Specific Learning Disabilities
What is a Learning Disability?
A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways. http://www.ldonline.org
A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways. http://www.ldonline.org
- Information-processing disorders are learning disorders related to a person’s ability to use the information that they take in through their senses – seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching. These problems are not related to an inability to see or hear. Instead, the conditions affect the way the brain recognizes, responds to, retrieves, and stores sensory information.
- Language-related learning disabilities are problems that interfere with age-appropriate communication, including speaking, listening, reading, spelling, and writing. https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Special-Education-Specific-Learning-Disabilities.aspx
Categories of Learning Disabilities
READING DISABILITY: For most children with learning disabilities receiving special education services, the primary area of difficulty is reading. People with reading disabilities often have problems recognizing words that they already know. They may also be poor spellers and may have problems with decoding skills. Other symptoms may include trouble with handwriting and problems understanding what they read. A reading and language-based learning disability may be commonly called Dyslexia. For more information and additional resources regarding dyslexia, visit http://eida.org/
WRITING DISABILITY: If your student has trouble with spelling, handwriting, and putting thoughts on paper, it may be due to a learning disability. Writing requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills. Among the disabilities that affect writing are Dysgraphia and Dyspraxia.
MATH DISABILITY: Two major areas of weakness can contribute to math learning disabilities: Visual-spatial difficulties, which result in a person having trouble processing what the eye sees, and/or language processing difficulties, which result in a person having trouble processing and making sense of what the ear hears. Dyscalculia is a learning disability related to math. Those with dyscalculia may have difficulty understanding math concepts and solving even simple math problems.
https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Special-Education-Specific-Learning-Disabilities.aspx
IDEA’s Definition of LD:
"Specific learning disability" is defined as follows:
- The term "specific learning disability" means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.
- Disorders included. Such term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
- Disorders not included. Such term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. http://www.ldonline.org/features/idea2004
Characteristics:
Students with learning disabilities are very heterogeneous, meaning that no two students possess the identical profile of strengths and weaknesses. The concept of learning disabilities covers an extremely wide range of characteristics. One student may have a deficit in just one area while another may exhibit deficits in numerous areas, yet both may be labeled as learning disabled.
Over time, parents, educators, and other professionals have identified a wide variety of characteristics associated with learning disabilities. These include:
- Academic problems
- Disorders of attention
- Poor motor abilities
- Psychological process deficits and information-processing problems
- Lack of cognitive strategies needed for efficient learning
- Oral language difficulties
- Reading difficulties
- Written language problems
- Mathematical disorders
- Social skill deficits
Retrieved from: http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/specific-learning-disabilities/
Accommodations and Modifications:
Once a child has been formally identified with a learning disability, the child or parent may request accommodations for that child's specific needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act states that a child's IEP (Individualized Education Program) team — which both parent and child are a part of — must decide which accommodations are appropriate for him or her. Any appropriate accommodations should be written into a student's IEP.
Here are some 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
- Timing:
- Allow frequent breaks
- Extend allotted time for a test
- 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
- 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
Additonal Resources for Accommodations and Modifications:
At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Auditory Processing Disorder https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/classroom-accommodations-for-auditory-processing-disorder
At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Dyspraxiahttps://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-dyspraxia
At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Nonverbal Learning Disabilities https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-nonverbal-learning-disabilities
At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexia https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-dyslexiaAt a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Visual Processing Issues https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-visual-processing-issues
Additional SLD Accommodations Reference Sheets can be found here: https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/classroom-accommodations-to-help-students-with-learning-and-attention-issues
Resources:
LD OnLine seeks to help children and adults reach their full potential by providing accurate and up-to-date information and advice about learning disabilities and ADHD. Webpage: About LD, http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/aboutld
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Specific Learning Disability http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/specific-learning-disabilities/
The site, Understood for Learning and Attention Issues, contains an abundance of information on learning and attention issues. https://www.understood.org
The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is a national membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to those preparing for or teaching in the field of special education. NASET was founded to promote the profession of special education teachers and to provide a national forum for their ideas. Resource page: Specific Learning Disabilities
https://www.naset.org/index.php?id=learningdisabilitie2
SpecialEducationGuide.com is a resource for parents and educators with articles explaining terminology, procedures and best practices in special education. Topics covered include early intervention to ISFPs; IEPs and RTI, inclusion, classroom and behavior management; disability profiles for each category under IDEA and a Special Education Dictionary to master “SPED” jargon. Article: Specific Learning Disability https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/specific-learning-disabilities/
Chicago Public Schools: Knowledge Center- Diverse Learners
https://sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/diverse-learners
Illinois State Board of Education: SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Special-Education-Specific-Learning-Disabilities.aspx
The University of Kansas School of Education, Timeline of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/idea-timeline