Learning Disabilities: 101

Website: www.ldayr.org E-mail: info@ldayr.org

905-844-7933 x 23 By: Kelli Cote, Principal, Parent, LDAYR Director Shelley Henderson, Parent and LDAYR Director

April 9, 2014

Learning Objectives

• Understand the perspectives and needs of students with Learning Disabilities (LDs)

• Highlight practical strategies to engage and empower people with LDs and their families

• Promote voice through self-advocacy strategies

Learning Disabilities A “Learning Disability (LD)” refers to:

A variety of disorders that affect acquisition, retention, understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal information. These disorders result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning* in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning.

*The term “psychological processes” describes an evolving list of cognitive functions such as: • Phonological Processing • Memory and Attention • Processing Speed • Language Processing • Perceptual-Motor Processing • Visual-Spatial Processing • Executive Functions

People with LDs are intelligent

and can learn.!

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Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities range in severity and invariably interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following skills:

• Oral language (listening, speaking, understanding) • Reading (decoding, comprehension) • Written language (spelling, written expression) • Mathematics (computation, problem solving)

• The impairment is lifelong. • LDs are brain based problems that affect one or

more ways that a person takes in, stores or uses information. LDs can interfere with learning basic skills such as reading, writing, and math.

• They can also interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time management and social skills.

• Learning Disabilities are due to genetic, other congenital and/or neuro-biological factors. They are not caused by factors such as cultural or language differences, inadequate or inappropriate instruction, socio-economic status or lack of motivation.

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LDs come in many forms and their effects are different from person to person.

They relate to:

• Getting information into the brain (Input) • Making sense of this information

(Organization) • Storing and retrieving information (Memory) • Getting information back out (Output)

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What do LDs affect?

No two LDs are the same. LDs vary greatly in form and intensity, and can affect one or more of the following areas:

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ACADEMICS DAILY LIFE SOCIAL LIFE

ACADEMICS People with LDs may experience problems with:

Reading (sometimes called dyslexia) -Understanding what is read -Recognizing words -Breaking words down into their individual sounds -Reading fluently Writing (sometimes called dysgraphia) -Handwriting -Putting thoughts on paper -Organizing written work -Spelling and grammar Math (sometimes called dyscalculia) -Doing arithmetic and calculation -Using symbols in math -Understanding visual-spatial relationships -Learning number facts

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Daily Life • Organizing • Managing time • Problem solving • Learning to drive • Planning and decision making • Finding their way in an

unfamiliar environment • Interpreting graphs, charts,

and maps • Following multi-step

instructions • Finding things on a cluttered

desk • Seeing the “whole picture” or

knowing what details are important

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Social Life •Interpreting facial expressions •Understanding body language •Understanding tones of voice •Taking turns in conversations

Brain Processing Challenges

Visual Perception:

What is this a picture of?

We all look at the same image but may not all process the information in the same way. Looking at the image “in different ways” allows everyone an opportunity to process the image

of the Dalmatian.

Does it help if the image is blackened-out?

Does it help if the photo has more detail?

Say the colour, not the word!

YELLOW BLUE ORANGE BLACK RED GREEN

PURPLE YELLOW RED ORANGE GREEN BLACK

BLUE RED PURPLE GREEN BLUE ORANGE

Does your brain get jammed up when processing two

tasks simultaneously?

The brain gets mixed messages and finds it difficult

to re-focus with the two stimuli.

Your right brain tries to say the colour, but your left brain insists on reading the word.

These situations may lead to:

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• Low self-esteem • Lack of confidence • Feeling dumb • A sense of failure • Appearing less motivated • Loneliness • Social withdrawal

Practical Strategies

• So what can we do?

Communication is Key

A culture of collaboration…

And a positive school climate can help professionals, parents, guardians, and educators work constructively together to address concerns related to programs and services before they become a source of conflict.

“When parents are involved, children do better in schools, and they go to better schools.”

Swap, 1993

Successful parent-professional partnerships result in improved outcomes for students, but

many parents and professionals require training to develop the skills necessary to form

effective relationships. Teaching Exceptional Children, Mar 2007

Benefits of Building Positive Relationships

• Positive relationships = creative solutions • Everyone understands they have a role to play

to ensure the best interests of the student are met

• Willingness to consider solutions other than the way things have been done before

• Students can sense the quality of the relationship between parents and educators

Communication is the Key

It is not what you say, it’s how you say it.

LD Waterfall

Chart

Embrace Structure

Individualize in Good Faith

Teach in Multiple Modes

Know What You’re Teaching and Assessing at Each Moment

Model Learning

Watch for Assumed Knowledge

Some Effective Practices

For success, persons with Learning Disabilities require specialized interventions in the home, school, community and workplace settings, appropriate to their individual strengths and needs, including:

• specific/direct skill instruction • self-advocacy skills • accommodations/compensatory strategies

Self-Advocacy Model

Stop, Think, Act, Check it Out

Stop

What is happening?

Where am I?

Where do I want

to be?

Think

What can I do?

What choices do I have?

What will happen

if…?

Act

What are my choices?

What do I need to

do?

Do it.

Check it out

Did it work?

Do things look different?

Am I satisfied?

Top 5 Advocacy Skills

• Understand learning profile • Create achievable goals with action oriented

steps • Have a plan and revisit it often • Balance strengths with needs • Reflect

Advocacy Cards

NEEDS of People with LDs • The need to be treated with respect and dignity • Need to be recognized as an individual who has abilities and

strengths as well as a Learning Disability • The need to have their strengths and weaknesses identified • The need to have coping and compensatory strategies

identified • The need for accommodations • The need for specific skilled instruction • The need for social skill training • The need to learn self-advocacy skills

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• A parent’s perspective…

Our LDAYR is here to help you.

To provide leadership in Learning Disabilities advocacy, research, education, and services

and to advance the full participation of children, youth, and adults with learning

disabilities in today’s society.

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Learning Disabilities Association of York Region

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Serving persons with Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder

Advocacy Public Awareness

Programs &

Services

Educational Services/ Training

Adult/Pre Employment Program/JobFit

Referrals to Other Resources

Outreach Programs

Information &

Library Child and Youth

Programs

The Power of One

I am only one But I am still one

I cannot do everything, But still I can do something

And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do

The something that I can do

Adapted From: Edward Everett Hale

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