LEARNING DISABILITYBy: Jackie Rohner, Kym Rollins, Courtney Sanders, & Rachel Seitz

DEFINITION

A disorder that causes

problems in at least one of

the psychological processes:

reading, writing,

mathematical ability,

speaking, or listening.

CHARACTERISTICS

A. Reading Characteristics:

It is characterized by

difficulties with accurate or

fluent, or both, word

recognition and by poor

spelling and decoding abilities.

READING ADAPTATION

Students can use books on CD or tape.

Reading books at their level.

Do fluency tests.

CHARACTERISTICS

B. Written expression disability includes difficulty with sentence structure, poor grammar, and omitted words. Also, have frequent spelling errors. They have difficulty copying from board to notes.

WRITING ADAPTATION

Students can be provided with notes, so they can words or short phrases.

Using the letters from the scrabble game to help the students learn how to spell by manipulating the letters.

CHARACTERISTICS

C. Math Disability

The ability to perform

mathematical

computations and

reasoning requires multiple

core cognitive processes.

MATH DISABILITY ADAPTATION

Use phrases for remembering how to do mathematical expressions.

Use games.

Use learning manipulatives.

CHARACTERISTICS

D. Speaking Disabilities

Some characteristics are

shown by:difficulty with voice

strength, fluency, aphasia

which may alter articulation

of certain words.

SPEAKING ADAPTATIONS

Encourage self-expression, but do not pressure the student to speak.

Be patient, and do not interrupt when the person is trying to speak.

Ask if writing might be easier than speaking.

Use assistive devices, such as Speaking machines.

Give answers orally.

CHARACTERISTICS

E. Listening Comprehension Disability

Difficulty paying attention when spoken to.

Difficulty listening and taking notes at same time.

Easily distracted by background noise or visual distractions.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION ADAPTATION

Tests are read aloud.

More multiple choice questions, then open ended questions.

BOOK DISPLAYING A CHILD WITH A READING DISABILITY

Thank You , Mr. Falkner By

Patricia Polacco