Learning

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Learning Disabilities

• Teaching, Learning and the disABLED
• Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak
  knees. Make level paths for your feet so that
  the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
  Hebrews 1212-13

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Learning Disabilities

• Who is disabled any person who
• has a physical or mental impairment which
  substantially limits one or more of such persons
  major life activities,
• has a record of such impairment a history,
• or is regarded as having such an impairment
• Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504
  of the Rehabilitation Act

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Learning Disabilities

• Disabilities can be visible and invisible
• Disabilities can be physical, emotional,
  learning, attention-related
• A given disability may or may not affect
  intelligence
• Lets meet some of these students..

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Learning Disabilities

• Physical Disabilities
• Mobility and muscular, visual, auditory
• Seizures, chronic fatigue, severe allergies
• May or may not be degenerative
• Emotional/Psychological
• Depression, generalized anxiety, OCD, affective
  disorders (bipolar)

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• Attention
• ADD
• ADHD
• Side effects from some medication
• Learning Disabilities
• Language processing (auditory, thought, written)
• Fine motor disabilities
• Visual perception disabilities

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Defining Learning Disabilities

• What can make learning difficult?
• hyperactivity
• physical (hunger, illness, sleepy, chronic pain)
• emotional distress
• learning outside your mother tongue
• lack of interest or motivation
• poor teaching
• disabilities

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Defining Learning Disabilities

• Learning Disabilities are neurological handicaps
  that affect the brains ability to understand,
  remember, or communicate informationthe term
  learning disability refers not to a single
  disorder but to a broad range of handicaps that
  can affect any area of academic performance.
  Learning Disabilities A to Z, by Corinne Smith
  and Lisa Strick

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Learning Disabilities

• Identifying Types of Learning Disabilities
• Visual Perception Disabilities
• Language Processing Disabilities
• Fine Motor Disabilities
• ADHD
• Why Become Aware of Learning Disabilities?

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Defining Learning Disabilities

• A distinction which qualifies an individual for
  academic assistance. In the K-12 academic world,
  an individual has a learning disability if
• he/she does not achieve academically equal with
  their age or ability level AND
• has a severe discrepancy between achievement and
  intellectual ability
• excluding other handicaps and disadvantages

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Types of Learning Disabilities

• Language Processing Disabilities This is the
  most common area of disability. These individuals
  can have problems with almost any area of
  language hearing words correctly, understanding
  their meaning, remembering verbal material,
  recalling words from memory and communicating
  clearly. Interferes with speaking, reading and
  writing.

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Types of Learning Disabilities

• Language Processing Disabilities
• slow learning to speak
• smaller vocabularies and shorter sentences
• avoids speaking in front of others, shy,
  withdrawn
• difficulty understanding others
• trouble following directions
• trouble processing word sounds
• may gravitate to younger children

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Types of Learning Disabilities

• Fine Motor Disabilities cannot fully control
  groups of small muscles in their hands
• difficulty writing, copying, drawing
• errors in computation due to illegibility
• lab mishaps, dissections
• clumsy in social settings
• can also have articulation problems
• poor at some sports

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Types of Learning Disabilities

• Visual Perception Disabilities have trouble
  making sense out of, processing, what they see
• difficulty retaining meaning of images over time
• separate figure symbols from background
• recognize a symbol in different forms A a A A a
• copying from the board, correcting own work
• estimating speed and distance accurately

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Learning ADHD

• ADD/ADHD not technically a learning disability,
  but does impact learning
• Inattention
• Fails to attend to details or makes careless
  mistakes
• Has difficulty sustaining attention in work or
  play
• Does not seem to listen when spoken to
• Often does not follow through on instructions or
  work
• Difficulty organizing tasks and activities,
  looses things
• Often avoids or dislikes tasks requiring
  sustained mental effort
• Easily distracted and forgetful

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Learning ADHD

• Hyperactivity
• Children often run about or climb inappropriately
  and excessively
• Child often fidgets or squirms or leaves seat
• In adults my be subjective feelings of
  restlessness
• Has difficulty playing quietly
• Often talks excessively
• Seems driven or always on the go

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Learning ADHD

• Impulsivity
• Often blurts out answers before questions are
  completed
• Often has difficulty waiting turn
• Often interrupts or intrudes on others games or
  conversations

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Learning ADHD

• When compared to Learning Disabilities
• More behavioral than cognitive
• More visible than invisible
• Individuals may have one or both types
• Inattentive Type
• Hyperactivity-Impulsive Type
• Combined Type

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Teaching Disabilities

• How can I teach a class with these students?
• Universal Design in Learning is an approach to
  teaching that consists of the proactive design
  and use of inclusive instructional strategies
  that benefit a broad range of learners including
  students with disabilities.
• NOT one size fits all.

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Teaching Disabilities

• Proactive Design
• Intentional lesson planning to teach to as many
  learning styles as possible
• Multiple assessment formats and options
• Incorporate variety and choice
• Understand your studentsor the diverse
  possibilities among your students
• Expectations should be simple and clear

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• Inclusive Instructional Strategies
• Visual and auditory stimuli
• Class discussions and group work
• Hands on activities
• Incorporate Internet and computer resources
• Use of stories
• Written materials also available in auditory or
  digital format

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• Broad Range of Learners
• Challenge the high end students, perhaps use them
  as helpers or to encourage other students
• Consider all the known learning disabilities
• Consider possible unknown disabilities
• Consider learning styles and preferences
• TIME and GRACE

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Why Learn About LD?

• II Cor. 127-9 To keep me from becoming conceited
  because of these surpassingly great revelations,
  there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a
  messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I
  pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
  But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for
  you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
  my weaknesses

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Why Learn About LD?

• Learn to Extend Grace
• to ourselves- Psalm 13913-16 For you created my
  inmost being you knit me together in my mothers
  womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and
  wonderfully made your works are wonderful, I
  know that full well. My frame was not hidden
  from you when I was made in the secret place.
  When I was woven together in the depths of the
  earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

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Why Learn About LD?

• to others - I Peter 410 Each one should use
  whatever gift he has received to serve others,
  faithfully administering Gods grace in its
  various forms.
• because Learning Disabilities dont go away

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Why Learn About LD?

• Grow in Compassion Hebrews 1212-13
  Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak
  knees. Make level paths for your feet so that
  the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
• Become more effective teachers

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What Can CIU Offer?

• Helping Students Advocate for Themselves
• Teacher Accommodations
• Academic Services
• accommodations (testing, books on CD, etc.)
• tutors
• assessment referrals
• trainings and awareness