Specific Learning

Disability

What is a Specific Learning

Disability?
A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes
involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or
written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to
listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical
calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual
disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia,
and developmental aphasia. The term does not include learning
problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or
motor disabilities; of intellectual disability; of emotional
disturbance; or of environmental, cultural, or economic
disadvantage.

Whats Inside?
Causes
Prevention
Characteristics
Instructional Strategies
Effects on Adolescents
Effects on Adults
Current Trends

Causes of Specific Learning Disabilities

The causes of learning disabilities may

be as diverse as the types of learning
disabilities. Students may have
problems with early-, intermediate-,
or advanced reading; earlyintermediate-, or advancedcomputation; early-, intermediate-, or
advanced-written expression; recall of
simple or related concepts; attending
to relevant versus irrelevant aspects
of lessons or activities. Those
problems may be the result of many
different causes.

Learning disabilities may be caused by

hereditary, teratogenic (ex., alcohol,
lead, cocaine), medical (ex.,
premature birth, diabetes,
meningitis), and environmental (ex.,
malnutrition, poor prenatal
healthcare) factors.

Recent research has discovered

differences in the brain structure and
functioning of readers with learning
disabilities but this is only a
beginning.

Rather than determining the cause of

a students problems, it is more
important to determine the
individuals unique educational needs
and design instruction that has the
best chance of helping him or her to
meet those needs.

Research seeking to base instruction

on the cause of an individuals
learning disability has not been
successful.

Characteristics
Students with learning disabilities
do not possess the same
characteristics of strengths and
weaknesses. 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.

-Mathematical disorders
-Social skill deficits

Over time, parents, educators,

and other professionals have
identified a wide variety of
characteristics associated with
learning disabilities. These
include:

For students with a learning

disability, it is the quantity,
intensity, and duration of these
behaviors that lead to problems in
school and elsewhere.

-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

Not all students will exhibit these

characteristics, and many children
who demonstrate these same
behaviors are successful in the
classroom.

It should also be noted that boys

are four times more likely to be
labeled with a learning disability
than girls. The reason for this has
not yet been determined by
researchers.

Prevention
Preventive measures to reduce the
incidence of learning disorders are not
known at this time. However, early detection
and intervention can reduce the severity of academic
difficulties and improve the quality of life experienced by
children with learning disorders. One method of treatment is
Response To Intervention.

Students with learning disabilities are often

served in regular classes by general education
teachers with the support of a special
educator. As with the education of any
student with a disability, it is important that
the general and special educators collaborate
effectively in order to develop a set of
teaching strategies for the student.

Instructional
Strategies

Teaching Strategies for Students with

Perceptual Difficulties:
-Do not present two pieces of information
together that may be perceptually confusing.
-Highlight the important characteristics of
new material.
Teaching Strategies for Students with
Attention Difficulties:
-Maintain attention by:
Breaking long tasks or assignments into
smaller segments (administer the smaller
segments throughout the day)
Presenting limited amounts of information
on a page
Gradually increasing the amount of time a
student must attend to a task or lecture
-Use prompts and cues to draw attention to
important information. Types of cues include:
Written cues, such as highlighting
directions on tests or activity sheets
Verbal cues, such as using signal words to
let students know they are about to hear
important information
Instructional cues, such as having a
student paraphrase directions or other
information to you
-Teach students a plan for identifying and
highlighting important information for
themselves

Teaching Strategies for Students with

Memory Difficulties:
-Teachers may need to teach the following
memory strategies to students with learning
disabilities:
Chunking is the grouping of large strings
of information into smaller, more
manageable "chunks".
Rehearsal is the repetition, either oral or
silent, of the information to be remembered.
Elaboration is the weaving of the material
to be remembered into a meaningful
context.
Categorization is when the information to
be remembered is organized by the category
to which it belongs.

Teaching Word-Analysis Skills:

-Phonics
-Sight words
-Context clues:
Teaching Reading Comprehension:
-Predictions can be based on pictures,
headings, subtitles, and graphs.
-Questions can be asked before reading to
help students attend to important
information.
-Teachers may prepare an advanced organizer
on the text to help focus students' attention
on key material in the text.
-Self-monitoring or self-evaluation techniques
can be used when reading longer passages.
Teaching Writing:
-Provide effective writing instruction that
includes daily practice on a range of writing
tasks, teacher modeling, cooperative learning
opportunities, follow-up instruction and
feedback, and integrating writing activities
across the curriculum.
-Tailor writing instruction to meet the needs
of individual children.
-Intervene early on writing assignments.
Expect that each child will learn to write.
-Identify and address academic and nonacademic stumbling blocks such as behavior or
social problems in the classroom.
-Take advantage of technological tools for
writing.
Direct Instruction:
-The identification and instruction of specific
academic skills
-The use of teaching techniques that have
been empirically demonstrated to be effective
with students with learning disabilities
-Direction instruction teaching methods
address the organization and presentation of
instruction.

Instructional
Strategies
Cont.

Effects of Disability on Adolescents:

Current Trends
There is a rising
accountability for
educational
outcomes from
students with
Specific Learning
Difficulties, and
Response To
Intervention is
addressing this
accountability.
Students with a
Specific Learning
Difficulty are more
frequently
completing high
school and going to
college where there
are a number of
services put into
place for them.

Adolescents who may have a specific learning disability will display

one or more of these features that could affect their everyday
functioning:
-difficulty understanding and following instructions.
-trouble remembering what someone just told him or her.
-fails to master reading, spelling, writing, and/or math skills, and
thus fails
-difficulty distinguishing right from left; difficulty identifying words
or a tendency to reverse letters, words, or numbers
-lacks coordination in walking, sports, or small activities such as
holding a pencil or tying a shoelace.
-easily loses or misplaces homework, schoolbooks, or other items.
-difficulty understanding the concept of time; is confused by
"yesterday, today, tomorrow.
If an adolescent is facing these difficulties, it may cause them to
withdraw socially for fear of rejection or ridicule by peers.

Effects of Disability on Adults:

Adults facing a specific learning disability may function just fine
outside of the school setting but may find certain activities
difficult, to include:
-Remembering newly learned information
-Staying organized
-Understanding what he or she reads
-Getting along with peers or coworkers
-Finding or keeping a job
-Understanding jokes that are subtle or sarcastic
-Making appropriate remarks
-Expressing thoughts verbally or in writing
-Following directions
-Using basic skills (such as reading, writing, spelling, and math)
-Using proper grammar in spoken or written communication
-Remembering and sticking to deadlines

Online Resources
http://projectidealonline.org/specificLearningDisabilities.php
http://teachingld.org/understanding-ld
http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/stw/Page.asp?PageID=STW
026926
http://aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children+with+Learning+Dis
abilities&section=Facts+for+Families

Notes: