# Presentation: 121207

## Learning Disabilities

- What you need to know to unlock the mystery

## 
It is essential that Job Corps staff have a foundational understanding of learning disabilities (LD) in order to appropriately serve these students.

It is very difficult to identify effective strategies and reasonable accommodations if we do not understand the barriers that the student with a learning disability is facing.

- It is essential that Job Corps staff have a foundational understanding of learning disabilities (LD) in order to appropriately serve these students.
- It is very difficult to identify effective strategies and reasonable accommodations if we do not understand the barriers that the student with a learning disability is facing.

- Why do you need to know about Learning Disabilities

## What is a Learning Disability?

- A LD is a ***neurobiological*** condition that affects the way individuals of **average to above average intelligence** _*receive*_, _*process*_, or _*express*_ information.
- A LD negatively impacts the ability to acquire basic skills of listening, speaking, thinking, reading, spelling, writing, and/or mathematics.

## Special Note

- Each individual with a LD is unique and the disability manifests itself in varying combinations and degrees of difficulty.
- Often, the individual with a LD demonstrates uneven areas of ability and may have a gap between his/her potential and actual achievement.

## Example

- A student who does really well in all of his/her classes except math.  This student loves to read and write and often is performing at the top of their class in English and Social Studies.  Math on the other hand seems like a foreign concept.  This student has difficulty understanding abstract ideas and difficulty remembering the steps to solve problems.  This student can learn math but has difficulty unlike reading.

## In Fact

- To some degree we all can relate
- We all have strengths and weaknesses
- We all have things that come naturally and things we have to work harder at

## Take a moment and think about what are some of your strengths and weaknesses.

## Perceptions

- Our strengths and weaknesses may dictate how we perceive things
- Doing it your way does not make it right or wrong
- People with LD may perceive things differently then you

## What do you see?

## Nose

**Nose**

**Mouth**

**Eye**

## Earring

**Earring**

**Necklace**

## Areas LD Impacts

- There are four stages of information processing used in learning:
**Input** – Information is primarily brought into the brain through the eyes (visual perception) and ears (auditory perception).  We do acquire input through our other senses as well (i.e., touch, smell, taste).
**Integration** – Once we take in information, it has to be sequenced, understood (literally or abstractly), and then organized into complete thoughts or concepts.
**Memory** – Memory aids us in holding the information long enough to be used and then decides whether to store it long term or discard it.
**Output** – Finally, we communicate information by means of language output or though motor activity such as writing, drawing, gesturing, etc.

## What a LD is Not

- It is not:
- An attention disorder, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  AD/HD and LD may and often do occur at the same time, however.
- Mental retardation, autism, hearing or visual impairment, physical disabilities, or emotional disorder.
- Caused by lack of educational opportunities (i.e., frequent changes of schools, poor school attendance, or lack of instruction in basic skills).

## Let’s Talk Specifics

-  What are some types of     learning disabilities?

## Dyslexia

- Difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. *[Adopted by the IDA Board, November 2002 and by the National Institutes of Health, 2002].*

## How it may manifest  

- Difficulty reading grade level text
- Poor handwriting and spelling
- Poor memory skills
- Trouble summarizing a story

## Accommodations that could benefit

- Using visuals or hands on activities
- Using picture imagery
- Use of computer and/or spell check
- Text read out loud
- Extra time to complete reading tasks

## Dyscalculia

- Difficulty performing calculations; Difficulty with numbers; Spatial problems; Difficulty placing numbers into vertical columns.

## How it may manifest

- May have difficulty with word problems
- Difficulty using steps in math operations
- Difficulty with fractions
- Challenge to make change and handle money
- Difficulty organizing problems on the page

## Accommodations that could benefit

- Use diagrams and draw math concepts
- Provide peer assistance
- Suggest use of graph paper
- Suggest use of colored pencils to differentiate problems
- Work with manipulatives
- Draw pictures of word problems
- Talking calculator

## Dysgraphia

- Illegible handwriting; Difficulty writing within a defined space; Letter reversals; Letter transposition; Omission of letters or words; Poor spelling.

## How it may manifest

- May have illegible printing and cursive writing
- Inconsistent spacing between words and letters
- Exhibits strange wrist, body or paper position
- Has difficulty pre-visualizing letter formation
- Copying or writing is slow or labored
- Shows poor spatial planning on paper
- Has cramped or unusual grip/may complain of sore hand
- Has great difficulty thinking and writing at the same time

## Accommodations that could benefit

- Suggest use of word processor
- Use oral exams
- Allow use of tape recorder for lectures
- Allow the use of a note taker
- Suggest use of pencil grips and /or specially designed writing aids
- Provide alternatives to written assignments (video-taped reports, audio-taped reports)

## Dyspraxia

- Problems with muscle control and coordination; Apparent clumsiness

## How it may manifest

- Unable to follow a single (or set of) instructions, or to do so in the right sequence
- May seem easily distractible
- May be slow learning new games and their rules
- Sense of balance may be affected
- May appear to be disorganized or have difficulty finding items
- Difficulty driving

## Accommodations that could benefit

- Use of computer
- Use color-code system to label or identify materials
- Provide calendars
- Step-by-step instructions or directions

