12. "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.
i. A specific learning disability can be determined when a severe discrepancy is found 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 calculation; (6) Mathematical problem solving; (7) Written expression; and (8) Reading fluency. ii. A specific learning disability may also be determined by utilizing a response to scientifically based interventions methodology as described in N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.4(h)6. iii. The term severe discrepancy 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. iv. The district shall, if it utilizes the severe discrepancy methodology, adopt procedures that utilize a statistical formula and criteria for determining severe discrepancy. Evaluation shall include assessment of current academic achievement and intellectual ability.
Office of Administrative Law. (2000) New Jersey Chapter 14 – Special Education - New Jersey Administrative Code – Title 6A – Education. Trenton, NJ New Jersey Department of Education.
FEDERAL DEFINITIONS
(10) 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
Office of Special Education Program. (1994). Sixteenth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, D.C.: Department of Education.
Reading Disability
Student’s reading ability utilizes the same brain areas as his or her spoken language. If students do not develop competence in phonemic manipulation skills early during the process of learning spoken language, it is quite likely that they will demonstrate reading deficits, which are likely to result in a diagnosis of a learning disability by grade 3 or 4. A student who struggles with phonemic manipulation or awareness may not be able to do any of the following: detect rhyming sounds, recognize the same initial sound in a word, isolate initial sounds, categorize onsets and rhymes, isolate middle/ending sounds, blend sounds into words, segment or divide sounds within a word, perform phonemic addition, deletion or substitution. Some students with a learning disability may present signs of a visual perception disability. These students have difficulty in recognizing the position and shape of what they see. Letters may be reversed or rotated; for example, the letters d, b, p, q, and g might be confused. When reading, the student may jump over words, read the same line twice, or skip lines. Some students with a learning disability may present signs of a difficulty with auditory perception. Students may have difficulty understanding different words because they do not distinguish subtle differences in sounds. They confuse words and phrases that sound alike — for example, "blue" with "blow" or "ball" with "bell." This will translate to their reading in terms of phonics, where they may misunderstand the association between letters and sounds. Students with a learning disability in reading may have issues with abstraction. This means they have difficulty in inferring meaning. The student may read a story but not be able to generalize from it. They may confuse different meanings of the same word used in different ways. They find it difficult to understand jokes, puns, or idioms. This will translate drastically in terms of reading comprehension and fluency. This will also affect the child socially because they will not understand the meanings of what some people say. They may get embarrassed or feel stupid because they are confused. There are many other signs that a student has a learning disability. Some may be stronger than others, but all should be taken into consideration. Some characteristics include; difficulty when reading silently, does not enjoy reading, has a lot of word substitution, omissions and invented words, and reads very slowly.
Bender, W.N. (2008). Learning Disabilities: Characteristics, Identification and Teaching Strategies. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Child Development Institute, http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/index.htm visited on November 21st, 2007
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), http://www.ldaamerica.org/aboutld/parents/ld_basics/ld.asp, visited on November 21st, 2007
Writing Disability
A child with a writing disability may not necessarily show physical developmental characteristics. A child with a writing disability such as expressive language disorder may be unable to make complete sentences using correct grammar. Students with a writing learning disability have less knowledge about writing and less language skills. Students with a learning disability also face difficulty with spelling and handwriting. With that being said, these students may have shorter pieces of writing that is less organized and more difficult to understand. Overall, the students writing may have a lower quality than the student without a disability. Students with a writing learning disability may show a delay or difficulty in understanding or using spoken language, they may be slower than usual in naming objects and colors; they may have difficulty coloring, copying, and drawing, difficulties with physical coordination, and a short attention span. All of these harmful effects would lead to many psychological burdens on the student with a writing learning disability. The student may be frustrated due to constant failure in school; they may have low self-esteem from their failures or from ridicule coming from fellow classmates. The student with a disability may also experience stress and depression as a result.
