Learning Disabilities (Mathematics and Organizational Skills)
If your topic is learning disabilities with a focus on mathematics and organizational difficulties, please post the answers to your four questions here.
"Specific learning disability" corresponds to "perceptually impaired" and means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. IDEA Definition: ". . . 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 an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia." However, learning disabilities do not include, "…learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage." 34 Code of Federal Regulations
2)Children who have learning disabilities often have trouble with organizational skills. They find it hard to prioritize, and feel stressed when they are given more then one thing to do at a time. When they try to go about completing these tasks, they get frustrated because they cannot find what they are looking for and nothing is in order. They may resign from doing so, or they may not be able to complete the task on time. It is very discouraging for the child when they have no form of structure in their environment, and it sometimes causes them to have more anxiety. A child with this disability may have many bright ideas and suggestions when working on an assignment but have a hard time communicating them through their work or to others. If in a group, they may try to contribute, but be so disorganized that it is ineffective.
3)A multitude of websites offer support for teachers who wish to include organizational skills as part of their classroom curriculum. Children with learning disabilities often have trouble getting organized and maintaining a structured environment. Some tactics would include reducing clutter around a child’s desk. Having only a pencil and paper on their desk may help them to feel more focused and more in control. Additionally, having specific places for school supplies is helpful. Requiring all students to color code their notebooks, textbooks, and folders would also help students with learning disabilities to remember what books go together. They would recognize the other children’s colored books as a signal to what books they need to take out or take home. If they had a corresponding color-coded assignment book and a color-coded classroom calendar, it would be even more beneficial. Students with learning disabilities would be reminded what was due on each day for each specific subject. “To-do” lists were also suggested as something that would help the child develop a better understanding of organization. If the activities and work to get done for each day were posted in some form of a list in the classroom, the child would have an advantage. Socially, grouping these children with others who are organized and patient will encourage them to be more organized. Teachers can also reward children with this disability when they properly color-code their school books, complete their homework by the due date, or show effort toward being more organized in general.
4)Many websites and agencies are available for support for teachers who have children with learning disabilities in his or her classroom.
The Learning Disability Association (or LDA) of America provides many resources for parents, teachers, and professionals on the definitions of learning disabilities, online IDEA training courses, and assistance. This website offers a variety of resources with articles covering everything from how to get the proper services to the ways in which one can help the child and oneself after the learning disability has been determined.
“LD Online” is yet another excellent website designed for parents, educators, and even children. They offer information on the basics, as well as an extensive look on the IDEA ’04, as well as expert advice. It also features a section of children’s drawings, stories, and potential books to read for children who have learning disabilities.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities Online encompasses all the needs of children who have LD. It splits sections into K-8th grade and high school through adulthood to address the different needs and problems that may arise with each. It covers different social changes that may occur, strategies for teaching, and accommodations.
1) How is your disability defined by the federal and state laws? Federal Definition: The term shall have the meaning given in federal law at 34 C.F.R. §§300.7 and 300.541. Federal Definition: Specific learning disability is defined as follows: (i) General. The term means 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 an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. (ii) Disorders not included. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage New Jersey State Definition: SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES (SLD) – “Specific learning disability" corresponds to "perceptually impaired" and means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. It is characterized by a severe discrepancy between the student's current achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of the following areas:
(1) Basic reading skills; (2) Reading comprehension; (3) Oral expression; (4) Listening comprehension; (5) Mathematical computation; (6) Mathematical reasoning; and (7) Written expression. i. The term does not apply to students who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, general cognitive deficits, emotional disturbance or environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage. ii. The district shall adopt procedures that utilize a statistical formula and criteria for determining severe discrepancy. Evaluation shall include assessment of current academic achievement and intellectual ability.
2) What are the developmental characteristics of persons with this disability? (This would include cognitive, social, emotional, physical, as well as levels of functioning.)
