Chapter 11 Specific Learning Disabilities

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Chapter 11 Specific Learning Disabilities
C H A P T E R
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Specific Learning Disabilities
Barry W. Lavay
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Chapter Outline

• Definitions
• Causes
• Incident rates
• Common characteristics
• General educational approaches
• Guidelines for teaching physical education and
  sport

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Assisting Calvin in PE

• Read the scenario of Calvin at the start of
  chapter 11.
• Identify behaviors and list key challenges that
  Calvin faces in Mr. Santos class.
• Based on these challenges, list and discuss
  teaching methods and programming strategies that
  Mr. Santos can use to help Calvin have a positive
  PE experience.

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What Is Learning Disability?

• A disorder with these primary characteristics
• Problems with written language and in mastering
  academic areas, particularly reading
• Cant be caused by cultural differences, lack of
  educational opportunities, poverty, or other
  disabilities
• Inability to store, process, and produce
  information in the central nervous system
• Cant be the result of other conditions but might
  coexist with other conditions, such as ADHD and
  DCD

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Learning Disability Defined

• Specific learning disability means a disorder
  in one or more of the basic psychological
  processes involved in understanding or in using
  language, spoken or written, that might manifest
  itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think,
  speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical
  calculations. The term includes such conditions
  as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal
  brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental
  aphasia. The term does not include a learning
  problem that is primarily the result of visual,
  hearing, or motor disabilities of mental
  retardation or of environmental, cultural, or
  economic disadvantage. (IDEA, 2004)

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Unexpected Underachievement

• Educationally significant discrepancy exists
  between measured intellectual potential and
  actual academic achievement.
• Discrepancy means a difference between ability
  and actual achievement and is sometimes referred
  to as unexpected underachievement.
• Individual has normal intelligence (IQ).
• (continued)

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Unexpected Underachievement (continued)

• Academic performance lags behind peers does not
  perform at grade level.
• Difficulty learning in traditional ways.
• Summary Influences how individuals learn and not
  how well they learn.
• (Kavale Forness, 2000 Smith, 2007)

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Learning DisabilityThe Hidden Disability

• No easily identifiable physical signs exist.
• Based on dysfunction to the CNS that is not
  visible.
• (continued)

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Learning DisabilityThe Hidden Disability
(continued)

• Difficulty with the following is a possible
  indication of a learning problem
• Remembering newly learned information
• Expressing thoughts orally or in writing
• Understanding information presented
• Following directions and routines
• Moving from one activity to the next
• Summary Learning disabilities cannot be cured or
  go away and can present lifelong challenges to
  children and their families.

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Individuals With Learning Disability and
Coexisting Disabilities

• Many children with LD display comorbidity,
  meaning the disability coexists with other
  conditions
• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
• ADHD and DCD alone are not recognized as distinct
  disability categories under IDEA they do not
  qualify for special education services.

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What Is ADHD?

• Children with ADHD are easily distracted by
  irrelevant stimuli and frequently shift from one
  incomplete activity to the next. Inattention
  occurs in academic, occupational, or social
  situations and is more difficult to observe than
  hyperactivity (APA, 2000).
• The condition is divided into three subtypes
• Combined type
• Predominantly inattentive type
• Predominantly hyperactiveimpulsive type

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What Is DCD?

• An individuals performance in daily activities
  is substantially below that expected of age and
  IQ.
• The motor deficiency interferes with academic
  achievement activities of daily living.
• Motor deficiency cant be caused by a general
  medical condition such as CP, MD, or PDD.
• If mental retardation is present, the motor
  difficulties must be in excess of those
  associated alone with this disability (APA,
  2000).
• Summary DCD is often operationalized as an
  individual being two standard deviations below
  age norms on a standardized motor test.

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Suspected Causes of LD, ADHD, and DCD

• Complex, multidimensional, and the culmination of
  many problems
• LD The most common theory is that it is a
  neurological condition, such as the existence of
  CNS dysfunction in producing, processing, and
  storing information.
• ADHD Many believe it to be primarily an
  interaction of neurological, genetic, and
  psychosocial factors (CHAAD, 2008).

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Incidence of LD, ADHD, and DCD

• Learning disability (LD)
• Affects 40-50, or the largest special education
  category 5, or 2.9 million students.
• State-to-state and district-to-district
  statistics can vary, ranging from 1.7 to 5.8.
• High percentage of children with LD, ranging from
  25 to 50, also display ADHD (CHADD, 2008).
• (continued)

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Incidence of LD, ADHD, and DCD (continued)

• Attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
• Affects 3 to 7 of school-aged children, with
  estimates reported as high as 20 (APA, 2000).
• Developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
• Affects as many as 6 of children aged 6 to 11
  years (APA, 2000).

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Teaching Physical Education to Children With a
Specific LD, ADHD, or DCD
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Characteristics Presenting Unique Challenges to
LD, ADHD, and DCD

• Heterogeneous group.
• Movement characteristics or behaviors vary from
  skilled movers to developmental delays.
• Exhibit a wide range of physical, cognitive, and
  social behaviors that affect movement.
• Common physical, cognitive, and social
  characteristics are described on page 222.

