Students with Learning
Disabilities
The largest group of students on our campus receiving services
from the office of Services for Individuals with Disabilities are students with learning
disabilities. This is consistent with demographic data from post-secondary
education institutions throughout the country. Because this is a
category of invisible disabilities, there is frequent misunderstanding
about what being learning disabled means. The most widely used definition
of learning disabilities comes from National Joint Committee on Learning
Disabilities (1988). It is:
Learning disabilities is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous
group of
disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition
and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical
abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed
to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across
the life span.
Simply stated, a learning disability is a processing difficulty
and any of the five senses may be impaired.
Learning disabilities are NOT mental retardation, nor are they
the result of a poor academic background, emotional disturbance,
lack of motivation, or visual or auditory acuity problems (Association
of Higher Education and Disability). A person with a learning disability
has average or above average intelligence. In fact, Albert Einstein,
Winston Churchill, Nelson Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson,
George Patton, Walt Disney, and Hans Christian Anderson are all thought
to have had learning disabilities.
No two individuals with a learning disability are alike. Adults
with learning disabilities require careful clinical assessment to
determine (1) the specific nature of their disability and (2) appropriate
accommodation strategies. The following list gives examples of the
impact that various learning disabilities have on academic performance.
(From: College Students with Learning Disabilities: A Student's Perspective,
Carol Wren & Laura Segal, DePaul University, Chicago, IL)
Reading:
Confusion of similar words, difficulty using phonics, problems
reading
multi-syllable words
Slow reading rate and/or difficulty adjusting speed to the nature
of the reading
task
Difficulty with comprehension and retention of material that is read,
but not
with material presented orally
Writing:
Difficulty with sentence structure, poor grammar, omitted words
Frequent spelling errors, inconsistent spelling, letter reversal
Difficulty copying from board or overhead
Poorly formed letters, difficulty with spacing, capitals, and punctuation
Difficulty expressing themselves clearly and precisely
Oral Language:
Difficulty processing information presented orally, despite normal
hearing
Difficulty attending to spoken language, inconsistent concentration
Difficulty expressing ideas orally although the student seems to
understand the ideas
Problems describing events or stories in proper sequence
Residual problems with grammar, difficulty with inflectional or derivational
ending
Math:
Difficulty memorizing basic facts
Confusion or reversal of numbers, number sequence, or operational
symbols
Difficulty copying problems, aligning columns
Difficulty reading or comprehending word problems
Problems with reasoning and abstract concepts
Study Skills:
Poor organization and time management
Difficulty following directions
Difficulty taking notes
Poor organization of notes and other written materials
Needs more time to complete assignments
A general lack of ability to develop strategies
Social Skills:
Difficulty "reading" facial expressions, body language
Problems interpreting subtle messages such as sarcasm
Confusion in spatial orientation, getting lost easily, difficulty
following
direction. Disorientation in time, difficulty telling time
Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities
The following lists provide suggestions of instructional strategies
based on each specific learning disability. No student would use
all of these strategies. Selection of strategies would be based on
the individual needs of the student, the objectives of the course
and recommended academic adjustments and services.
Talk to students. They are the best resource about their specific
needs.
Remember: A learning disability does not mean
that the person cannot learn; it means that they learn Differently.
Many instructional strategies which are helpful to students with
learning disabilities benefit all students.
Instructional Strategies to Help Students Compensate for an Expressive
Language Disability
Characteristics:
A student with an expressive language disability may have difficulty
with the following tasks requiring written languages: expressing
themselves clearly and precisely, using a variety of sentence structures,
using mature syntactical patterns, using an appropriate range of
words, organizing thoughts, using punctuation correctly, copying
from the board, organizing written information note taking, handwriting,
and spelling.
Strategies:
- Allow student to use a word processor with a spelling checker.
- Allow student to use a Franklin Speller or Word Master for in
class and out-of- class writing.
- Grade written assignments for ideas only or provide two grades:
one for content and one for technical skills.
- Provide advance notice of written assignments. Encourage students
to start
assignments early; waiting until the last minute can produce stress
which may
aggravate the disability.
- Encourage student to use the Writing Center and to get tutoring.
- Make sure student understands what is being asked in a written
assignment. Explain words like compare and contrast.
- Help student decide on a limited, workable topic for a paper.
- Provide student with a model of what is expected by sharing
strong papers that were written by other students.
- If student has a problem with sequencing, require him/her to
show you an outline of ideas/information in the order in which
he/she intends to present them.
- If you are not testing grammar and punctuation (i.e.., if this
is not an English class), encourage student to have a friend proofread
assignments and make corrections.
- Give all instructions both in writing and verbally.
- Allow student to provide oral responses rather than written
ones.
- Encourage the student to make up and answer sample test questions.
Go over the student's answers.
- Allow student to tape record lectures.
- Provide student with a note taker.