It is very important to build a solid foundation in math, and it involves many different skills. Young children with this disability can have \trouble with tasks like sorting objects by shape, size or color. They might also have trouble trying to recognize groups and patterns. Younger children may also have a problem with comparing and contrasting objects or numbers using concepts like smaller/bigger or taller/shorter. As children grow older and get into higher learning levels, more difficulties will become apparent and this disability will become more easily identified. Learners with this disability will have frequent difficulties with arithmetic, confusing the signs: +, −, ÷ and ×. An inability to tell which of two numbers is the larger might be shown. Students will experience a difficulty with times-tables, mental arithmetic, and other various common mathematics. It is more common of younger children, but the reliance on 'counting-on' strategies, such as using fingers, rather than any more efficient mental arithmetic strategies may be an indicator that a child might have this disability. Children might find difficulty with a simple, everyday task such as checking change or reading analog clocks. On a more social level, people with this disability might find it difficult to keep score during games. In addition to keeping score, there might be a difficulty with common games, such as monopoly, board games with rolling dice, and card games such as poker. People with this disability might find a growing problem with differentiating between their left and right. They might also discover they have a poor sense of direction. Time management skills might also be poor for people with this disability, as they might find a difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the passing of time. In addition to time, people with this disability might have difficulty mentally estimating the measurement of an object’s distance. As people get older and advance in school, success in more advanced math procedures requires that a person be able to follow multi-step procedures. For individuals with this learning disability, it may be hard to visualize patterns, different parts of a math problem or identify critical information needed to solve equations and more complex problems. As an adult, more responsibility is placed on personal finances and money management. With this disability, a person might have the inability to comprehend financial planning or budgeting, sometimes even at a basic level. This could be a part of a simple task such as grocery shopping, while estimating the cost of the items in a shopping basket, or something of more importance, such as balancing a checkbook. Though this disability has its distinct challenges and difficulties, the condition may lead in extreme cases to a phobia of mathematics and mathematical devices.
3) If you were a teacher in a general education classroom, what information and strategies would help you best support a child with this disability? This would include academic support as well as social support.
As a teacher, it is important to be able to identify some difficulties that a student or students might have in your classroom. This will then allow parents, teachers, and other educators to work together to help the student with the math learning disability in the most effective way. In the classroom, there are a few things that I as a teacher would do to help a student learn math most effectively. I think the concept of repetition is an important learning strategy for people with this disability. Often, students with this disability see a problem wrong the first time and need to do the problem over again. Along with repetition, students with this disability need some extra attention from teachers to make sure they are going through each problem correctly, and that any mistakes are caught and corrected right away as they happen. As a teacher, I would also make sure to give students with this disability extra space for their problem solving. Problems that are written too closely together on the page can cause mental confusion. On tests, I think it is important to allow scrap paper for uncluttered figuring and problem solving (graph paper specifically, because the lines help students organize and arrange math problems more easily). Students with this math disability might require special testing accommodations which I think is very fair, as long as they are put in place by the student’s instructor. Students might need a different test that makes test problems pure and only testing the required skills. For example, test problems must be free of large numbers and unnecessary distracting calculations. I would also try to let the test be taken on a one-on-one basis and with more than the standard test taking time. As a teacher, I think it is really important for this specific disability to provide extra one-on-one tutoring and enhanced learning. Whether it comes directly from the teacher, or from an outside tutoring source, it is vital that students with this disability get direct help outside of the classroom on a regular basis. Extra problems should be assigned for the student and it would be crucial that the topics learned in class are reviewed daily. It might even be helpful for students to learn the material ahead of it being taught in the classroom, so that the lesson would be more of a review, rather than a stressful time at school.
4) What resources would help you as a teacher to serve this child? (This would include websites, agencies, people within the school; a two to three line description is required for each resource.)
http://www.dyscalculia.org/ Educate yourself with information about math learning disabilities (more commonly known as dyscalculia, thus the title of the website). Information includes symptoms, diagnosis, effective teaching methods, books and multimedia on the topic, learning strategies, and people and organizations to contact.
http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/math Read the most current articles about math related disabilities. There is a question and answer page, which has many questions and answers relating to different aspects of the disability. There are also links to other pages relating to the topic. There is a store with products to help teachers and/or parents with a child with dyscalculia. There is also a discussion forum for parents of children with this disability to discuss things about the disability.
http://www.ncld.org The National Center for Learning Disability’s website contains useful information for parents and educators. There is current information and articles relating to the laws applicable to specific disabilities. There is an information zone, where anyone can find information on a range of disabilities. There are also areas directly related to helping students with various disabilities, including dyscalculia. The “Resource Locator” and the “Scholarship/Awards” areas are both designed to help out students with a disability.
CENTER FOR TEACHING & LEARNING MATHEMATICS Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Support Services of Shiawassee County 8053 N. Delaney Rd., Henderson, MI 48841 (517) 729-9108 Renee M. Newman, M.S., Director E-Mail: ReneeNew@dyscalculia.org www.shianet.org/~reneenew/dss.html Designed to specifically help students with math learning disabilities and the people that teach them. This site relates to many of the ones listed above, with information pertaining to what exactly the disability is, symptoms, diagnosis, and effective ways to treat and help students with this disability. In addition to the website, people may contact representatives by phone or email, and there is a physical address at which people may visit and learn more.
