Presented by the Hill School of Wilmington

What does a learning disability look like?

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This presentation was originally created by our founding director, Dr. Dawn Hodges.

What is a learning disability?

• biological "processing" problem that impairs a person's ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell and do math calculations
• dyslexia is the most common
• genetic component and often run in families
• lifelong disability
• does not include visual, hearing, or motor disabilities
• is not the same as problems caused by other diagnosis such as intellectually disabled, autism, emotional disturbance or a result of a cultural, environmental, or economic disadvantage

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Taken from the National Center for Learning Disabilities website

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How are learning disabilities diagnosed?

• Proper identification (diagnosis) involves:
• parent and child interviews
• classroom observation
• a review of the child's educational and medical history
• a series of tests to identify the child's strengths and weaknesses
• the gathering of information from teachers and other professionals who work with the child
• There is no medical test (such as a blood test) for LD.
• LD often co-exists with other neurological disorders such as ADHD. This can make diagnosis/identification of the disabilities tricky.

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Taken from the National Center for Learning Disabilities website

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How common are learning disabilities?

• It's estimated that 4.67 million Americans (ages 6 and older) have LD. That represents 1.8% of the U.S. population. (U.S. Survey of Income and Program Participation)
• Almost 2.4 million school-age children in the U.S. are classified as having specific learning disabilities. That represents 4%-6% of all public school students.
• Almost half of public school students receiving special education services have LD

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Taken from the National Center for Learning Disabilities website

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Dyslexia - Definition

• Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

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Taken from the International Dyslexia Association, Nov. 12, 2002

Dyslexia

• Language-based learning disability
• Exact cause unknown – but anatomical and brain imagery studies show differences in the way the brain of a dyslexic person develops and functions.
• “15-20% of the population as a whole – have some of the symptoms of dyslexia, including slow or inaccurate reading, poor spelling, poor writing, or mixing up similar words. Not all of these will qualify to special ed., but they are likely to struggle with many aspects of academic learning and are likely to benefit from systematic, explicit, instruction in reading, writing, and language.”

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The International Dyslexia Association

Dyslexia – What is it like for the student?

• Difficulty interpreting what is seen (symbols/words)
• Understanding symbols and the relationship of their order
• The mental image is lost after eyes leave the page
• Reversibility (which is really a consequence of not remembering the sequence)

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Taken from Thoendel Learning Center website

http://www.tlc-ne.com.html

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Taken from Thoendel Learning Center website

http://www.tlc-ne.com.html

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Ben Foss – �The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan

Ben Foss – �The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan

Neurodiversity

What's Going On Inside a Dyslexic Student's Brain?

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-dyslexia-kelli-sandman-hurley

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Dyslexia - What does it look like in the classroom?� Dyslexia in the Classroom by Dale R. Jordan

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• Difficulty with the alphabet:
• Does not know alphabet in correct sequence
• Omits certain letters
• Mixes capital and lowercase
• Mixes manuscript and cursive
• Confuses similar letters
• b, d, p, q ✶ h, n ✶ w, m
• r, n ✶ n, u
• f, t ✶ 6, 9
• Sings alphabet song or repeats rhyme to check sequence

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Dyslexia - What does it look like in the classroom?� Dyslexia in the Classroom by Dale R. Jordan

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• Difficulty with sequence and following directions:
• Can’t recite: days of the week, months, fact tables, birth date
• Has poor concept of time
• Poor concept of chronological order
• Can’t remember daily routine
• Can’t follow teacher’s directions in a classroom
• Can’t comprehend instructions when given to a group

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Dyslexia - What does it look like in the classroom?� Dyslexia in the Classroom by Dale R. Jordan

• Confusion with phonics, words, and spelling:
• Can’t interpret differences in vowel sounds
• Can’t interpret differences in consonant sounds
• Can’t tell when words are alike or different
• Can’t detect or produce rhyming words
• Errors in spelling:
• goes=gose
• rode=roed
• remember=rember
• blizzard=blizzered

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Dyslexia - What does it look like in the classroom?� Dyslexia in the Classroom by Dale R. Jordan

• Difficulty with reading:
• Reverses whole words
• Reverses beginning letters
• Substitutes similar words
• Telescopes (leaves out letters)
• Perseverates (adds extra letters or syllables)
• Whispers (subvocalizes) while reading silently

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Dyslexia Simulation

• Learn to Read
• Name That Letter

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• NC-IDA “Walking in their Shoes”

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�Dysgraphia - Definition�

• Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper.
• Processing disorder that includes both components: motor skills and thinking/organizational skills

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Taken from the National Center for Learning Disabilities website

Before attending the Hill School (13-14 school year; 1^st grade)

October 2015, 3^rd grade; attended the Hill School since the summer of 2014

Dysgraphia - What does it look like in the classroom? � Dyslexia in the Classroom by Dale R. Jordan�

• When copying from a near or a far point:
• Losing place
• Erasing
• Overprinting to correct
• Misspelling
• Not observing capital letters
• Not observing punctuation
• Improper spacing
• Reversal of letters/words
• Unusually slow pace

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Dysgraphia - What does it look like in the classroom? � Dyslexia in the Classroom by Dale R. Jordan�

• When writing letters and numbers:
• Doesn’t remember how to write certain letters or numbers
• Distorts shapes of certain letters or numerals
• Writing is illegible to student and teacher
• Difficulty distinguishing between capital and lower case letter
• Reverses certain numbers and letters
• Marks from bottom to top when forming certain letters or numerals
• Uses backwards (clockwise) motions when forming loops in certain letter or numeral
• Runs letters and words together

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�Dysgraphia Simulation� �

• Simulation 1 – Trace the Star
• Simulation 2 – Copy from the Board

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1. Trace a star

• Star paper, mirror, card stock, and pencil
• You may NOT look at your hand while tracing
• You may only look in the mirror.