Instructional Strategies to Help Students Compensate for a Reading
Disability
Characteristics:
A student with a reading disability may have difficulty with some
of the following: decoding unfamiliar words, understanding what is
read, knowing the meaning of words read, maintaining an efficient
rate of reading, following written directions, identifying main ideas
and major details.
Strategies:
- Encourage student to pre-read a chapter before reading it.
- Have student turn headings into questions using words like what,
why, and how. The student should then read to find the correct
answer to those questions. Student should highlight the answers
to questions formulated from headings.
- Student may benefit from using different colored highlighters:
one for main ideas, one for key details, and another for definitions.
- Encourage student to develop reasonable and logical points within
the text at which the student will stop and check comprehension.
Using these checkpoints, the student may want to summarize what
has just been read (perhaps into a tape recorder so that the summary
may be used as a review later).
- Encourage student to become an active rather than a passive reader.
The student should learn to talk to himself/herself. Students should
ask questions such as:
"Why am I reading this?"
"What does this topic have to do with topics discussed earlier?"
"What principle do these problems illustrate?"
"How can I put this in my own words?"
- If material seems particularly difficult, have the student reread,
read aloud, or rephrase information.
- Ask student to use the margins of the text to record key phrases,
main ideas, or definitions.
- If student lacks background knowledge, ask him/her to look up
the subject in an
encyclopedia in order to get an overview of it.
- If words seem to "move around" in the text, show student
how to use an index
card to guide reading.
- Encourage student to put specialized vocabulary words on index
cards for easier review.
- Provide guided notes for each chapter. The notes should contain
a summary of the main points and key terms listed in sequential
order. (Or teach the student to use the chapter summary so that
he/she can do this for himself/herself.)
Instructional Strategies to Help Students Compensate for Receptive
Language Disabilities
Characteristics:
Students with a receptive language disability may have difficulty
processing information presented orally. Despite normal hearing,
the student may have problems with the following: differentiating
between similar sounds, following oral directions, interpreting and
evaluating oral presentations, concentrating, handling distractions,
and taking notes.
Strategies:
- Realize that the language of a student with a learning disability
is likely to be concrete, literal, and non-flexible whereas the
language used by instructors and in textbooks is likely to be figurative,
metaphoric, analogous, and idiomatic. As people with learning disabilities
get older, the gap between their language and language used by
others increases.
- Allow student to tape record lectures.
- Help student find a seat in your class that is near the blackboard
and as far away as possible from auditory disturbances (doorways,
pencil sharpeners, etc.).
- Whenever possible provide student with visual cues by writing
on the board, using the overhead, or providing the student with
a brief written outline of the material to be covered in that class
session.
- Provide student with written copies of your lecture.
- Give instructions/directions orally and in writing.
- Encourage student to check his/her understanding of what was
assigned in class before he/she leaves the class.
- Explain how to visualize material that has been orally presented
so that the student may revisualize the material before answering
questions.
- If student seems easily distracted, work with the student to develop
a "secret code" through which you will let the student
know when he/she is experiencing a lapse in concentration. (For
example, say that you will walk near his/her desk whenever you
notice that the student has stopped paying attention.)
- The student may benefit from taking a test alone in a room where
there are no distractions.
- Trying to overcome external distractions and auditory confusions
may be extremely tiring for a student. Student should be encouraged
to take his/her most difficult course at a time when he/she is
most alert.
- When lecturing, reduce number of items presented simultaneously.
Instructional Strategies to Help Students Compensate for a Mathematic
Disability
Characteristics:
Students with a math disability may have problems with the following:
working with fractions, decimals, and percentages, mastering basic
arithmetic facts, reasoning mathematically, visualizing mathematical
problems, recalling the sequence of an operational process, copying
numbers correctly, working with numbers in columns, and discriminating between
operational symbols (especially = and x).
Strategies:
- Permit use of pocket calculators for computations.
- Suggest that student use graph paper to align math problems.
(Ordinary notebook paper may also be turned sideways to produce
columns.)
- Encourage student to use color coding in order to visualize a
problem better. (For example, make the negative signs, exponents,
and numbers carried a different color. Make columns of numbers
different colors.)
- If student has difficulty learning by watching, suggest that
he/she write down on an index card the steps that must be followed
in solving a problem. If student is responsible for knowing steps
or a formula for a test, he/she may then use these index cards
as study tools.
- Provide sufficient opportunities to practice.
- When lecturing, use concrete examples similar to student's experiences. Learning
may also be improved if a concept is introduced first and numbers are
added later, especially if the concept is explained in a way that
students can relate to personally.
- Use as many visual aids as possible. (Video tapes will allow
students to have a complicated procedure repeated often enough
to understand it.)
- Draw visual breaks (slashes, hyphens, etc.) between each step.
- Use 2D and 3D objects that students can manipulate.
Information Courtesy of Guilford
Technical Community College. Used
with permission.
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