https://geon.github.io/programming/2016/03/03/dsxyliea
What is Learning Disability?
Causes of LD
Organic and Biological Factors
- Learning-disabled children have central nervous system dysfunction that their brains malfunction in some way
- Heredity as a cause of learning disabilities, especially severe reading disabilities, in some individuals.
- There is much evidence showing that environmentally disadvantaged children are more prone to exhibit learning problems.
- Poor Teaching
Types of LD
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)
- A condition that adversely affects how sound that travels unimpeded through the ear is processed or interpreted by the brain.
- A specific learning disability that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts.
- A specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills.
- A specific learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills.
- A type of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in which there is difficulty attaching meaning to sound groups that form words, sentences and stories.
- A disorder which is usually characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial and social skills.
- A disorder that affects the understanding of information that a person sees or the ability to draw or copy.
- A disorder that includes difficulty in staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity.
- A disorder that is characterized by difficulty in muscle control, which causes problems with movement and coordination, language and speech and can affect learning.
Symptoms of LD
- may have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds;
- may make many mistakes when reading aloud, and repeat and pause often;
- may not understand what he or she reads;
- may have real trouble with spelling;
- may have very messy handwriting or hold a pencil awkwardly;
- may struggle to express ideas in writing; may learn language late and have a limited vocabulary;
- may have trouble remembering the sounds that letters make or hearing slight differences between words;
- may have trouble understanding jokes, comic strips, and sarcasm;
- may have trouble following directions;
- may mispronounce words or use a wrong word that sounds similar;
- may have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or not be able to think of the word he or she needs for writing or conversation;
- may not follow the social rules of conversation, such as taking turns, and may stand too close to the listener;
- may confuse math symbols and misread numbers;
- may not be able to retell a story in order (what happened first, second, third); or
- may not know where to begin a task or how to go on from there.
Educational Considerations
It is important that physician, teacher, parent and child be in close communication to monitor the dosage because it is not always an easy matter to determine when the over activity warrants medication.
Process training
It is assumed that the underlying processes involved in learning academic subjects can be specified. Then the children’s processes are trained rather than working directly on academic materials.
Multisensory Approaches
The prototype of most multisensory approaches is Fernald’s VAKT (Visual, Audio, Kinesthetic and Tactual) method. In learning the words, the child first sees the word then hears the teacher say the word. Next the child says the word and finally, the child traces the word.
Structure and Stimulus Reduction for Hyperactivity and Distractibility
William Cruickshank developed an educational program for learning-disabled students with attentional problems and hyperactivity which includes three principles: structure, reduction of environmental stimulation and enhancement of intensity of teaching materials
Stimulus reduction is achieved by some of the following modifications:
Cognitive Training
Behavior Modification
Practitioners have used behavior modification successfully work with inattention and hyperactivity(Hallahan & Kauffman, 1975) as well as with specific academic behaviors (Kauffman,1975; Lovitt, 1975a,b). Lovitt, for example, has used behavior modification to improve arithmetic performance and linguistic skills.
Direct Instruction
Basic Strategies and Techniques
Visualization
Visual organizers
Vocabulary development
It is assumed that the underlying processes involved in learning academic subjects can be specified. Then the children’s processes are trained rather than working directly on academic materials.
Multisensory Approaches
The prototype of most multisensory approaches is Fernald’s VAKT (Visual, Audio, Kinesthetic and Tactual) method. In learning the words, the child first sees the word then hears the teacher say the word. Next the child says the word and finally, the child traces the word.
Structure and Stimulus Reduction for Hyperactivity and Distractibility
William Cruickshank developed an educational program for learning-disabled students with attentional problems and hyperactivity which includes three principles: structure, reduction of environmental stimulation and enhancement of intensity of teaching materials
Stimulus reduction is achieved by some of the following modifications:
- Soundproofed walls and ceiling
- Carpeting
- Opaque windows
- Enclosed bookcases and cupboards
- Limited use of bulletin boards
- Use if cubicles and three –sided work areas
- The use of Medication with Hyperactive Children
Cognitive Training
- focuses on changing covert thoughts
- David Meicebaum pioneered cognitive training as an intervention approach for learning disabled students
- It stresses self-initiative, it is aimed at helping the child overcome motivational problems of passivity and learned helplessness
- Provides the child with specific learning strategies
- Techniques appear particularly well suited for attentional and impulsivity problems.
Behavior Modification
Practitioners have used behavior modification successfully work with inattention and hyperactivity(Hallahan & Kauffman, 1975) as well as with specific academic behaviors (Kauffman,1975; Lovitt, 1975a,b). Lovitt, for example, has used behavior modification to improve arithmetic performance and linguistic skills.
Direct Instruction
- Similar to behavior modification. It differs, however, in that it focuses psecifcally on the instructional process.
- Stress a logical analysis of the concept to be taught, rather than the characteristics of the student.
- Direct instruction programs are available for reading, arithmetic, and language.
- These programs consist of precisely sequenced, fast-paced lessons taught to small groups of four to ten.