MacArthur, C.A (2006, March 8). Schwablearning: A parent’s guide to helping kids with learning difficulties. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Learning Disabilities: Types, causes, symptoms and diagnosis Web site: http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=1094
Belmonte, Joelle (2001). Helpguide: A trusted non-profit resource for mental health. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Learning Disabilities: Types, causes, Symptoms and diagnosis Web site:http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities.htm
Commonalities and Differences
The commonalities between the two learning disabilities can be found with the emphasis on spoken language. A disability in either reading or writing will affect the student orally in their academic and social life. Due to the close relationship between reading and writing many of the problems with one disability lead to a problem in the other. Phonemic manipulation and alphabetic principle are relevant to a student’s success in reading and writing. It is very difficult to find a student who can not read well, yet can write perfectly. The two learning disabilities also carry similarities in emotional development. Due to the heavy emphasis on reading and writing in current curriculums, students with learning disabilities in these two subjects will feel embarrassed, become stressed, and depressed about their learning challenges. The differences present themselves in the physical aspect of development. A student with a learning disability in writing may present difficulties holding a pencil, copying, coloring etc. A student with a learning disability in reading does not posses the same physical deficits. Also a student can posses the ability to read yet not be very efficient in their writing skills.
Reading Disability
Academically: There are two essentials to creating a successful reader; alphabetic principle and phonemic awareness. Reading to the student, using alliteration to teach phonemes, making the connection between printed text and spoken words are all strategies useful in helping a student with a learning disability in reading. Creating a literate environment for all students can not only enhance literacy in the classroom, but act as reinforcement for all students, especially students with learning disabilities in reading. Some examples are: fill walls with posters, signs, labels and student work and have a reading center with books at different grade levels, comfortable chairs, a rug and anything to make the center comfortable Other strategies may include: Using picture and letter association to have the student understand the connection between names of items and the letters that they begin. Listening to books on tape and following along out loud will reinforce understanding phonemic awareness and alphabetic principles. Repetition of certain vowel combinations to expose the student to various ways they may see it in printed text. This teaches blending vowel combinations with constantans. Have the students use letter cards to construct words on their own. Repeated reading is essential to have students become more fluent in their reading abilities. Socially: Have the student paired with other students who read above grade level. The student above grade level will read to the student with a learning disability. This will eliminate the chance for embarrassment, yet will allow an interaction between the students. Have oral reading in class. Make sure to only chose the student with the learning disability for passages they are able to read fluently without struggling to avoid embarrassment. Have them do simple tasks like calendar and weather where few words need to be read to get them comfortable in the front of the class.
Graves, M.F., Juel, C., Graves, B.B. (2007). Teaching Reading in the 21st Century. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Writing Disability Teaching a child with a writing learning disability would be a challenge. All of the difficulties that a child with a learning disability would have must be taken into consideration before determining the way in which to teach to the student. A sound writing program will provide a balance between opportunities for a child to engage in writing that is meaningful to her, and to receive explicit instruction in the skills and strategies she needs to become a proficient writer. Students need the opportunity to write on meaningful topics for audiences other than the teacher, including their peers, parents, and other groups outside the school. At the same time, they need explicit instruction in the basic skills of handwriting, spelling, and sentence formation, strategies for planning and revising his/her writing, and strategies for self-regulation during the writing process. Struggling writers need very clear instruction in order to develop basic skills and strategies for writing. (MacArthur) Reading Disability
1. Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), 4126 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15234 www.ldanatl.org This organization, formed in 1963, has around 50,000 members and concentrates mostly on parental concerns. This group has been very effective advocacy group for children with learning disabilities.
2. Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD), 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091 www.teachingld.org This group was formed in 1982 and has approximately 13,000 members. It is made up predominantly of educators and researchers concerned with learning disabilities.
3. Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD), P.O. BOX 40303, Overland Park, KS 66204 www.cldinternational.org This organization has about 4, 000 members and attracts a large multidisciplinary membership of parents, psychologists, educators and others 4. International Dyslexia Association, 724 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21204 www.interdys.org This is the oldest of the organizations that are specifically concerned with learning disabilities. Both a medical and an educational emphasis are maintained in this organization.
5. National Center for Learning Disabilities, 381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401, New York, NY 10016 www.ncld.org This organization was founded in 1977 as a resource for parents, educators and people with learning disabilities. It emphasizes the importance of consistent research and provides programs to strengthen learning for people with learning disabilities.
