“Walk a Mile in My Shoes”

LD Simulation Workshop

Linda Barbetta – Executive Director

“Imagine going to work and not being able to do your job. Now imagine that you can't leave your job. Imagine having to do that every day. This is what life is like for children with learning disabilities.“

-- Dr. David UrionDirector, Neurology and Learning Disabilities

Program, Children's Hospital, Boston

The Learning Process

A person with a learning disability has difficulty taking in, remembering, or expressing information.

INFORMATION

Taking in information

MEMORY

Understanding, Processing and

Filing it to Memory

EXPRESSION

Withdrawing information and using it in the outside world

Facts about Learning Disabilities Neurobiological disorder – very misunderstood because of

“invisibility”

Average to above average intellectual ability

Affects all areas of life, not just education

You do not out grow it.

10% of Canadians have an LD

Over 3 million people in Canada have a learning disability – that’s a lot of vulnerable kids!

Impact of Learning Disabilities

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES (LD)

For those with LD who are working, the average income is $14,000/year, whereas, in the general population the average income per year is $23,000.

43% of the LD population live at or below the poverty line; in the general population those who live below the poverty line represent 18%.

48% of the LD population are out of the work force or unemployed, whereas, only 26% of the general population is out of the work force or unemployed.

Up to 60% of adolescents in treatment for substance abuse have identified LD (Source: Hazelden Foundation, Minnesota, 1992).

 

More Stats…

35% of students with LD drop out of high school -twice the rate of

their non LD peers (Source: National Longitudinal Transition Study, Wagner, 1991 ).

62% of students with LD were unemployed one year after graduating from high school (Source: National Longitudinal Transition Study, Wagner, 1991 ).

50% of females with LD were single mothers within three to five years after leaving school (Source: N. L. T. Study, Wagner, 1991).

10%-12% of adolescents with LD become involved with the criminal justice system compared to 2.5% of the general population (Source: Ontario government, 1986).

“Walk a Mile in My Shoes”

Workshop

Workshop adapted from: The Learning Disabilities Association-Vancouver

3292 E Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5M 1Z8 

The following presentation is designed to foster a better understanding of

Learning Disabilities. It is not intended as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment or advice.

Reading Disabilities - Dyslexia

Now class, we’re all going to read a short story. Many of you will be given the opportunity to participate.

DO NOT READ AHEAD! JUST FOLLOW ALONG.

If you’ve done your homework this should be relatively easy. To ensure success, I’ll give you some tips.

POPCORN STORY

Dysgraphia and Far Point Copying

Please turn to the next page in your workbook.

Writing and Printing DifficultiesUse your non-dominant hand to perform the following tasks

Copy the designs you see below with your neatest and quickest skill

Far Point Copying Difficulty

Areas of difficulties: Problems copying notes from

the board, overhead, or other sources

May lose their place after looking away or being distracted

Difficulty in holding a visual image in your head and then reproducing it.

Helpful Strategies: Provide a copy of the lesson/lecture

notes ahead of time

Place horizontal and/or vertical lines across sections of the blackboard, overhead, etc. to help give reference points

Write blackboard information as two columns on the board – ensures you don’t have to erase information as quickly

Have fewer visual distractions on blackboard or on overhead

Provide a highlighter or ruler for student to use while following along

WORD WALL

DYSGRAPHIA

Areas of difficulties: Forming letters/numbers

Copying figures that require a series of hand movements.

Struggles to write on a straight line

Difficulty holding a pencil

Improper spacing of letters within words or words within sentences

Difficulty in with eye-hand associations and so are unable to write efficiently.

Helpful Strategies: Give notes for a lecture or lesson to the

student ahead of time to follow along with

Give students “cloze” activities instead of writing out entire sets of notes

Let student use a laptop to write

Give shorter assignments (quality vs. quantity)

Allow additional time for written work

Be a scribe for the student (let them tell you their answers/ideas for tests or assignments orally)

Example of Dysgraphia

DYSLEXIA

Areas of Difficulty: Breaking words down into

individual sounds or blending sounds together to read quickly and accurately

Reading fluency – reading skills are slow and effortful

Mix up letters and sounds like b,p,q,d, reading “dog” as “god”

Differentiating spaces between words and punctuation

Following a line of type

Reading comprehension – focus of energy is on decoding, not understanding what is being read

Helpful Strategies: Use pictures to supplement

written material

Keep reading material short & simple

Help kids preview material that needs to be read (explain new terms, highlight important concepts)

Be patient and provide extra time for reading

Allow students to listen to books as mp3s or on CD

Give kids time to practice before they will read anything out loud

Avoid singling kids out to read in front of class – use echo or choral reading

Difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, and comprehending material

Written Example

he way I descride a bumby ride is like wothgan mowtsarts mowsek. eshe bumby rowd is like a song. Eshe bumb is the a note eche uncon at the sam time ste is. that was the mewstere to mowts mowsuk it was vare metereus and unperdekdable.So the nex time you drive down a bumby theak of mowtsart.

The way I describe a bumpy ride is like Wolfgang Mozart's music. Each bumpy road is like a song. Each bump in the road is a note. Each bump is uncontrolled at the same time it still is controlled. That was the magic to Mozart's music. It was very mysterious and unpredictable. So the next time you drive down a bumpy road think of Mozart.

Text written by a 13 year old with dyslexia:

Same text, read orally by the 13 year old and scribed:

Math Test

We have been studying adding and subtracting this week, so this should be

easy for you.

Processing Deficits - Auditory

Areas of Difficulty: Following multi-step instructions

Memory for information given orally

Responding quickly to oral questions or directions – participating in class discussions

Attending to a preferred message when there is background noise

Discriminating between different word sounds (e.g bear & pair)

*NOT hard of hearing or deafness- capable of hearing, difficulty processing what they hear

Helpful Strategies: Speak more slowly

Provide instructions and information in small chunks

Simplify verbal directions

Repeat verbal instructions to the student privately after a group lesson

Provide written copies of oral information for student to refer to

Give substantial time for students to answer oral questions

Decrease environmental distractions and background noise

Don’t assume child is unmotivated or lazy – consider they might not have had time to process your instructions or questions!

Assessment & Evaluation

Let’s Reflect!

Questions?

Thank you and Remember

There is no challenge as great as a little boy in school when he doesn’t want to be there…

and no one as courageous as a teacher who wants to change his mind.