Learning

Disability
SEd Prof 224
 Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), 2004
Specific Learning Disability is one or more of the
basic psychological processes involved in
understanding or in using language, spoken or
written, which disorder may manifest itself in an
imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, write, spell,
or do mathematical calculations.
 Learning Disability

 Learning Disability substituted to Specific Learning Disability

Three distinct academic areas:

1. Specific learning disorder with a deficiency in reading.
2. Specific learning disorder affecting expressive writing ability.

3. Specific learning disorder with deficiency in Mathematics.

NICHCY, 2004

Learning Disability is a general

term that describes specific kind
of learning problems.
Ministry of Education, 2004

Learning Disability includes 2 (two) conditions

for assessment:

1. What is appropriate to his age and grade

level

2. As indicated by objective IQ level

What will
we learn
today?
HISTORY
o European Foundation Period (1800-1920)
- “word / text blindness”

o US Foundation Period (1920-1960)

- Samuel Kirk developed and refined an assessment approach for
pinpointing specific learning disabilities in children, the Illinois
Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities.

- Developed diagnostic test

o Emergent Period (1960-1985)
- The Government offered and Educational program for those
children.

o Solidification Period (1975-1985)

- In 1975, congress passed public law 94-142, the Education for All
Handicapped Children.
o Turbulent Period (1985-2000)
- From 1976-77 to 1998-99, the number of students identified as LD
doubled to more than 2.8 million, representing just over half of all
students with disabilities.

- This means that children with learning disabilities may be

struggling through school life with the additional burden of being
treated and labeled as “bobo”.
What will
we learn
today?
CHARACTERISTICS
Dyslexia
- Is a language-based Learning Disability characterized
by difficulties with decoding (sounding out) words,
fluent word recognition, and/or reading comprehension
skills (Handler, 2016)
Dyscalculia
- Is such a learning disorder that specifically affects the
ability to acquire school-level arithmetic skills (Price
and Ansari, 2013)

Dysgraphia
- Tight, awkward pencil grip and body position.
- Difficulty with syntax structure and grammar etc.
(Cortiella and Horowitz, 2014)
Dyspraxia
- Is defined as a disturbance in the programming and
execution of learned, volitional, purposeful movement,
in the presence of normal reflexes, power, tone,
coordination and sensation, and in the absence of
visual, auditory, language attentional and intellectual
disturbances. (Miller, 2015)
Screening
and
Diagnosis
 SCREENING

 Reynolds, Johnson, & Salzman (2012), Learning Disability screening tools are
operationalized as instruments that can detect learning strengths and weaknesses
and indicates potential LD but cannot provide a diagnosis of LD.

 Screening Tools can be result in:

1. False Positive
2. False Negative
 SCREENING

 Example of assessment tool of Geargy (2009) “The Number Set Test”

- Mathematical Learning Disability
- Developed to assess the speed and accuracy which children can identify and
process quantities represented by Arabic Numerals and object sets.

 The Literacy and Learning Disability also include observation checklist as a way of
assessing.
 Equally important advocates who conduct LD screening may ask the
question in an informal discussion about their past and challenges.
 SCREENING

 The Learning Disability Association of America, 2013

Typical Questions:
• Did you get special help in school?
• Do any of your family members have problems learning?
• Have you had difficulty getting or keeping a job?
• Do you have problem with reading, writing, or math skills?
• What do you enjoy most and why?

 The appropriate step is to locate in licensed diagnostician to

complete LD assessment.
 DIAGNOSIS

 The diagnosis of children with disability is based on the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM)-V

 Diagnostics assessment in Israel comprises of 4 major criteria:

a) Difficulties in learning and using academic skills, indicated by the presence of at

least one of the following symptoms that have persisted for at least 6 months,
despite the provision of interventions that target those difficulties inaccurate or
slow and effortful word reading, difficulty in reading comprehension, difficulties
with spellings, difficulties with written expression, and difficulties mastering
number sense, number facts, calculations and mathematical reasonings.
 DIAGNOSIS

b) The affected academic skills are substantially and quantifiably below those
expected for the individual’s chronological age, and they cause significant
interference with academic or occupational performance, or with activities of daily
living as confirmed by individually administered standardized achievement
measures and comprehensive clinical assessment.

c) The learning difficulties began during school-age years but may not have
become fully manifested until the demands for those affected academic skills
exceeded the individual’s limited capacities.
 DIAGNOSIS

d) The learning difficulties are not better accounted for by alternative disabilities
such as intellectual disabilities, uncorrected visual or auditory acuity, other mental
or neurological disorders, psychosocial adversity, lack of proficiency in the
language of academic instruction, or inadequate educational instruction.
 DIAGNOSIS

 Association of Ontario (2003)

a) A non-random, clinically significant discrepancy between one or more of the

specific psychological processes related to learning and otherwise average
abilities essential for thinking and reasoning.
b) Academic achievement that is unexpectedly low relative to the individual’s
thinking and reasoning abilities or academic achievement that is within expected
levels, but is sustainable only by extremely high levels of effort and support;
c) Evidence that learning difficulties are logically related to observed deficits
specific psychological processes.
 DIAGNOSIS

d) Evidence that learning difficulties are cannot primarily be accounted for by:

1. Other conditions such as global developmental delay, primary sensory deficits or

other physical difficulties.
2. Environmental factors such as deprivation, abuse, inadequate or inappropriate
instruction, socio-economic status, or lack of motivation.
3. Cultural or linguistic diversity.
4. Any other co-existing condition such as Developmental Coordination Disorder,
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or anxiety.
 DIAGNOSIS

 Two (2) General Method of Diagnosing learning disabilities:

1. IQ – Achievement Discrepancy (Discrepancy) and Response to Intervention
(RTI)
2. IQ – Achievement Discrepancy (Discrepancy) Approach

 A variety of methods for determining a discrepancy have been adopted, ranging

from simple standard-score comparisons to elaborate formulas (Ysseldyke,
Alogozzine, & Epp, 1983 as cited by Pullen, 2016)
 DIAGNOSIS

 Warren (2015) confirmed the above statement by revealing in his research to

definition of RTI or response to intervention.
- He said that RTI is a culturally responsive framework that provides early
intervention, prevents academic problems, and aids in the identification of students
with learning disabilities.