This blog is designed as a resource tool for teacher candidates learning about special education and students with special needs. Pairs within the class will create their own blogs about specific students with special needs, such as children with ADHD, and then link that blog to this central site.Each blog will contain information about the federal and state definition of the disability group, the general physical, social, cognitive, and emotional developments, as well as useful resources for teachers.
3 comments:
1) NJ Special Ed Definition:
"Specific learning disability" corresponds to "perceptually impaired" and means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
IDEA Definition:
". . . 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 an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia."
However, learning disabilities do not include, "…learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage." 34 Code of Federal Regulations
2)Children who have learning disabilities often have trouble with organizational skills. They find it hard to prioritize, and feel stressed when they are given more then one thing to do at a time. When they try to go about completing these tasks, they get frustrated because they cannot find what they are looking for and nothing is in order. They may resign from doing so, or they may not be able to complete the task on time. It is very discouraging for the child when they have no form of structure in their environment, and it sometimes causes them to have more anxiety. A child with this disability may have many bright ideas and suggestions when working on an assignment but have a hard time communicating them through their work or to others. If in a group, they may try to contribute, but be so disorganized that it is ineffective.
3)A multitude of websites offer support for teachers who wish to include organizational skills as part of their classroom curriculum. Children with learning disabilities often have trouble getting organized and maintaining a structured environment. Some tactics would include reducing clutter around a child’s desk. Having only a pencil and paper on their desk may help them to feel more focused and more in control. Additionally, having specific places for school supplies is helpful. Requiring all students to color code their notebooks, textbooks, and folders would also help students with learning disabilities to remember what books go together. They would recognize the other children’s colored books as a signal to what books they need to take out or take home. If they had a corresponding color-coded assignment book and a color-coded classroom calendar, it would be even more beneficial. Students with learning disabilities would be reminded what was due on each day for each specific subject. “To-do” lists were also suggested as something that would help the child develop a better understanding of organization. If the activities and work to get done for each day were posted in some form of a list in the classroom, the child would have an advantage. Socially, grouping these children with others who are organized and patient will encourage them to be more organized. Teachers can also reward children with this disability when they properly color-code their school books, complete their homework by the due date, or show effort toward being more organized in general.
4)Many websites and agencies are available for support for teachers who have children with learning disabilities in his or her classroom.
The Learning Disability Association (or LDA) of America provides many resources for parents, teachers, and professionals on the definitions of learning disabilities, online IDEA training courses, and assistance. This website offers a variety of resources with articles covering everything from how to get the proper services to the ways in which one can help the child and oneself after the learning disability has been determined.
“LD Online” is yet another excellent website designed for parents, educators, and even children. They offer information on the basics, as well as an extensive look on the IDEA ’04, as well as expert advice. It also features a section of children’s drawings, stories, and potential books to read for children who have learning disabilities.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities Online encompasses all the needs of children who have LD. It splits sections into K-8th grade and high school through adulthood to address the different needs and problems that may arise with each. It covers different social changes that may occur, strategies for teaching, and accommodations.
1) How is your disability defined by the federal and state laws?
Federal Definition:
The term shall have the meaning given in federal law at 34 C.F.R. §§300.7 and 300.541.
Federal Definition:
Specific learning disability is defined as follows:
(i) General. The term means 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 an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
(ii) Disorders not included. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage
New Jersey State Definition:
SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES (SLD) – “Specific learning disability" corresponds to "perceptually impaired" and means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. It is characterized by a severe discrepancy between the student's current achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of the following areas:
(1) Basic reading skills;
(2) Reading comprehension;
(3) Oral expression;
(4) Listening comprehension;
(5) Mathematical computation;
(6) Mathematical reasoning; and
(7) Written expression.
i. The term does not apply to students who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, general cognitive deficits, emotional disturbance or environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage.
ii. The district shall adopt procedures that utilize a statistical formula and criteria for determining severe discrepancy. Evaluation shall include assessment of current academic achievement and intellectual ability.
2) What are the developmental characteristics of persons with this disability? (This would include cognitive, social, emotional, physical, as well as levels of functioning.)
It is very important to build a solid foundation in math, and it involves many different skills. Young children with this disability can have \trouble with tasks like sorting objects by shape, size or color. They might also have trouble trying to recognize groups and patterns. Younger children may also have a problem with comparing and contrasting objects or numbers using concepts like smaller/bigger or taller/shorter.
