Composition of Students with Disabilities Figure 1.4, p 27

Learning Disabilities: Typically Disruption or Maturational Delay Language skills Motor skills Uneven performance on IQ assessment Visual-Motor Incomplete or mixed dominance Social Immaturity Genetics

Recent Brain Research Autopsies Postmortem studies MRI, fMRI Family studies Twin studies Postmortem studies Imaging Techniques Genetic studies

Left or Right? Motor Development Sensory Integration Inattentive Auditory Perception Visual Perception Impulsive Inadequate interpersonal skills Deficits in work-related skills Hyperactive Rapid naming skills Writing Weaknesses Short-term Memory

Specific Learning Difficulties Reading Writing Mathematics Spelling Chapter 6. Theoretical Directions

Neurological Profile Cerebral Hemispheres Left hemisphere Language Right hemisphere Nonverbal stimuli Corpus collosum Connection

Left-Right Brain Processing Left Brain Right Brain Analytical Synthesizes Verbal Strengths Visual spatial imagery Linear Simultaneous Sequential Holistic Sees” parts, pieces “Sees” whole, gestalt Precise & accurate Makes sense of all the parts Detail oriented Interpretation of non verbal cues Step by step learner Organization Ambiguity Open ended questions

Precursors of Learning Disabilities Difficulties in any of the following: Communication/oral language Phonological awareness Rapid naming skills Knowledge of the alphabet Visual-motor skills Fine- and gross-motor skills Attending abilities Social Skills

Nonverbal Learning Disabilities Characteristics Poor social perception High verbal intelligence Early reading achievement More evident in adolescents and adults Different than academic, language and cognitive disabilities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JWh3lrscqE

Indicators of Social Disabilities Poor social perception Lack of judgment Lack of sensitivity to others Difficulty making friends Problems with family relations Social problems in school http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByItLL7Qxmw

Visual Perception Visual perception—Interpreting what is heard Visual discrimination Figure-ground perception Visual closure Spatial relations Object-letter recognition Reversals Whole-part perception

Visual Perception Do you see a young woman or an old woman in this picture? Chapter 6. Theoretical Directions

Difficulties in Mathematics Sense of Body Image Visual-motor & Visual Perceptual Abilities Spatial Relations Memory Abilities Chapter 6. Theoretical Directions

Information Processing Problems in Mathematics Attention Visual-spatial Processing Auditory Processing Memory & Retrieval Motor Problems Non Verbal LD

Detecting Writing Weaknesses Perform better on oral tasks than written tasks. Complete written tasks in a slow or labored manner. Frequently need help during the completion of a written assignment. Often seek praise and reassurance during written assignments.

Motor Development Gross motor skills Fine motor skills Learning through play Perceptual motor skills Sensory Integration

Sensory Integration Tactile System Vestibular System Proprioceptive System

Language Based Learning Disabilities may include difficulty with the following: Expressing ideas clearly, as if the words needed are on the tip of the tongue but won't come out. What the student says can be vague and difficult to understand (e.g., using unspecific vocabulary, such as "thing" or "stuff" to replace words that cannot be remembered). Filler words like "um" may be used to take up time while the student tries to remember a word. Learning new vocabulary that the student hears (e.g., taught in lectures/lessons) and/or sees (e.g., in books)

Understanding questions and following directions that are heard and/or read Recalling numbers in sequence (e.g., telephone numbers and addresses) Understanding and retaining the details of a story's plot or a classroom lecture Reading and comprehending material Learning words to songs and rhymes Telling left from right, making it hard to read and write since both skills require this directionality

Letters and numbers Learning the alphabet Identifying the sounds that correspond to letters, making learning to read difficult Mixing up the order of letters in words while writing Mixing up the order of numbers that are a part of math calculations Spelling Memorizing the times tables Telling time

Auditory Perception Auditory perception-Interpreting what is heard Phonological awareness Auditory discrimination Auditory memory Auditory sequencing Auditory blending

Speech or Language Impairments Speech disorders- deviates significantly from the speech of others. Articulation, Voice, Fluency Language disorders- comprehension, and/or use of spoken, written and other symbol systems is impaired or does not develop normally. Receptive language Expressive language Form, content, function

Reading Students may: Have difficulty with one or more subject areas. Have limited mastery of concepts. Have limited fund of information. Have limited expressive and receptive vocabulary. Display limited knowledge of word meanings. Do not understand special multiple meanings of words. Read significantly below level of text.

Weak listening speaking and sight vocabulary. CAUSES: Weak listening speaking and sight vocabulary. Weak contextual analysis skills. Inability to apply same word in different contexts.

fMRI Brain Image Figure 10.2, page 330 – is it possible to add these colors back into what you get from the comp? If not the whole brain, then just the three spots identified? Chapter 6. Theoretical Directions

An Information-Processing Model of Learning

Problems Faced by Adolescents with LD Severe deficits in basic academic skills Below-average performance in content area courses Deficits in work-related skills Passive academic involvement Inadequate interpersonal skills

Symptoms of ADD/ADHD or Executive Function Disorder Severity Symptoms more frequent and severe than other children Early onset Symptoms must have appeared before age seven Duration Symptoms persist for at least 6 months

Subtypes of ADHD in DSM-IV ADHD-IA ADHD-HI ADHD-C Primarily inattentive Primarily hyperactive and impulsive Combined Chapter 6. Theoretical Directions

Reduce number of items per page or line Provide a designated reader ACCOMODATIONS Examples of possible accommodations for an IEP team to consider, broken into six categories: Presentation: Provide on audio tape Provide in large print Reduce number of items per page or line Provide a designated reader Present instructions orally Response: Allow for verbal responses Allow for answers to be dictated to a scribe Allow the use of a tape recorder to capture responses Permit responses to be given via computer Permit answers to be recorded directly into test booklet  

Setting: Provide preferential seating Provide special lighting or acoustics Provide a space with minimal distractions Administer a test in small group setting Administer a test in private room or alternative test site

Timing: Allow frequent breaks Extend allotted time for a test Test Scheduling: Administer a test in several timed sessions or over several days Allow subtests to be taken in a different order Administer a test at a specific time of day Other: Provide special test preparation Provide on-task/focusing prompts Provide any reasonable accommodation that a student needs that does not fit under the existing categories