 RTI Framework support teacher implementing CCSS

 RTI Framework aims to reduce the disproportionate number of color
referred to special education service.
 RTI is designed to increase student achievement
 RTI encourage collaboration
 DIAGNOSIS

 Reynolds (2016) “Severe Discrepancy”

- One of the primary components of most state and/or local guidelines for
determining if a student is eligible for special education services related to a
specific Learning Disability.
• “Discrepancy” – a measure of under achievement.
• “Severe” – how much underachievement is required by a given state or
district before a student will qualify for special education service.

NOTE: Each state establishes its own criteria for determining a severe
discrepancy.
Prevalence
 USA

 National Center for Learning Disability (NCLD, 2014)

- in the study of Cortiella and Howowitz (2014), 2.4 million American school students have
LD under the IDEA.
- 42% of 5.7 million school-aged
- declined by 18% between 2002 and 2011, while total special education has declined by just
3%
- 2/3 of students identified with LD are male (66%) while overall public school enrollment is
almost evenly split between males (51%) and females (49%).
 PHILIPPINES
 Learning Disabilities affect around 40,000 Filipino school children where the majority are
boys.
 CAUSES

Intrinsic Extrinsic
Factors Factors
 Intrinsic Factors
1. Genetics
- Refers to a familial transmission of learning disabilities that shows that there is often a
family history of similar learning disabilities related to language, reading or speech.

2. Teratogenic
- These are agents that cause malformation and defects. Prenatal exposure to harmful
substances can affect the normal development of the fetus. These harmful substances
are likely to contribute to attention disorders, behavior problems, intellectual, verbal,
and non-verbal, as well as sensory disabilities.
 Intrinsic Factors
3. Medical and Health risk factors
- Medical problems at birth, child abuse and illness could contribute to learning disabilities.

4. Developmental Factors
- Some children develop and mature at a slower rate as other children of the same age,
which could manifest as delayed development of language and reading-, motor-,
intellectual-, and social skills (NASET, 2007)

5. Organic and Ecological Factors

- Biochemical and metabolic factors which include an imbalance in neurotransmitters as a
consequence of metabolizing, or hormone problems could cause attention deficits that
contribute to learning disabilities (Dednam, 2011)
 Extrinsic Factors
1. Socio-economic Factors
- Poverty, under-development, poor living conditions, such as under-nourishment, lack of or,
overcrowded housing and, unemployment, high levels of violence, crime, abuse and, a lack
of basic services (Muthukrishna & Schoeman, 2010)

2. Systemic Factors
- Lack of basic and appropriate learning support material, and assistive devices, inadequate
facilities at schools, inaccessible environments, inappropriate, and inadequate support
services, and lack of human resource development (Lomofsky & Lazarus, 2001).

3. Pedagogical Factors
- Learning breakdown, inflexible teaching and assessment approaches that do not cater for
diverse learner needs and styles, insufficient support from and to teachers (Muthukrishna &
Schoeman, 2010)
What will
we learn
today?
PROBLEMS,
CHALLENGES,
and STRUGGLES
A. People with Special Learning Needs

 Learning Disabilities and Bullying: Double Jeopardy

- LD and involvement in bullying each pose a risk for social, emotional,
and behavioral problems.
- Children with LD is vulnerable to bullying
A. People with Special Learning Needs

 Prevalence and Patterns of Learning Disabilities in School Children

- 3 staged screening procedure for assessing LD of 3 rd and 4th grade students in
govt. schools
Stage 1: comprised of the teacher identifying at-risk student
 1,211 (33.6%) total students it risks
Stage 2: teachers assessed at-risk students using Specific Learning Disability-
Screening Questionnaire (SLD-SQ)
 360 students were found positive at-risks
Stage 3: comprised of assessment of the screen positive students using
Brigance Diagnostic Inventory (BDI)
 108 confirmed children with LD
 B. FAMILY

 Children with Learning Disabilities within the Family Context: A Comparison with
Siblings in Global Self-Concept, Academic Self-Perception, and Social Competence
- The social competence and behavioral problems of children with learning
disabilities are related to their parents’ stress.

 Unanticipated Effects of Children with Learning Disabilities on their Families

- Children with LD had a range of effects on their families. These included family
stress, parenting discrepancies, negative reactions from extended family
members, difficulty in interacting with the school, and mixed effects upon
siblings.
 C. TEACHERS

 Teacher Attitudes toward Dyslexia: Effects on Teacher Expectations and the Academic
Achievement of Students with Dyslexia
- Implicit attitude measures to be a more valuable predictor of the achievements of
students with dyslexia than explicit, self-reported attitude measures.

 Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies to Students with Learning Disabilities

- They conducted discussion of ongoing issues in the field:
a) The increased use of socially mediated instruction.
b) The need to teach multiple strategies to students to improve comprehension.
c) Controversies how important it is to explicitly teach specific strategies versus merely providing
flexible frameworks to structure dialogue on texts read.
THANK YOU!