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Unique Behaviors and Programming

• Consider the wide spectrum of behaviors for
  individuals with LD, ADHD, and DCD with
  implications for teaching.
• For example, ask yourself the following
• What are the students strengths, and how does
  this individual learn best?
• Why does the student have difficulty performing
  certain skills, and what can I do to help?
• How would you teach based on these behaviors?

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Physical Characteristics That Affect Movement

• Marked developmental delay
• Difficulty with motor planning
• Skill sequencing difficulty
• Spatial difficulties
• Extraneous movements not performed in a smooth
  and efficient manner
• Inability to control movements
• Inconsistency in skill performance

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Cognitive Characteristics That Affect Movement

• Information-processing difficulties
• Perceptual and sensory difficulties
• Language and thinking delays
• Uneven academic achievement
• Difficulty completing and solving tasks in
  allotted time
• Failure to pay attention to details

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Social Characteristics That Affect Movement

• Poor self-concept
• Impulsiveacting before thinking
• Hyperactive
• Easily distracted
• Short attention span
• Easily frustrated

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General Educational Approaches

• Physical educators can support and collaborate
  effectively with other professionals to meet
  student needs.
• No universally supported approach but rather
  several that can include these
• Multisensory
• Behavior management
• Multifaceted

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Specific Recommendations for Physical Education
and Sport

• Safety
• Medication
• Behavior management
• Ecological task analysis
• Perceptualmotor development
• Inclusion
• Learning through movement
• Relaxation
• Youth sport

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Safety First and Foremost

• Be aware of any potentially harmful activities
  periodically check all facilities and equipment.
• Use developmentally appropriate equipment (age,
  body type, and skill level).
• Avoid unstructured physical activity designed to
  blow off steam.
• (continued)

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Safety First and Foremost (continued)

• Allow time to motor plan perform skills under
  control and at a slower rate.
• Identify students taking medication.
• Safeguard against physical and psychological
  harm.
• Design the program to promote cooperation and
  positive interaction among students.

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Medication

• Identification
• Schedule
• Type, dosage, and side effects
• Rebound effect
• Drug holidays
• See also medication sidebar in the text (page
  225).

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Behavior Management

• Emphasize student success and provide a positive
  experience by organizing the environment with
  instructional strategies.
• Class structure Use consistent rules, routines,
  and clear transitions.
• Class organization Eliminate irrelevant stimuli
  keep students active and on task.
• Teaching prompts or cues Keep directions simple
  avoid providing too much information.
• Give positive feedback for students efforts and
  for staying on task.

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Ecological Task Analysis (ETA)

• The movement skill, form, and performance
• outcome are all the results of the dynamic
• interactions or constraints among the
• task,
• conditions or environmental situation, and
• performer.
• Summary Be a careful observer of movement and be
  able to task analyze skills.

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Inclusion

• The majority of students with LD, ADHD, and DCD
  are taught in a general physical education class
  with peers without disabilities.
• Peer-tutor programs
• Reciprocal teaching

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Learning Through Movement or Interdisciplinary
Teaching

• Movement activities taught in physical education
  can be integrated into other subject areas
  throughout the school curriculum (Cone, Werner,
  Cone, Woods, 1998).
• Helps in learning abstract concepts.
• Movement promotes active rather than passive
  involvement in learning.
• Movement is a natural medium for kinesthetic
  learners.
• Movement can be used to stimulate expression and
  communication.
• Learning is reinforced in a fun and meaningful
  way.
• Helps to foster collaboration among
  professionals.

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Relaxation

• Socially appropriate way to control emotions when
  upset or to handle stressful situations.
• Use when students lose focus, become too excited,
  or encounter a stressful situation.
• End class with relaxation in the form of a
  cool-down or closure activity.
• Methods used in physical education can include
  progressive relaxation, yoga, tai chi, static
  stretching, imagery, or impulse-control games.

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Youth Sport

• Students with learning disabilities can
  experience the same benefits as their peers
  without disabilities.
• Find a developmentally age-appropriate sport the
  student enjoys.
• An individual sport such as dance, karate,
  tennis, or swimming might be a better selection
  than a team sport.
• Proper coach selection is critical.
• Parents can assist the coach by providing such
  information as the childs
• unique behaviors and strategies for overcoming
  them,
• unique medical considerations,
• reinforcements that motivate, and
• learning strategies that work best.

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Important Questions to Ask

• To enhance instruction, physical educators can
  ask the following questions
• What are the students strengths and needs?
• How does this student best learn?
• How can I as the teacher change the environment
  and the task to help this student learn?
• What approaches and programs are already in place
  for this student at school and at home?
• What support systems will I need, and how will I
  work to get them?
• How can I collaborate with others to ensure this
  students success?

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Helpful Organizations

• Children and Adults with Attention
  Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
  www.chadd.org
• Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD)
  www.cldinternational.org
• Division on Learning Disabilities (DLD) within
  the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
  www.cec.sped.org see also www.teachingld.org