As children grow older and get into higher learning levels, more difficulties will become apparent and this disability will become more easily identified. Learners with this disability will have frequent difficulties with arithmetic, confusing the signs: +, −, ÷ and ×. An inability to tell which of two numbers is the larger might be shown. Students will experience a difficulty with times-tables, mental arithmetic, and other various common mathematics. It is more common of younger children, but the reliance on 'counting-on' strategies, such as using fingers, rather than any more efficient mental arithmetic strategies may be an indicator that a child might have this disability. Children might find difficulty with a simple, everyday task such as checking change or reading analog clocks. On a more social level, people with this disability might find it difficult to keep score during games. In addition to keeping score, there might be a difficulty with common games, such as monopoly, board games with rolling dice, and card games such as poker. People with this disability might find a growing problem with differentiating between their left and right. They might also discover they have a poor sense of direction. Time management skills might also be poor for people with this disability, as they might find a difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the passing of time. In addition to time, people with this disability might have difficulty mentally estimating the measurement of an object’s distance.
As people get older and advance in school, success in more advanced math procedures requires that a person be able to follow multi-step procedures. For individuals with this learning disability, it may be hard to visualize patterns, different parts of a math problem or identify critical information needed to solve equations and more complex problems. As an adult, more responsibility is placed on personal finances and money management. With this disability, a person might have the inability to comprehend financial planning or budgeting, sometimes even at a basic level. This could be a part of a simple task such as grocery shopping, while estimating the cost of the items in a shopping basket, or something of more importance, such as balancing a checkbook.
Though this disability has its distinct challenges and difficulties, the condition may lead in extreme cases to a phobia of mathematics and mathematical devices.
3) If you were a teacher in a general education classroom, what information and strategies would help you best support a child with this disability? This would include academic support as well as social support.
As a teacher, it is important to be able to identify some difficulties that a student or students might have in your classroom. This will then allow parents, teachers, and other educators to work together to help the student with the math learning disability in the most effective way. In the classroom, there are a few things that I as a teacher would do to help a student learn math most effectively. I think the concept of repetition is an important learning strategy for people with this disability. Often, students with this disability see a problem wrong the first time and need to do the problem over again. Along with repetition, students with this disability need some extra attention from teachers to make sure they are going through each problem correctly, and that any mistakes are caught and corrected right away as they happen. As a teacher, I would also make sure to give students with this disability extra space for their problem solving. Problems that are written too closely together on the page can cause mental confusion. On tests, I think it is important to allow scrap paper for uncluttered figuring and problem solving (graph paper specifically, because the lines help students organize and arrange math problems more easily). Students with this math disability might require special testing accommodations which I think is very fair, as long as they are put in place by the student’s instructor. Students might need a different test that makes test problems pure and only testing the required skills. For example, test problems must be free of large numbers and unnecessary distracting calculations. I would also try to let the test be taken on a one-on-one basis and with more than the standard test taking time. As a teacher, I think it is really important for this specific disability to provide extra one-on-one tutoring and enhanced learning. Whether it comes directly from the teacher, or from an outside tutoring source, it is vital that students with this disability get direct help outside of the classroom on a regular basis. Extra problems should be assigned for the student and it would be crucial that the topics learned in class are reviewed daily. It might even be helpful for students to learn the material ahead of it being taught in the classroom, so that the lesson would be more of a review, rather than a stressful time at school.
4) What resources would help you as a teacher to serve this child? (This would include websites, agencies, people within the school; a two to three line description is required for each resource.)
http://www.dyscalculia.org/
Educate yourself with information about math learning disabilities (more commonly known as dyscalculia, thus the title of the website). Information includes symptoms, diagnosis, effective teaching methods, books and multimedia on the topic, learning strategies, and people and organizations to contact.
http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/math
Read the most current articles about math related disabilities. There is a question and answer page, which has many questions and answers relating to different aspects of the disability. There are also links to other pages relating to the topic. There is a store with products to help teachers and/or parents with a child with dyscalculia. There is also a discussion forum for parents of children with this disability to discuss things about the disability.
http://www.ncld.org
The National Center for Learning Disability’s website contains useful information for parents and educators. There is current information and articles relating to the laws applicable to specific disabilities. There is an information zone, where anyone can find information on a range of disabilities. There are also areas directly related to helping students with various disabilities, including dyscalculia. The “Resource Locator” and the “Scholarship/Awards” areas are both designed to help out students with a disability.
CENTER FOR TEACHING & LEARNING
MATHEMATICS
Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Support Services of Shiawassee County
8053 N. Delaney Rd., Henderson, MI 48841
(517) 729-9108 Renee M. Newman, M.S., Director
E-Mail: ReneeNew@dyscalculia.org www.shianet.org/~reneenew/dss.html
Designed to specifically help students with math learning disabilities and the people that teach them. This site relates to many of the ones listed above, with information pertaining to what exactly the disability is, symptoms, diagnosis, and effective ways to treat and help students with this disability. In addition to the website, people may contact representatives by phone or email, and there is a physical address at which people may visit and learn more.
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