2. Write or Left

• Use your non-dominant hand
• Follow the teacher’s instructions

3. Copy the Notes

• Use your non-dominant hand
• Complete the task in 2 minutes

Addysgu

Mae gwaith yr Uned Dyslecsia yn ymestryn dros ardal eang Gogledd-Orllewin Cymru, a’r rhan Helaethaf ohoni’n wledig. O ganlyniad, nid yw’r Uned yn cynnal canolfan addysgu. Mae ganddi swyddfeydd ac ystafelloedd at ddefnydd athrawon, ond addysgir yn bennaf mewn ysgolion neu leoedd eraill.

Dyscalculia - Definition

Dyscalculia is a term referring to a wide range of life-long learning disabilities involving math.

Trouble:

1. processing mathematical language

2. with visual-spatial relationships

3. remembering facts and keeping sequence of steps in order

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Taken from the National Center for Learning Disabilities website

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Dyscalculia - What does it look like in the classroom?�

• Struggles with number sense (symbol represents amount)
• Requires lots of practice (drill and kill)
• Difficulty remembering steps in a process
• More than and less than
• Principles of dollars and cents
• Rounding and estimating
• Analog clock

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Dyscalculia Simulation 1

• Most of us learn to do math this way:

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Using the tables provided on the worksheet, solve the 8 problems.

Did you get these answers?

1. 22
2. 24
3. 242
4. 11,502
5. 13,053
6. 10
7. 104
8. 400

Did this bring back old memories of when you were first learning to complete more complicated math equations and weren’t sure of your math facts?

Remember how slowly and methodically you worked?

Dyscalculia Simulation 2

• Use these rules to solve Problem 1, 2, and 3
• Multiply the third number in the first row by the seventh number in the third row.
• Add this result to the fifth number in the second row.
• Add to this total ten times the fourth number in the third row.
• Subtract the eighth number in the first row from the result.

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Did you get these answers?

• 1. 8 * 2 = 16

16 + 5 = 21

21 + (10 * 5) = 71

71 – 8 = 63

• 2. 98
• 3. 93

ADHD - Definition

• Inattention:
• sustaining attention long enough, especially to boring, tedious, or repetitive tasks;
• resisting distractions, especially to things that are more interesting or that fill in the gaps when sustained attention quits; and
• not paying sufficient attention, especially to details and organization.

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http://www.ldonline.org/

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ADHD - Definition

• Hyperactivity and impulsivity (as listed in the DSM-V-TR):
• often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat;
• often leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected;
• often runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults, may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness);
• often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly;
• is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor;"
• often talks excessively. (APA, 2000, p. 92*)

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ADHD

• ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorders of childhood. The disorder is estimated to affect between 3 to 7 out of every 100 school-aged children [American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2000].

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• ADHD is a very complex, neurobiochemical disorder.

http://www.ldonline.org/

ADHD and Executive Function

ADHD - What is it like for the student?�

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCbrQp3MIwc

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ADHD - What does it look like in the classroom?�

• "The same right-brained children who are being labeled and shamed in our schools are the very individuals who have the skills necessary to lead us into the twenty-first century.  These children process visually and randomly, and think holistically.  They are intuitive problem solvers who get the big picture.  They thrive on visual imagery and stimulation; these "attention deficit" kids can spend hours with computers and electronics that mirror their thought processes.  It's no wonder they are attracted to computers.  The use of computers is congruent with the way right-brained children think." - Jeffrey Freed and Laurie Parsons from "Right-Brained Children in a Left Brained World"

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ADHD - What does it look like in the classroom?�

How does the law protect people who have LD?

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides for special education services for public school students aged 3-21 with disabilities. Having LD doesn't automatically make a student eligible for special education; he or she must also go through an eligibility evaluation.

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• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights law prohibiting discriminating against people with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal funding.

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• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is also a civil rights law that protects individuals with LD from discrimination in schools, the workplace, and other settings.

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Taken from the National Center for Learning Disabilities website

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What help and treatment is available for people with LD?

• People with LD can succeed at school and work if they have:
• targeted instruction
• Well-delivered
• Research-based
• Individualized
• Differentiated
• meaningful accommodations
• high expectations (of themselves and from others)
• a support system

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What should the teacher do in the general education classroom?

• Recognize difficulties a student experiencing
• Maintain high, positive expectations
• Speed causes anxiety and harms performance – relax the pressure –focus on the purpose of the assignment
• Structure
• Explicitly instruct sequence
• Provide multisensory experiences

What should the teacher do in the general education classroom?

• Use capital options on multiple choice tests: A,B,C,D
• Classroom seating is KEY to the success of many students
• Graph paper/ lined paper (Handwriting without Tears)
• Use mnemonic devices
• Allow sub-vocalization
• Cursive handwriting

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What shouldn’t the teacher do in the general education classroom say?

• “Spelling is just memorization. Simply memorizes these words and you’ll be fine.”
• “You are not trying hard enough.”
• “Just study a little more.”
• “How is it that you do well in ___ class and can’t do well in _____.”

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Great Job!

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From Understood.org

• 5 Things Not to Say to Your Child About Dyslexia
1. If you try harder, you will read better.
2. Other kids don’t need to know about your dyslexia.
3. Maybe we should think about alternatives to college where reading isn’t so important.
4. If you don’t learn to read, you’ll never be successful.
5. Using a spell-checker is cheating.

Resources

• International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
• Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
• International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC)
• Understood.org

Resources

Resources

Resources

Resources

Finally

• Please complete our survey so that we can better serve you with our next series of workshops.
• Thank you for being part of our workshop this evening!

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Presented by the Hill School of Wilmington

What does a learning disability look like?

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