Bender, W.N. (2008). Learning Disabilities: Characteristics, Identification and Teaching Strategies. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Writing Disability As a teacher, you would hope for many resources in your surroundings in order to help you in educating a student with a writing learning disability. 1 SchwabLearning.org is a great resource that gives an overview of writing learning disabilities. The site provides the qualities that an individual needs to have in order to be a successful writer, and then goes into the difficulties that a student with a learning disability may run into. Schwablearning.org also gives helpful strategies that may benefit one with a writing learning disability while in the classroom. 2 AdLit.org is a new site for parents and educators of kids in grades 4–12. It offers research-based articles, teaching strategies, parent tips, book recommendations, author interviews, an exclusive blog, an "Ask the Expert" forum, and a monthly e-newsletter. 3 The Learning Disabilities Association of New York City is a nonprofit organization which was founded in 1989. This agency is for those who need helpful services in Learning Disabilities, especially those in the more disadvantaged communities, and provides support to those individuals and their families. Learning Disabilities include such disorders as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, visual processing disorder, audio processing disorder, non-verbal learning disabilities, and sensory integrative dysfunction. This agency works cooperatively, and largely informally, with other agencies providing similar services, particularly Advocates for Children and Resources for Children with Special Needs. 4 A teacher may also want to contact the Center for Learning Differences in order to gain more knowledge on their student with a writing learning disability. They are an organization dedicated to providing information to families, physicians, and other professionals in the New York metropolitan area about issues they face in dealing with children who learn differently. This organization would not only provide information, but physicians in the area that would benefit the student. 5 KidsHealth.org is a website that is geared more towards children who fear their given learning disability. It gives an extensive background of the disability and provides signs and signals of one with a disability. The site also provides alternative options for a student who is diagnosed with a writing learning disability in order to ease their feelings of helplessness and frustration.
1. Definition The general term of learning disability is when one or two psychological processes dealing with understanding or using language. This language can be written or spoken and these characteristics may result in an imperfect ability to listen, think, read, write, speak, or perform applications in math. These learning disabilities can include dyslexia and brain injury. This disability is different from the disability that I research, juvenile diabetes because diabetes is a chronic condition where the body does not properly make insulin. Learning disabilities include impairments in listening, thinking, and reading while diabetes has more of a physical effect on the body.
2. Developmental characteristics Even though a child with a writing disability may not show any unusual physical developments children may not be able to make complete sentences using grammar and may have less knowledge of writing and language skills. Students with writing disabilities may have less developed spelling and handwriting which causes unorganized and difficult to understand papers. Those with writing disabilities may be slower or have a harder time understanding and using spoken language as well as identifying objects. Children may have physical coordination problems which can make drawing and coloring more difficult. Although children with writing disabilities may not show any physical signs of the disability, psychological effects can show. Students may become frustrated or have low self esteem due to failure in school or ridicule of classmates and teachers. Stress and depression can also be a result. This disability shares psychological aspects with juvenile diabetes. Juvenile diabetes students, like students with a writing disability, can feel frustrated because of treatment and feel very stressed and even fall into a state of depression; however despite their psychological similarities, juvenile diabetes affects the physical development of a person much more than writing disabilities or any learning disability in general does.
3. Classroom strategies, needs, strengths. Although teachers may have a difficult time dealing with students that have a writing disability, every student needs to be handled differently. All aspects of the disability such as the severity must be taken into consideration when trying to come up with a plan to go about teaching the child. A good writing program can improve a child’s writing by first encouraging him or her to write about something that is meaning full to him and second by providing strict writing instruction. Students need to also be given opportunities to write for people other than their teacher, such as his peers, family members, or others in the school. Students should work on strategies to check over work and to employ proper grammar in each work. A clear explanation of writing processes can help develop basic writing skills. The way a teacher may go about dealing with a student that has a writing disability is very different than how she would go about dealing with a student that has juvenile diabetes. Those with diabetes simply need to feel as if they are a normal part of the group and need to have emergency resources close while those with writing disabilities may need certain instructions to improve skills. Although diabetes may not affect how the child does in school, other than missing classes for treatment, writing disabilities can severely affect the way a child learns and understands the classroom around him.
Just like having a reading disability, Mental Retardation disables the person’s ability to read and their ability to learn. They are very different because Mental Retardation sometimes means that you cannot take care of yourself and you will need someone to assist you in any daily activities. Both of these disabilities are something everyone needs to be aware of. The only similar characteristic between Angelman Syndrome and Reading Disabilities is that they both have speech impairments. Angelman Syndrome has more physical disabilities rather than verbal disabilities. The similarities of serving a child with these disabilities are that they both learn better from visuals or pictures. It helps the students relate the picture with what they are learning and makes them feel more comfortable. Lecturing and verbally communicating all the time will not be beneficial to either of these children.
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.
