Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities

by William Frye

What does it mean for a student to be diagnosed with a learning disability? Individuals who are diagnosed with a learning disability are unable to learn the same way as average students. Some students with a learning disability are unable to write and listen at the same time; may have difficulty and/or lack the ability, to remain focused on lectures and/or assignments, or may have difficulty understanding material. Also, these students might become confused when recalling what was covered in a lesson and are often unable to connect the material taught in class with the homework they are assigned. Students with a learning disability have average to above average intelligence. They simply require alternative ways to learn and complete assignments. Learning Disabled students often require specific accommodations in order to have a fair chance for academic success.

What are the symptoms of a learning disability? There are a wide variety of characteristics a student with a learning disability may display. Some examples are: Difficulty reading, writing, spelling, and/or using numerical concepts Frequently struggles with taking notes during lectures Indecipherable handwriting Difficulty following, remembering, and/or understanding directions. Failure to comprehend written words, and/or failure to form written letters Students with a Learning Disability may also have trouble with verbal language.

They may: Find it difficult to verbally express ideas or information with spoken language Have trouble comprehending what people are saying.
Note: Students with a Learning Disability may also show signs of anxiety or anger, due to stress caused by their inability to learn at a pace similar to their peers. In addition, learningdisabled students tend to be forgetful, unorganized, and have difficulty maintaining a schedule.

http://www.mc3.edu/sa/stdisab/fac_res/ldteach.html

What can cause a learning disability? There is no single proven cause for a learning disability. Sometimes, there are many factors working together, other times the cause is entirely unknown. The most widely believed causes of learning disabilities are problems with pregnancy and birth. Throughout pregnancy, the fetal brain is very vulnerable to disruptions. If some form of disruption occurs during the pregnancy, errors may occur within the cell makeup, cell location, or cell connections, which may lead to learning disabilities. Also, the use of drugs and/or alcohol, lack of oxygen and/or injury during pregnancy may contribute to learning disabilities. *For more details on what causes learning disabilities go to: http://kidsource.com/kidsource/content/learningdis.html

Ways for a teacher to accommodate Learning Disabled students. - Make certain that instructions and assignments are clearly understood. This will provide L.D. students more of an equal opportunity to accomplish their work. - Make certain that assignments given to the L.D. students are within their abilities. If an L.D. student is given an assignment, more challenging than they are able to handle, a negative effect can take place, causing stress and frustration. Additionally, the student could potentially fail in attempting to simply complete the task.

Assigning Homework - Write assignments on the chalkboard as soon as they are assigned so that questions may be addressed and misunderstandings can be reduced. - Students should be periodically reminded of what is expected of them and when it is due, so that L.D. students form a habit of doing their schoolwork. This process not only helps L.D. students to remember to do their work, but it also increases their chances of accurately completing assignments. - Students with a Learning Disability should begin their homework during class if possible. This is assuredly not meant to decrease the amount of time spent at home on schoolwork, but to simply assure the teacher that L.D. students are prepared enough to work on their assignments independently. http://www.mc3.edu/sa/stdisab/fac_res/ldteach.html

*For other suggestions on classroom accommodations for specific behaviors displayed by L.D. students go to: http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/teacher.shtml

Keeping Students Attention - Call upon students at random to read from books or to carry out examples on the chalkboard. This will force them to closely follow along, not knowing when their attention will be tested.
Note: Teachers should never set out to embarrass students by calling on them to read difficult passages or asking them to work a problem that they are clearly unable to do; further embarrassment and frustration might ensue and is clearly not a desirable result.

- Teachers should use students names in examples during lectures. Hearing ones own name, or a fellow students name called and/or referred to, can immediately bring a students attention back to the lesson. - Teachers should move around the classroom to draw their students attention. This action will prove to show that when the teacher is more involved with their students, they will find that their students are paying closer attention to the lesson at hand. Mobility around the classroom can also give the teacher a chance to see if the students are following along and/or taking appropriate notes. *For more details on ways to keep a students attention, go to: http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/teacher.shtml

Proper Study Habits - Train L.D. students to do their homework in a low-distraction area. - Repeatedly emphasize the importance of organizational skills and provide assignment planners to students, helping to encourage the process of organization. - Both parents and teachers should look over the students assignment planners. - Make certain L.D. students are shown every possible means available to them for help and guidance with schoolwork. - Teachers should try to evoke detailed note-taking skills by providing paper with the days date and general outline of what was covered on the particular day. This will help students to know what material was covered on what day and help them to organize their note taking. Furthermore, if a student with a learning disability is absent, this system will help him or her discover what material was taught when the student was not in class.
Note: If these note taking strategies are unsuccessful or too distracting, teachers may wish to simply make copies of daily notes and deliver them to L.D. students at the beginning of each class. This allows students to follow along as lessons are being explained instead of trying to write everything down.

Numbers and statistics to keep in mind. According to the 24th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2002, there are currently 2.9 million students with a learning disability in the United States. Most of these students have trouble with reading. More than 25% of students diagnosed as having a learning disability drop out of school, compared to only 11% of the general population. It is widely believed by many professionals that males are more likely to have a learning disability, although some recent studies are trying to disprove this.

Teachers should be aware that African Americans are twice as likely as white children to have a learning disability *For more statistics go to: http://www.schwablearning.com

Final Thoughts People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never through out anyone. - Audrey Hepburn

References
A Parents Guide to Helping Kids with Learning Difficulties. By: Charles and Helen Schwab. 6th Oct. 2004. <http://www.schwablearning.org>

Kid Source Online, Inc. Copyright 1996-2003. Last Update: June 13, 2004. <http://www.kidsource.com>

Five Homework Strategies for Teaching Students With Disabilities. Information Center On Disabilities and Gifted Education. 26th Sept. 2004. <http:eric.org/digests/e608.html>.

Suggested Classroom Interventions For Children with ADD & Learning Disabilities. Child Development Institute. 27th Sept. 2004. <http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/teacher.shtml>

Understanding and Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities. Montgomery County Community College Website. 27th Sept. 2004. <hyyp:www.mc3.edu/sa/stdisab/fac_res/LDTEACH.html>.