- There is heavy emphasis on drill and practice
Basic Strategies and Techniques
- Multisensory strategies
- is the linkage of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile modalities. Students simultaneously link the visual symbol (what they see) with its corresponding sound (what they hear) and kinesthetic-tactile input (what they feel) as they write a letter accurately and say the corresponding sound(s)
- Chunking
- breaking information or a task into smaller manageable parts
- Visually organizing information
- Visualization
- Visual organizers
- Vocabulary development
Visualization
- process where the students create a visual picture mentally to correspond to the ideas they are listening to or reading.
- "The girl scurried down the street"
- "What does the street look like?"
- "How do you think the girl is going down the street?"
- "What size is the girl?"
- "What is she wearing?"
- "What colors are in her clothes?"
- "What you think the girl is thinking or feeling as she is running?"
- "Is it daytime or night? What in your picture in your head led you to that conclusion?"
Visual organizers
Vocabulary development
- enhance vocabulary through a variety of interactive, hands-on experiences. The more fun and involvement has, the more efficient will be recalled. It will also be easier to generalize knowledge to new situations.
5 Things Most People Don't Know About LD
- There are no medical cure and tests to diagnose LD, but it does have a genetic component.
- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is not a learning disability.
- Hearing, motor, or visual disabilities are not LD.
- LDs are not due to cognitive delays, thus it is not the same as intellectual ability.
- LDs are lifelong.
5 Famous People with LD
Whoopi Goldberg (dyslexia)
Long ago, before Whoopi Goldberg was diagnosed with dyslexia and before she knew how common this learning issue is, kids in school called her “dumb.” But her mother told her not to listen to them. Her mom told her she could be anything she wanted to be. Goldberg believed her and grew up to become a comedian and talk-show host—and one of only about a dozen people to have won a Grammy, an Academy Award, an Emmy and a Tony Award.
Long ago, before Whoopi Goldberg was diagnosed with dyslexia and before she knew how common this learning issue is, kids in school called her “dumb.” But her mother told her not to listen to them. Her mom told her she could be anything she wanted to be. Goldberg believed her and grew up to become a comedian and talk-show host—and one of only about a dozen people to have won a Grammy, an Academy Award, an Emmy and a Tony Award.
Daniel Radcliffe (dyspraxia)
As the star of the Harry Potter movies, actor Daniel Radcliffe can be seen zipping around on his broomstick and saving the day during Quidditch matches. In real life, he has dyspraxia, which can make it difficult for him to tie his shoes. Handwriting also continues to be a challenge. He was 9 when his mother encouraged him to audition for a play. “I was having a hard time in school,” he said. His mom thought acting would boost his confidence. She was right!
As the star of the Harry Potter movies, actor Daniel Radcliffe can be seen zipping around on his broomstick and saving the day during Quidditch matches. In real life, he has dyspraxia, which can make it difficult for him to tie his shoes. Handwriting also continues to be a challenge. He was 9 when his mother encouraged him to audition for a play. “I was having a hard time in school,” he said. His mom thought acting would boost his confidence. She was right!
Steven Spielberg (dyslexia)
Legendary film director Steven Spielberg wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until he was in his 60s. School administrators thought he was lazy. He was bullied by classmates, and his troubles in school played a part in his career. Not only did making movies give him a place to channel his energies, but feeling like an outsider helped him cowrite The Goonies, a hit movie about a quirky group of friends who didn’t quite fit in at school. He said finding out as an adult that he has dyslexia was like “the last puzzle piece to a great mystery that I’ve kept to myself
Legendary film director Steven Spielberg wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until he was in his 60s. School administrators thought he was lazy. He was bullied by classmates, and his troubles in school played a part in his career. Not only did making movies give him a place to channel his energies, but feeling like an outsider helped him cowrite The Goonies, a hit movie about a quirky group of friends who didn’t quite fit in at school. He said finding out as an adult that he has dyslexia was like “the last puzzle piece to a great mystery that I’ve kept to myself
Albert Einstein (dyslexia)
Before E equaled MC squared, Einstein had a hard time memorizing the simplest of things. That mixed with his bad memory was the chief source of his known dyslexia. The man couldn’t even keep track of the months of the year! So if you don’t have a learning disability and haven’t discovered a theorem in your life, you have no excuses anymore.
Before E equaled MC squared, Einstein had a hard time memorizing the simplest of things. That mixed with his bad memory was the chief source of his known dyslexia. The man couldn’t even keep track of the months of the year! So if you don’t have a learning disability and haven’t discovered a theorem in your life, you have no excuses anymore.
John Lennon (dyslexia)
The late Beatle has been known as a dyslexia success story, having struggled with learning and getting into trouble from an early age. Lennon was constantly an advocate for anarchy, getting kicked out of school before graduation and eventually leading a social movement with Yoko Ono up until his death. John grew up with his aunt who taught him to express himself, an expression that helped him tame his dyslexia and would lead to some of the greatest music ever written.
The late Beatle has been known as a dyslexia success story, having struggled with learning and getting into trouble from an early age. Lennon was constantly an advocate for anarchy, getting kicked out of school before graduation and eventually leading a social movement with Yoko Ono up until his death. John grew up with his aunt who taught him to express himself, an expression that helped him tame his dyslexia and would lead to some of the greatest music ever written.