4 comments:
STATE DEFINITION
12. "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.
i. A specific learning disability can be determined when a severe discrepancy is found 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 calculation;
(6) Mathematical problem solving;
(7) Written expression; and
(8) Reading fluency.
ii. A specific learning disability may also be determined by utilizing a response to scientifically based interventions methodology as described in N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.4(h)6.
iii. The term severe discrepancy 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.
iv. The district shall, if it utilizes the severe discrepancy methodology, adopt procedures that utilize a statistical formula and criteria for determining severe discrepancy. Evaluation shall include assessment of current academic achievement and intellectual ability.
Office of Administrative Law. (2000) New Jersey Chapter 14 – Special Education - New
Jersey Administrative Code – Title 6A – Education. Trenton, NJ New Jersey Department of Education.
FEDERAL DEFINITIONS
(10) 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
Office of Special Education Program. (1994). Sixteenth annual report to Congress on the
implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington,
D.C.: Department of Education.
Reading Disability
Student’s reading ability utilizes the same brain areas as his or her spoken language. If students do not develop competence in phonemic manipulation skills early during the process of learning spoken language, it is quite likely that they will demonstrate reading deficits, which are likely to result in a diagnosis of a learning disability by grade 3 or 4. A student who struggles with phonemic manipulation or awareness may not be able to do any of the following: detect rhyming sounds, recognize the same initial sound in a word, isolate initial sounds, categorize onsets and rhymes, isolate middle/ending sounds, blend sounds into words, segment or divide sounds within a word, perform phonemic addition, deletion or substitution.
Some students with a learning disability may present signs of a visual perception disability. These students have difficulty in recognizing the position and shape of what they see. Letters may be reversed or rotated; for example, the letters d, b, p, q, and g might be confused. When reading, the student may jump over words, read the same line twice, or skip lines.
Some students with a learning disability may present signs of a difficulty with auditory perception. Students may have difficulty understanding different words because they do not distinguish subtle differences in sounds. They confuse words and phrases that sound alike — for example, "blue" with "blow" or "ball" with "bell." This will translate to their reading in terms of phonics, where they may misunderstand the association between letters and sounds.
Students with a learning disability in reading may have issues with abstraction. This means they have difficulty in inferring meaning. The student may read a story but not be able to generalize from it. They may confuse different meanings of the same word used in different ways. They find it difficult to understand jokes, puns, or idioms. This will translate drastically in terms of reading comprehension and fluency. This will also affect the child socially because they will not understand the meanings of what some people say. They may get embarrassed or feel stupid because they are confused.
There are many other signs that a student has a learning disability. Some may be stronger than others, but all should be taken into consideration. Some characteristics include; difficulty when reading silently, does not enjoy reading, has a lot of word substitution, omissions and invented words, and reads very slowly.
Bender, W.N. (2008). Learning Disabilities: Characteristics, Identification and Teaching
Strategies. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Child Development Institute, http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/index.htm visited on
November 21st, 2007
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA),
http://www.ldaamerica.org/aboutld/parents/ld_basics/ld.asp, visited on November 21st,
2007
Writing Disability
A child with a writing disability may not necessarily show physical developmental characteristics. A child with a writing disability such as expressive language disorder may be unable to make complete sentences using correct grammar. Students with a writing learning disability have less knowledge about writing and less language skills. Students with a learning disability also face difficulty with spelling and handwriting. With that being said, these students may have shorter pieces of writing that is less organized and more difficult to understand. Overall, the students writing may have a lower quality than the student without a disability. Students with a writing learning disability may show a delay or difficulty in understanding or using spoken language, they may be slower than usual in naming objects and colors; they may have difficulty coloring, copying, and drawing, difficulties with physical coordination, and a short attention span.
All of these harmful effects would lead to many psychological burdens on the student with a writing learning disability. The student may be frustrated due to constant failure in school; they may have low self-esteem from their failures or from ridicule coming from fellow classmates. The student with a disability may also experience stress and depression as a result.
MacArthur, C.A (2006, March 8). Schwablearning: A parent’s guide to helping kids with
learning difficulties. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Learning Disabilities:
Types, causes, symptoms and diagnosis Web site:
http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=1094
Belmonte, Joelle (2001). Helpguide: A trusted non-profit resource for mental health.
Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Learning Disabilities: Types, causes,
Symptoms and diagnosis Web
site:http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities.htm
Commonalities and Differences
The commonalities between the two learning disabilities can be found with the emphasis on spoken language. A disability in either reading or writing will affect the student orally in their academic and social life. Due to the close relationship between reading and writing many of the problems with one disability lead to a problem in the other. Phonemic manipulation and alphabetic principle are relevant to a student’s success in reading and writing. It is very difficult to find a student who can not read well, yet can write perfectly. The two learning disabilities also carry similarities in emotional development. Due to the heavy emphasis on reading and writing in current curriculums, students with learning disabilities in these two subjects will feel embarrassed, become stressed, and depressed about their learning challenges.
The differences present themselves in the physical aspect of development. A student with a learning disability in writing may present difficulties holding a pencil, copying, coloring etc. A student with a learning disability in reading does not posses the same physical deficits. Also a student can posses the ability to read yet not be very efficient in their writing skills.
Reading Disability
Academically: There are two essentials to creating a successful reader; alphabetic principle and phonemic awareness. Reading to the student, using alliteration to teach phonemes, making the connection between printed text and spoken words are all strategies useful in helping a student with a learning disability in reading.
Creating a literate environment for all students can not only enhance literacy in the classroom, but act as reinforcement for all students, especially students with learning disabilities in reading. Some examples are: fill walls with posters, signs, labels and student work and have a reading center with books at different grade levels, comfortable chairs, a rug and anything to make the center comfortable
Other strategies may include: Using picture and letter association to have the student understand the connection between names of items and the letters that they begin. Listening to books on tape and following along out loud will reinforce understanding phonemic awareness and alphabetic principles. Repetition of certain vowel combinations to expose the student to various ways they may see it in printed text. This teaches blending vowel combinations with constantans. Have the students use letter cards to construct words on their own. Repeated reading is essential to have students become more fluent in their reading abilities.
Socially: Have the student paired with other students who read above grade level. The student above grade level will read to the student with a learning disability. This will eliminate the chance for embarrassment, yet will allow an interaction between the students.
Have oral reading in class. Make sure to only chose the student with the learning disability for passages they are able to read fluently without struggling to avoid embarrassment. Have them do simple tasks like calendar and weather where few words need to be read to get them comfortable in the front of the class.
Graves, M.F., Juel, C., Graves, B.B. (2007). Teaching Reading in the 21st Century. New
York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Writing Disability
Teaching a child with a writing learning disability would be a challenge. All of the difficulties that a child with a learning disability would have must be taken into consideration before determining the way in which to teach to the student. A sound writing program will provide a balance between opportunities for a child to engage in writing that is meaningful to her, and to receive explicit instruction in the skills and strategies she needs to become a proficient writer. Students need the opportunity to write on meaningful topics for audiences other than the teacher, including their peers, parents, and other groups outside the school. At the same time, they need explicit instruction in the basic skills of handwriting, spelling, and sentence formation, strategies for planning and revising his/her writing, and strategies for self-regulation during the writing process.
Struggling writers need very clear instruction in order to develop basic skills and strategies for writing. (MacArthur)
Reading Disability
1. Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), 4126 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15234 www.ldanatl.org
This organization, formed in 1963, has around 50,000 members and concentrates mostly on parental concerns. This group has been very effective advocacy group for children with learning disabilities.
2. Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD), 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091 www.teachingld.org
This group was formed in 1982 and has approximately 13,000 members. It is made up predominantly of educators and researchers concerned with learning disabilities.
3. Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD), P.O. BOX 40303, Overland Park, KS 66204 www.cldinternational.org
This organization has about 4, 000 members and attracts a large multidisciplinary membership of parents, psychologists, educators and others
4. International Dyslexia Association, 724 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21204 www.interdys.org
This is the oldest of the organizations that are specifically concerned with learning disabilities. Both a medical and an educational emphasis are maintained in this organization.
5. National Center for Learning Disabilities, 381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401, New York, NY 10016 www.ncld.org
This organization was founded in 1977 as a resource for parents, educators and people with learning disabilities. It emphasizes the importance of consistent research and provides programs to strengthen learning for people with learning disabilities.
