LEARNING DISABILITIES KNR 270

Learning Disabilities  Individuals with learning disabilities have above average, average, or near average intelligence  They experience academic and social difficulties  Have highly variable characteristics or needs Range from mild to severe

What is a Learning Disability?  Neurological disorders  Interferes with a person’s ability to store, process, or produce information  Creates a “gap” between ability and performance Tests Difference between ability & performance

Is this a Disability of Kids?  Often first recognized during childhood or school  LD is not cured and doesn’t go away  People learn to compensate  Famous people Bruce Jenner Greg Louganis Whoopee Others?

Problems  Reading  Writing  Speaking  Computing math  Coordination  Attention  Social skills

Social Skills  Language skills Choose right time to speak, find right words, understand what is said  Reading non-verbal information  Understanding different situations  Impulsivity  Segregated classes deprive opportunities to learn social skills

Types of Learning Disabilities  Dyslexia Language processing and its impact on reading, writing, and spelling  Dysgraphia Writing, motor patterns in writing, spelling  Dyscalculia Math, memory of math facts, concepts of time, money

Types of Learning Disabilities  Dyspraxia Motor planning, coordination of body movements  Auditory discrimination Differences in speech sounds  Visual perception Notice details and assign meaning to what was seen  And many other types

Dyslexia  Most common learning disability 80% of LD = dyslexia  1/5 students have dyslexia  May have with other LD Developmental coordination disorder  Awkward  Clumsy  Waugh & Sherrill, 2004

Learning Disabilities Co-occur with  Attention deficits  Hyperactivity %

Prevalence  2.7% to 30% 15 million children, adolescents, & adults in US  5-10% of school-age children  2.8 million children served under IDEA  51% of entire identified special education population  27-46% of students in college have a learning disability

Without Help  27-35% do not finish high school  62% were not fully employed 1 year after graduating from high school

Causes  Frequently no apparent cause  Heredity  Disturbances of central nervous system  Problems during pregnancy and childbirth  Incidents after birth Head injuries, nutritional deprivation, exposure to toxic substances

Signs of LD  Often spelling the same word differently in a single document  Reluctance to take on reading or writing tasks  Weak memory skills  Slow work pace  Inattention to details or excessive focus on them  Frequent misreading of information  Easily confused by instructions

Dyslexia Concerns Waugh & Sherrill, 2004  Vision & reading Confuses letters, numbers, verbal explanations Needs time to process Reads & rereads with little comprehension Lacks depth perception & peripheral vision

Dyslexia Concerns Waugh & Sherrill, 2004  Hearing & speech Distracted by extraneous sounds Hard time putting thoughts into words Leave sentences incomplete  Writing Trouble writing or copying information Handwriting is varied or illegible

Dyslexia Concerns Waugh & Sherrill, 2004  Motor skills Clumsiness or lack of coordination Difficulty with fine &/or gross motor skills Confuses left/right, up/down  Math Dependence on finger counting

Dyslexia Concerns Waugh & Sherrill, 2004  Time management Difficulty telling & managing time Difficulty being on time Problems learning in sequence  Memory & cognition Excellent LTM for experiences, locations & faces Thinks with images & feelings, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue)

Dyslexia Concerns Waugh & Sherrill, 2004  Behavior, health, personality Keeps items in disorderly manner or compulsively orderly Class clown, trouble maker, recluse High or low tolerance for pain Strives for perfection Mistakes increase with time pressure, emotional stress, poor health Zones out, day dreams

Important to Know  Strengths & challenges  Tests  Results Employers & schools will need Description of learning disability Accommodations

Legislation  Children & youth – IDEA  College – ADA & Rehab Act of 1973 Must self-identify and provide documentation of disability to receive accommodations  Extra time to complete exams  Exams read orally, dictated  Quiet place to take exam  Using a computer  Others?  ADA

Considerations/Accommodations  4 strategies Learning environment Learning style based instruction Visual imagery Self-esteem  Waugh & Sherrill, 2004

Learning Styles  Different approaches or ways of learning  Everybody has a preferred style  Knowing that style can help a person learn more effectively  Lots of self assessments

Learning Styles  Visual learners learn through seeing Need to see body language & facial expression Prefer to sit in front of class Think in pictures Learn best from visual displays (overheads, PowerPoint, videos, etc.) May take detailed notes to help absorb information

Learning Styles  Auditory learners learn through listening Verbal lectures Discussions Talking things out and hearing what others say Reading text aloud Written information will have little meaning until it is heard

Learning Styles  Tactile/kinesthetic learners learn through moving, doing, touching…. Hands-on Hard to sit still for long periods May become distracted and need activity or exploration

Pair & Share  Identify group’s learning styles  Lesson plan for your group Teach card game

Considerations/Accommodations  Provide objectives for learning & practice  Behavior expectations On poster (visual) Repeat frequently (auditory)  Give minutes on task, remind of remaining minutes  Allow extra time for reading

Considerations/Accommodations  Use multisensory approaches Visual  Diagrams, handouts, demonstrations, observations Hands on Auditory  Clear verbal instructions  Tape instructions

Reference  Lorraine C. Peniston Developing recreation skills in persons with learning disabilities Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing 1998