difficulty:

tying shoelaces dressing

using cutlery riding a bike, catching a ball and with other physical activities reading and have poor handwriting skills copying from the blackboard expressing themselves remembering instructions

Learning Disabilities with Behavioural Difficulties

Behavioural difficulties in those with learning disabilities may be secondary symptoms relating to the learning disability. Behavioural difficulties in those with learning disabilities that are basically secondary symptoms generally become apparent when the child faces frustration. This frustration may be due to difficulty with academics, peer interactions and within the family dynamics. The person with a learning disability realizes that their performance is not on par with those of his/her peers, despite his/her increased effort. This may have a tragic snowballing effect, creating even more frustration and lower self-esteem. The behaviour may deteriorate, as the child may prefer to appear "bad" rather than "stupid." The child with a learning disability may say, "I won't," when he/she means, "I can't." Persons with learning difficulties may not interpret social cues, so important to effective communication, and therefore find confusion and rejection with their peers and others. They may have trouble monitoring their own behaviour and act or speak impulsively. This automatic reaction may cause them to laugh at inappropriate times or interrupt conversations. They may misinterpret vocal tone, leading to misunderstandings, which can cause frustration for all involved. For some, this may lead to the use of avoidance strategies in order to deal with the stress of the negative social experiences. They may also develop feelings of anxiety and panic. As the person's feelings of self worth diminish, other negative behaviours may manifest, such as aggression and feelings of isolation and unhappiness. These negative behaviours tend to escalate and become pervasive in the life of the learning disabled person.

Week One Activity

This activity has two parts:

1. Think of a child you know or have worked with who is learning disabled. Post a
brief description, in Forums Section titled Week One Activity of how he or she fits one of the definitions you have just read. Then try to think of one example, that is unique to that child, that makes them different from the other kids with learning disabilities. For example, I worked with a girl I will call Sheila who fit the description of a dyslexic in that she had "a combination of abilities and difficulties affecting learning in one or more of reading, spelling and writing." It definitely affected her use of written language, including alphabetic, numeric and musical notation. " Her writing was almost unreadable "dysgraphic?"

The one aspect of Sheila that was quite different from the other kids with learning disabilities is that she was very accepting of it, almost proud of her differences. Reading was very difficult for her. Although she had great difficulties producing legible written work, she was most prolific, writing stories, poems and songs in her spare time. The intent is for all participants to see the many different forms that learning disabilities come in.

2. In the Forums section titled Week One Activity read the others posts and respond
to at least one of them with a question or a comment. For example someone might read the example about Sheila and wonder if she was encouraged to take part in the student council as she seems to be quite outgoing and willing to express herself. Someone else might wonder if anyone tried speech recognition with her.

Links for Learning Week 1 - Aphasia

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Fri Oct 14 15:57

Hi All, Aphasia is an acquired condition, generally resulting from brain trauma. For clarification regarding Aphasia, please read the following link for more information: http://aphasia.ca/ Links for Learning Week 1 - Learning Modalities

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Wed Oct 12 17:00 Traits of auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile learners. Auditory learners tend to... * enjoy reading and being read to. * be able to verbally explain concepts and scenarios.

* like music and hum to themselves. * enjoy both talking and listening. Visual learners tend to... * have good spelling, note-taking, and organizational skills. * notice details and prefer neatness. * learn more if illustrations and charts accompany reading. * prefer quiet, serene surroundings. Kinesthetic learners tend to... * be demonstrative, animated, and outgoing. * enjoy physical movement and manipulatives. * be willing to try new things. * be messy in habits and surroundings. Tactile learners tend to... * prefer manipulatives when being introduced to a topic. * literally translate events and phenomena. * tolerate clutter. * be artistic in nature. ************************************************************************* ************ MODALITIES - In Depth: http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/learning/Modalities.htm

Links for Learning Week 1 - Dyslexia

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Wed Oct 12 16:57 The following website has a great deal of information regarding Dyslexia: http://www.ldhope.com/dyslexia.htm