Bender, W.N. (2008). Learning Disabilities: Characteristics, Identification and Teaching
Strategies. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Writing Disability
As a teacher, you would hope for many resources in your surroundings in order to help you in educating a student with a writing learning disability. 1 SchwabLearning.org is a great resource that gives an overview of writing learning disabilities. The site provides the qualities that an individual needs to have in order to be a successful writer, and then goes into the difficulties that a student with a learning disability may run into. Schwablearning.org also gives helpful strategies that may benefit one with a writing learning disability while in the classroom. 2 AdLit.org is a new site for parents and educators of kids in grades 4–12. It offers research-based articles, teaching strategies, parent tips, book recommendations, author interviews, an exclusive blog, an "Ask the Expert" forum, and a monthly e-newsletter. 3 The Learning Disabilities Association of New York City is a nonprofit organization which was founded in 1989. This agency is for those who need helpful services in Learning Disabilities, especially those in the more disadvantaged communities, and provides support to those individuals and their families. Learning Disabilities include such disorders as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, visual processing disorder, audio processing disorder, non-verbal learning disabilities, and sensory integrative dysfunction. This agency works cooperatively, and largely informally, with other agencies providing similar services, particularly Advocates for Children and Resources for Children with Special Needs. 4 A teacher may also want to contact the Center for Learning Differences in order to gain more knowledge on their student with a writing learning disability. They are an organization dedicated to providing information to families, physicians, and other professionals in the New York metropolitan area about issues they face in dealing with children who learn differently. This organization would not only provide information, but physicians in the area that would benefit the student. 5 KidsHealth.org is a website that is geared more towards children who fear their given learning disability. It gives an extensive background of the disability and provides signs and signals of one with a disability. The site also provides alternative options for a student who is diagnosed with a writing learning disability in order to ease their feelings of helplessness and frustration.
1. Definition
The general term of learning disability is when one or two psychological processes dealing with understanding or using language. This language can be written or spoken and these characteristics may result in an imperfect ability to listen, think, read, write, speak, or perform applications in math. These learning disabilities can include dyslexia and brain injury.
This disability is different from the disability that I research, juvenile diabetes because diabetes is a chronic condition where the body does not properly make insulin. Learning disabilities include impairments in listening, thinking, and reading while diabetes has more of a physical effect on the body.
2. Developmental characteristics
Even though a child with a writing disability may not show any unusual physical developments children may not be able to make complete sentences using grammar and may have less knowledge of writing and language skills. Students with writing disabilities may have less developed spelling and handwriting which causes unorganized and difficult to understand papers. Those with writing disabilities may be slower or have a harder time understanding and using spoken language as well as identifying objects. Children may have physical coordination problems which can make drawing and coloring more difficult. Although children with writing disabilities may not show any physical signs of the disability, psychological effects can show. Students may become frustrated or have low self esteem due to failure in school or ridicule of classmates and teachers. Stress and depression can also be a result.
This disability shares psychological aspects with juvenile diabetes. Juvenile diabetes students, like students with a writing disability, can feel frustrated because of treatment and feel very stressed and even fall into a state of depression; however despite their psychological similarities, juvenile diabetes affects the physical development of a person much more than writing disabilities or any learning disability in general does.
3. Classroom strategies, needs, strengths.
Although teachers may have a difficult time dealing with students that have a writing disability, every student needs to be handled differently. All aspects of the disability such as the severity must be taken into consideration when trying to come up with a plan to go about teaching the child. A good writing program can improve a child’s writing by first encouraging him or her to write about something that is meaning full to him and second by providing strict writing instruction. Students need to also be given opportunities to write for people other than their teacher, such as his peers, family members, or others in the school. Students should work on strategies to check over work and to employ proper grammar in each work. A clear explanation of writing processes can help develop basic writing skills.
The way a teacher may go about dealing with a student that has a writing disability is very different than how she would go about dealing with a student that has juvenile diabetes. Those with diabetes simply need to feel as if they are a normal part of the group and need to have emergency resources close while those with writing disabilities may need certain instructions to improve skills. Although diabetes may not affect how the child does in school, other than missing classes for treatment, writing disabilities can severely affect the way a child learns and understands the classroom around him.
Just like having a reading disability, Mental Retardation disables the person’s ability to read and their ability to learn. They are very different because Mental Retardation sometimes means that you cannot take care of yourself and you will need someone to assist you in any daily activities. Both of these disabilities are something everyone needs to be aware of.
The only similar characteristic between Angelman Syndrome and Reading Disabilities is that they both have speech impairments. Angelman Syndrome has more physical disabilities rather than verbal disabilities.
The similarities of serving a child with these disabilities are that they both learn better from visuals or pictures. It helps the students relate the picture with what they are learning and makes them feel more comfortable. Lecturing and verbally communicating all the time will not be beneficial to either of these children.
Post a Comment