Teaching Students with Specific Learning Disabilities:

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Teaching Students with Specific Learning
Disabilities
Specific Learning Disability and Tips for
Successful Intervention
Adam Rabasca
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Who am I?

• Education
• Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental
  Studies from UVM
• Master of Science Degree in Special Education
  from CUNY Hunter
• Academic concentration in learning disabilities
• Professional concentration in behavioral/emotional
  disabilities

• Teaching Experience
• San Rafael, California
• Bronx and Hastings, New York
• Ellsworth, Maine
• Currently at MDIHS

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What is Specific Learning Disability?

• Definition Specific learning disability (SLD)
  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.

• FYI Developmental aphasia - A severe language
  disorder that is presumed to be due to brain
  injury rather than because of a developmental
  delay in the normal acquisition of language.

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Eligibility in Maine
The Learning Disability Evaluation Report

• Key Components
• Processing disorder
• Average cognitive ability
• Pattern of strengths and weaknesses
• Response to Intervention (RtI) - Go for it,
  Kelley!
• Rule outs (Question 6 Observable Adverse
  Effect)
• Specially-designed instruction

Note Specific criteria often differ from state
to state.
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Eligibility in Maine Processing disorder

• Is there a disorder in one or more of the basic
  psychological processes, as demonstrated by
  either
• a. a score 1.5 Standard Deviations (at least 22
  points) below the mean in at least one area of
  psychological processing
• OR
• b. a score 1 Standard Deviation (at least 15
  points) below the mean in 2 or more areas.

In other words, were looking specifically at the
four areas of cognition to determine if the
student has a processing disorder.

• Verbal Intelligence Quotient Perceptual
  Organization Index Working Memory Index
  Processing Speed Index
• Average 100
• 100 100 100 100
• 109 125 82 68
• 81 109 83 92

• For students in grades 4-12, has the student
  obtained a composite standardized score no lower
  than 1.5 Standard Deviations below the mean on at
  least one index or scale of cognitive
  functioning.

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Eligibility in Maine Pattern of Strengths and
Weaknesses

• 3. Is the student achieving adequately for the
  students age or meeting State-approved grade
  level standards in all of the areas below, when
  provided with learning experiences and
  instruction appropriate for the students age or
  State approved grade level standards?

• oral expression
• listening comprehension
• written expression
• basic reading skill
• reading fluency skills
• reading comprehension
• mathematics calculation
• mathematics problem solving

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Rule Outs

• Is the under-achievement due to the lack of
  appropriate instruction in reading or math?
• Is the students lack of achievement primarily a
  result of
• Visual, Hearing or Motor Disability
• Mental Retardation
• Emotional Disturbance
• Environmental, Cultural or Economic Disadvantage
  and/or Limited English Proficiency
• Answering Yes to ANY of these questions
  disqualifies the student from qualifying as a
  student with a specific learning disability.

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Specially-designed instruction?

• If a learning disability exists, does the student
  require specially-designed instruction in
• Reading
• Writing (including spelling)
• Mathematics
• Verbal and/or listening skills
• All of the above categories include fluency

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Movie Time!

• F.A.T. City How Difficult Can This Be?

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Specially-Designed Instruction

• Innumerable methods!!!

• All must be
• Structured (all components related)
• Sequenced (explicit order)
• Systematic (specific routine)

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Examples of Commonly Used Specially-Designed
Instruction

• Reading Programs for letter-word identification
  (decoding) and spelling (encoding)
• Glass Analysis
• Orton-Gillingham approaches
• A multisensory approach to remediating dyslexia
  created by Dr. Samuel Orton, a neuropsychiatrist
  and pathologist, and Anna Gillingham, an educator
  and psychologist. - LDonline.org
• Examples Preventing Academic Failure, Wilson
  Reading Program, Recipe for Reading
• Reading methods for comprehension
• Vocabulary often first method of attack
• Reciprocal teaching (predicting, clarifying,
  questioning (how/why), summarizing
• Question-Answer relationship (explicit vs.
  implicit questions)
• Writing (encoding) programs - often bottom-up
  approaches and process-oriented
• ALL RELY ON GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS!!!
• Basic Writing Skills
• Diana Hanbury King
• Landmark Academy

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Examples of Commonly Used Specially-Designed
Instruction

• Math programs and methods
• Typical method
• Concrete
• Algorithm
• Generalization
• Recipe for Math
• Kelley???

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Classroom Accommodations and Modifications

• Modification changes to curriculum
• Examples
• Single paragraph vs. three-paragraph essay
• Book report on ability level vs. grade level
• Spelling lists on ability level vs. grade level
• Accommodation strategies for both teachers and
  students
• Examples
• Extended time (50) on tests/assessments
• Testing in alternative location to minimize
  distractions
• Provision of writing templates for
  planning/organizing for all in-class/on-demand
  written responses
• Long-term project divided into smaller segments
  with specific deadlines
• Preferential seating
• Reader/Writer
• Calculator use on assessments except when
  measuring calculation or math fact retention
  ability
• Note-taking assistance/specified
  note-taker/provision of teachers notes

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Resources

• Useful Links page on MDIHS Resource Room
  Website
• http//web.mdihs.net/arabasca/Resource_Room_Homep
  age/Useful_Links.html
• Kelleys homepage
• Contact me
• http//web.mdihs.net/arabasca/My_Homepage/Mr._Rab
  ascas_Homepage.html