Learning Disabilities
By: Autumn Ingrassia, Angel Wilson, Sarahi Velazquez
Learning Disability Category Overview
- Spoken language—listening and speaking.
- Written language—reading, writing, and spelling.
- Arithmetic—calculation and mathematical concepts.
- Reasoning—organization and integration of ideas and thoughts.
General Characteristics of Learning Disabilities
- One or more of the basic
- May manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do
- Mathematical calculations,
- Including conditions such as perceptual disabilities
- Brain injury,
- Minimal brain dysfunction
- Dyslexia
- Developmental aphasia.
Other Characteristics
• Disorders of attention
• Reading difficulties
• Poor motor abilities
• Written language difficulties
• Oral language difficulties
• Social skills deficits
• Psychological process deficits
• Quantitative disorders
• Information processing problems
Addressing Accommodations
- Include a statement in your syllabus inviting students to talk with you and the disability services office about disability-related issues.
- Point out campus resources available to all students such as tutoring centers, study skills labs, counseling centers, and computer labs.
- Clearly and early in a course define course requirements, announce the dates of exams, and tell students when assignments are due. Avoid last-minute readings or additional assignments and provide advance notice of changes in assignments and due dates.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Large print textbooks
Use of mnemonics
Provision of notes or outlines
Auditory presentations with visuals
- Verbal and visual cues regarding directions and staying on task
Modifications for Students with Disabilities
Allow outlining, instead of writing for an essay or major project
Word bank of choices for answers to test questions
Reworded questions in simpler language
Highlighting important words or phrases in reading assignments
- Modified workload or length of assignments/tests
Effective Classroom Strategies and Interventions
Language Intervention
using repetition,chunking, Rephrasing directions
Comprehension intervention
Previewing, visualizing,daily read aloud with discussion about text meaning
Organizational Intervention
Folders for each subject, Organizational binders, Homework, classroom routines
Math Intervention
Draw visual representations of the solution, Review of basic facts, Mnemonics
Writing Interventions
- Teach students to restate the question, to use key phrases such as the author, text says, encourage oral rehearsal
Test/Assessment Accommodations/Modifications
Extended exam time, typically time and one half to double time.
Allow to take exams in a room with reduced distractions.
The assistance of a reader, scribe, or word processor for exams.
The option of an oral exam.
Allow to use spelling and grammar assistive devices for essay exams.
- Allow to use a calculator for exams.
- Allow to use scratch paper during exams.
Assistive Technology
Audio players and recording devices
Alternative keyboards
Electronic math worksheets
Audiobooks
- Abbreviation expanders
Educational Websites
This website offers tools such as online expert advice, information on learning disabilities, events, committees and legislation that have to do with learning disabilities, as well as access to different options that will connect you with other families and people with disabilities.
This website offers advice and ideas on how to accommodate students with learning disabilities. It also talks about different types of learning disabilities. There is also a section about related news, programs, and resources that might be helpful to families or teachers that have children/students with disabilities.
This website offers resources such as tips on connecting with a child's school, special services that are offered, homeschooling versus mainstreaming, and tips on how to manage everyday life with a child with a disability.