Learning Disabilities

Corrective Instruction is crucial when…

Inappropriate instruction at inappropriate level creates learning gaps, anxiety, frustrations and eventually behavioral issues.
Learning Disabilities are present.
The term learning disabilities, as it is currently used, is an umbrella term which includes many types of learning problems such as:
- Dyslexia - difficulty with reading and spelling
- Dyscalculia - difficulty with math
- Dysgraphia - poor handwriting and letter formation
- Speech, articulation - difficulty pronouncing words accurately
- Language, syntax & grammar - difficulty with word order and usage
- Language, retrieval - difficulty with word finding
- Central auditory processing - difficulty with processing spoken language quickly and efficiently for receiving directions or following conversations and discussions
- Organization - difficulty with assembling tools for a task, managing time, setting priorities, or sequencing thoughts in an orderly manner for speaking or writing
- Gross motor - poor coordination when large muscles are involved, clumsiness
- Fine motor - difficulty with tasks requiring precise small movements such as writing, assembling puzzles or models
This is a partial list of conditions that are recognized as learning disabilities. Each one, placed on a continuum, can range from mild to severe. Any or all of the conditions can co-exist in varying degrees of severity and any or a number of these conditions can co-exist with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or with Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD).

It is not uncommon to see a student with moderate to severe dyslexia who is a very capable mathematician. Also a student with good ability in reading, spelling and writing may find math totally incomprehensible. Individuals with dyslexia might be verbally articulate, mathematically adept, gifted athletes, or demonstrate strong fine motor skills as artists, sculptors or mechanics.

Diagnosis can be complex when the presenting problem hides the underlying difficulties. When a student has trouble in Algebra I, it is wise to examine the prerequisite skills and determine whether or not multiplication, division, place value, estimating, and simple fractions have been mastered. When a student obtains a low score in comprehension tests, it is wise to examine basic reading and spelling ability because automatic or rapid reading is a necessary prerequisite to comprehension. (Adams, 1990; Clark, 1988) Students who score low in comprehension tests are often provided with instruction in study skills, comprehension, test taking and other refinements of the reading and study process, but the problem may be inability to read words fluently at the expected level of competence. The student who is receiving instruction in the refinements of reading but lacks basic competency in unlocking words quickly, will continue to fail. Too much time is spent trying to read unknown words and continuity is lost taking comprehension with it.

Behavior disorders, difficulty responding or interacting appropriately, can be observed when feelings of inadequacy and frustration turn to anger and aggression. When students succeed with learning, self esteem and confidence return, and behavior improves. It is worthwhile examining the hidden factors closely and delivering direct instruction when indicated.

What are the signals that a child may have a disability?

Early language signs include difficulty with:

Learning to talk
Pronouncing words clearly
Stringing words together into phrases or sentences
Listening and responding appropriately
Reciting poems or singing songs
Finding the correct word when speaking
Following directions
Expressing thoughts and ideas

For older children who are in school, language signs include difficulty with:

Rhyming words
Listening and responding appropriately
Word finding
Following directions
Combining word parts into words or sounds into words
Segmenting sentences into words, words into syllables, or syllables into sounds
Playing with sound puzzles
Examples: Say "cowboy". Say it again but don't say "cow". Say "ball". Say it again but don't say /b/. Say "may". Say it again but take off the /m/ and put /s/ in its place.
Expressing thoughts and ideas
Paraphrasing, or retelling a story, joke, or experience
Summarizing
Understanding proverbs, metaphors, idioms, slang or humor
Understanding context clues, creating problems when differentiating relevant from irrelevant, fact from opinion, and fact from generalization

Signs of Reading Problems

Your child may have reading problems if she or he has difficulty with:

Reciting the alphabet
Reading letter names in alphabetic sequence or in random order
Remembering the sound each letter represents.
Remembering printed words
Reversals in words (reading "form" as "from", "on" as "no")
Slow rate of reading
Comprehending what has been read
Completing assignments
Test taking

Signs of Spelling Problems

Your child may have a Spelling Problem if she or he have difficulty with:

Writing the letters of the alphabet in sequence or when dictated in random order
Reversals when printing letters (b/d, m/w, n/u)
Remembering the symbol representing a sound
Transposing letters and words ("cart" spelled as "crat", "was" spelled as "saw")
Segmenting words into sounds
Sequencing the sounds in words
Observing rules and generalizations

Signs of Handwriting Problems

Your child may have a problem with their handwriting if he or she has difficulty with:

Forming letters (closing circles, connecting the parts of letters)
Differentiating between capital and lower case letters or between tall and short letters
Anchoring letters on the line
Cramped and illegible writing
Slow writing (laborious and tense)
Cramped or incorrect pencil grip
Excessive erasing

Signs of Math Problems

Your child may have problems with math if he or she has difficulty with:

Counting
Remembering the names of numbers
Remembering number facts as in addition, subtraction, and multiplication
Estimating
Understanding place value, fractions
Regrouping