Supporting Students with

Learning Disabilities
By: Brittany Sproule
What are Learning Disabilities?
According to the BC Ministry of Education, Learning Disabilities are defined as:

“a number of conditions that might affect the acquisition, organization, retention,

understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in
individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking
and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual
disabilities. Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes
related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not
limited to language processing, phonological processing, visual spatial processing,
processing speed, memory, attention and executive functions (e.g. planning and
decision making)” (2011, p. 6)
Areas of Challenge
Students with Learning Disabilities often have difficulties in these particular
areas:

*oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding)

*reading (e.g., decoding, phonetic knowledge, word recognition,

comprehension)

*written language (e.g., spelling and written expression)

*mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving)

Types of Learning Disabilities
These are three types of Learning Disabilities:

Arithmetic Disorder (dyscalculia)

Writing Disorder (dysgraphia)

Reading Disorder (dyslexia)

Arithmetic Disorder
Arithmetic Disorder is “generally characterized by difficulty in learning or
comprehending mathematics. It affects a person’s ability to understand and manipulate
numbers or understand numbers themselves. “ (Ministry of Education, 2011, p.14).
Students with this disorder might have challenges with: following multi-step problems,
distinguishing right from left, organizing math problems on a page, understanding and
solving word problems.

Strategies to address Arithmetic Disorder:

1. Provide explicit instruction in small groups

2. Encourage students to represent the information in math problems in a variety of ways
3. Make use of web-based and software technology to provide a variety of ways to represent
numbers and operations while increasing students’ abilities to create mental representations
of concepts

(Ministry of Education, 2011, pg. 86)

Writing Disorder
Writing Disorder is “generally characterized by distorted writing in spite of thorough
instruction. “ (Ministry of Education, 2011, p.15). This includes: spelling, motor control,
planning, drafting and editing. Students with this disorder might have challenges with:
writing letters inconsistently and illegible, unfinished words and many spelling mistakes,
and accompanying stress related to writing.

Strategies to address Writing Disorder:

1. Provide a framework for language and idea development by using a visual for oral instruction
2. Expand on students’ verbal responses by encouraging students to practice using words in
sentences, listen for new words throughout their day
3. Using learning strategies such as KWL or Think-Pair- Share

(Ministry of Education, 2011, pg. 71)

Reading Disorder
Reading Disorder is “generally characterized by difficulties with the alphabet, word
recognition, decoding, spelling, and comprehension. “ (Ministry of Education, 2011).
Students with this disorder might have challenges with: naming, learning, or printing the
alphabet, memorizing non-phonetic words, and retelling a story in the correct order.

Strategies to address Reading Disorder:

1. Provide direct instruction involving rhyming words and syllables

2. Use phonemic games such as Reverse-a-Word (Say ”cat”, then say it with the first sound last
and the last sound first – e.g. “tac”)
3. Teach the tapping technique, where students identify speech sounds before they spell words
by touching the thumb to successive fingers as they segment and pronounce the speech
sounds

(Ministry of Education, 2011, pg. 55 and 60)

 Helpful Materials and Resources
For Numeracy and Mathematics (Arithmetic Disorder):
*First Steps in Math: For Grades K-10-www.pearsonprofessionallearning.ca/firstste psmath/index.html
*Foundations for Numeracy: an evidence based toolkit for early learning practitioners. Canadian Language and Literacy Network
and the Canadian Child Care Federation-http://foundationsfornumeracy.ca/pdf/EY _NumeracyKit09_ENG.pdf
*Virtual Manipulatives Base Ten Blocks- http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/math1-3/baseten-1.html

For Writing (Writing Disorder):

*Interventions-
https://www.ldatschool.ca/developing-interventions-for-students-with-writing-disabilities-addressing-the-most-complex-aca
demic-problem/
*Speech and LanguageKids-https://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/expressive-language-delay-resource-page/
*Dysgraphia in
Children-https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dysgraphia/understandingdysgraphia

For Reading (Reading Disorder):

*Assistive Technology-https://www.texasat.net/
*Essential Skills Reading Software-https://essentialskills.com/
*Fast ForWord-https://www.scilearn.com/
References
British Columbia Ministry of Education (2011). Supporting Students with
Learning Disabilities: A Guide for Teachers. Retrieved from
https://onq.queensu.ca/content/enforced/310329-SUM2019CONT904001/Rea
dings/learning_disabilities_guide.pdf.