Students with disabilities Proving accommodations and modifications Naimah Catchings Special Needs Learners Winter 2015

Specific learning disability Students with a Specific Learning Disability experience certain challenges that impair their ability to learn in common ways. More specifically, these students struggle with processing content. This is most commonly seen where a student struggles with visual or auditory processing. Accommodation: Use of manipulatives and visual aids will greatly assist students with a Specific Learning Disability.

Emotional disturbance Emotional Disturbance can be defined as disruptive behaviors or mental illnesses that exist over a long duration of time and that significantly impact academic performance. Accommodations: To assist a student with emotional disturbances, a teacher could place social cues cards on the student’s desk in order to prompt appropriate behavior in class.

Speech or language impairment Students with this disability struggle with articulation and language development. There are a variety of causes of Speech and Language Impairment which include autism, hearing loss, neurological disorders and brain injury. Accommodation/Modification: Students with speech and language impairment should receive therapy from a speech pathologist in most cases. In class, teachers should modify work to represent the student’s present level of language development. For example, students can receive a modified spelling list.

autism Autism includes a wide spectrum of disorders that display a deficit in social interaction and communication. Students with autism show little interest in interacting with others and find comfort in structure and repetition. Accommodations: Students with autism would benefit from small group or individual instruction. Using manipulatives, graphic organizers and visual aid would also be useful for a student with autism.

Developmental delay Students with a developmental delay are described as not achieving developmental milestones at the appropriate age and are behind their peers. Developmental delays most commonly originate during pregnancy or birth. Accommodations/Modifications: Teachers should modify work to student’s present level of performance. Assignments should be shortened as needed. Students with developmental delays would benefit from RSP support.