## Visual Processing (Perceptual) Disorders

- Difficulty in interpreting information taken in visually
- Is not related to problems with vision

## How it may manifest

- Cannot copy accurately
- Loses place frequently
- Has difficulty negotiating around campus
- Misaligns letters; may have messy papers, which can include letters colliding, irregular spacing, letters not on line

## Accommodations that could benefit

- Allow students to dictate creative stories
- Provide alternative for written assignments
- Suggest use of pencil grips and specially designed pencils and pens
- Allow use of computer or word processor
- Reduce copying tasks
- Provide tracking tools: ruler, text windows
- Use large print books

## Auditory Processing (Perceptual) Disorders

- Difficulty in interpreting information taken in auditorily
- Is not related to difficulty with hearing

## How it may manifest

- May misinterpret or have difficulty remembering oral directions; difficulty following directions in a series
- Has difficulty comprehending complex sentence structure or rapid speech
- Says “What?” a lot, even when has heard much of what was said
- Often is distracted by background sounds/noises
- May process thoughts and ideas slowly and have difficulty explaining them
- Misspells and mispronounces similar-sounding words or omits syllables; confuses similar-sounding words

## Accommodations that could benefit

- Show rather than explain
- Supplement with more intact senses (use visual cues, signals, handouts, manipulatives)
- Provide noise eliminating headphones
- Allow them 5-6 seconds to respond (“think time”)
- Tape record lectures

## When Writing Accommodations

- TALK to the individual – they know best
- What works for one student might not work for another
- LD manifests itself differently in each individual
- Some students might have had excellent resources and accommodations in the past and may not need certain accommodations

## Also Keep in Mind

- The strengths of the individual and preferred learning style (when giving multiple step direction use pictures along with writing for a student who has excellent visual memory)
- What could be used or altered to eliminate a barrier (a computer to write instead of paper and pencil)

## Also Keep in Mind (continued)

- Are they sufficient to provide the student access to all areas of the program?
- If not, what additional accommodations are necessary (e.g., in vocations, residential, other common areas)?
- What accommodations has the individual received in the past? (IEP, 504 Plans, Vocational Rehabilitation Documentation) and do they remain relevant to the current situation?

## Scenario 1

- Chris has a learning disability.  He always seems to have difficulty with copying from the board.  He leaves out whole words or letters so that what he writes does not make sense.  It is also very difficult to read his papers.  What accommodations could be given to help Chris?

## Scenario 2

- When giving oral directions to Tiffany she often responds with “what”.  When listening to a lecture, her notes often do not make sense.  She writes down half a thought.  She states that she only hears part of what was said and then the person moves on.  What accommodations could be made to Tiffany to help eliminate frustration when taking notes?

## Scenario 3

- David is never able to find anything.  He often loses his assignments and appears to be disorganized.  He appears to be clumsy and is always falling out of his chair.  What accommodations could be given to David to help him with his organization?

## Myths about Students with LD

**Myth:** *Individuals with LD have limited potential.*
**Truth:** Individuals with LD conduct successful and fulfilling lives just as individuals without disabilities do.

## Myths about Students with LD

**Myth:** *People with LD are lazy.** *
**   ****Truth: **If an individual with a LD has experienced repeated failures, particularly educationally or socially, they often shut down and believe it hurts less to not try than it does to try and fail.  The individual may feel he/she has no control over what happens to him/her which is known as learned helplessness.  Small doses of success are the best antidote to learned helplessness.

## Myths about Students with LD

**Myth:*** Accommodations provided to students with LD, particularly during testing situations, gives them an unfair advantage over students without disabilities.*
**   ****Truth:** An accommodation does not tip the scales in the student's favor; it merely levels the playing field.

## Resources

- Job Corps LD Website
- 	_[http://jccdrc.jobcorps.org/ld](http://jccdrc.jobcorps.org/ld)__  _
- Job Corps Disability Website
- 	_[http://jcdisability.jobcorps.gov/index.htm](http://jcdisability.jobcorps.gov/index.htm)_
- Job Accommodation Network
- 	_[http://www.jan.wvu.edu/](http://www.jan.wvu.edu/)__ _

## Regional Disability Coordinators

- Boston and Dallas─Molly Rosinski (_[molly.rosinski@humanitas.com](mailto:molly.rosinski@humanitas.com)__)_
- Philadelphia and Atlanta─Pat Jackson (_[pbjackson@verizon.net](mailto:pbjackson@verizon.net)__)_
- Chicago─Kim Jones (_[kim.jones@humanitas.com](mailto:kim.jones@humanitas.com)__)_
- San Francisco─Sylvia Domagalski (_[sjdnurse@aol.com](mailto:sjdnurse@aol.com)__)_

## Possible responses for scenarios

- Scenario 1: use of computer, note taker, reduce copying tasks, allow oral presentations for assignments
- Scenario 2: use of a tape recorder, note taker, provide visuals when possible, provide handouts of notes prior to lecture, use buddy system
- Scenario 3: use color code system, provide binder with labeled sections, provide calendar, use computer to create folders to save assignments and documents, provide student with copy of schedule or display schedule in classroom