tutoring and learning disorders sheila steinhof, m.a. cuny ld project coordinator...

Tutoring and Learning Disorders Sheila Steinhof, M.A. CUNY LD Project Coordinator [email protected]

What is a Learning Disability? When the individuals achievement on Individually administered, standardized tests in reading, mathematics, or written expression is substantially below that expected for age, schooling, and level of intelligence. That is the DSM definition. The clinical reality is that these disorders often present not as discrete areas of challenge in the face of otherwise normal intellect. Rather there may be myriad hurdles individuals ability to take in information, organize it, retain it and express the knowledge and understanding which they possess. 1 UCLA Learning Disabilities Program. LD Program BrochureLD Program Brochure

Examples of LD myths and misunderstandings Dsylexia and LD are interchangeable words. LD means you see letters backwards Lazy/unmotivated Doesnt care Doesnt apply self

What causes LD Many diff kinds of etiology. Negative effects on brain development can include but are not limited to: Genetic Prenatal factors Low Birth weight Toxic and teratogen agents

How is A Learning Disorder Diagnosed? A qualified professional collects history, observes behavior, interviews, gets information from available collateral resources, and conducts thorough standardized tests in areas which must include Intelligence and Achievement. The Clinician finds that an area of achievement is substantially below tested intelligence. Substantially below is usually defined as a discrepancy of more than 2 standard deviations between achievement and IQ.

Examples of Most Common Learning Disorders 315.00- Reading Disorder (which has also been referred to as dyslexia) 315.1- Mathematics Disorder (aka Dyscalculia) 315.2- Disorder of Written Expression (aka Dysgraphia)

Other Kinds of LD: Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders sensory integration disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision. Nonverbal Learning Disabilities Disorders causing problems with visual-spatial integration, organizational, evaluative and/or processing functions.

Specific Language Disorders 315.31 Expressive Language Disorder 315.32 Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder 315.39 Phonological Disorder

When is LD discovered Disorders of verbal expression often turn up as children are quite young (parents notice not meeting developmental milestones) LD can exist undiagnosed many years increased cognitive and academic demands of middle school can lead to many new diagnoses

Why would LD be Undiagnosed Cultural factors Is the issue of LD on the parents radar and why School- has the child found a good advocate in a savvy teacher The issue must be bad enough and the right person needs to have gone to lengths to convince the powers that be that the child needs testing. Overtaxed, underfunded school resources Student posture- I dont care, I am not trying ESL

Does the student have LD Is there a report the tutor can look at and/or have explained by a consulting psychologist or other specialist in the SDS If you suspect LD, can the student get tested? www.comprehendthemind.com There is no doubt that understanding whether or not there is LD and what areas are impacted (e.g. reading) can help you be a better tutor. How to know if there is LD

Tutoring Undiagnosed LD While working hard at not condescending or overstressing the student, draw out performance in different areas to witness. To find areas of weakness, ask for student to reflect understanding as you strip away levels of complexity. ISOLATE the problem to understand it. Once you have a loose, lay idea of strengths and weaknesses you can learn what modality to emphasize, and what compensations will work.

Those with learning disabilities may appear to be very much like their peers. And in fact, they are much more like their fellow students than they are unlike them. But when it comes to mentally processing visual and auditory messages, students with LD may be at a big disadvantage. 1 Faculty Training Tips: Guidance for Teaching Students with Disabilities. Horsham, PA: LRP Publications (2005).

LD often affects processing in areas other than the primary area affected

Verbal skills far exceed reading, spelling and/or writing skills. Difficulty taking notes and listening to a lecture at the same time. Slowed processing of information: needs "think time" to respond to questions, to retrieve information or to solve problems. Difficulty recalling and integrating information presented orally. Trouble focusing and sustaining attention. Illegible handwriting. 1 UCLA Learning Disabilities Program. LD Program BrochureLD Program Brochure What to look for?

In studying, students often experience difficulty organizing time. They tend to have trouble taking notes and following instructions. They may have frequent grammatical errors. If the lecturer speaks too fast, they will have difficulty understanding the lecture and recalling the words. They are often slow readers and sometimes have poor comprehension and retention. Confusion with math symbols is common, as well as difficulty with concepts of time and money. As a result of such struggles, many students have a low self-esteem, especially regarding academics, which greatly affects their personal life and mood, their willingness to take academic risks, and their tendency to say they understand something when they might not. What to look for?

Tutoring Skills Review relevant material, preview the material to be presented, present the new material then summarize the material just presented. Suggest that the students use both visual and auditory senses when reading the text. Offer to read written material aloud, when necessary. Encourage students to practice using technical words

Mental processing can break down at any point for those with LD. And if the student has problems focusing on whats important, the critical material may never be taken in. Other students with learning disabilities may pick out important details and relate them to previously learned knowledge, but have a hard time organizing and storing them efficiently for quick recall. 1 Faculty Training Tips: Guidance for Teaching Students with Disabilities. Horsham, PA: LRP Publications (2005).

Anxiety Added to processing problems, students with LD often feel anxious during exams because they have experienced learning problems throughout school. Anxieties add to the difficulties they have retrieving material that they understood and stored. 1 Faculty Training Tips: Guidance for Teaching Students with Disabilities. Horsham, PA: LRP Publications (2005).

Teaching Strategies 1 Since students with learning disabilities often have problems organizing and storing their thoughts, carefully structured presentations help immensely. Before you begin, think about ways of focusing students attention. Consider using simple diagrams or outlines to detail the main points you will cover. 1 Faculty Training Tips: Guidance for Teaching Students with Disabilities. Horsham, PA: LRP Publications (2005).

Are they listening? Don't assume that the person is not listening just because you are getting no verbal or visual feedback. Fine to ask for them to rephrase what you said to make sure they are processing and comprehending If there are things happening in your tutoring sessions that you dont understand, consult with the Office of Student Disability Services.

Teaching Strategies 1 When you begin a session, explain the purpose of the session and what you expect to cover. Review previously learned skills and concepts. Introduce the content step by step, if possible (Not all lessons can be broken down this way) 1 Faculty Training Tips: Guidance for Teaching Students with Disabilities. Horsham, PA: LRP Publications (2005).

Teaching Strategies 1 Check for understanding by requiring students to actively respond to questions. Give prompt, specific feedback to students. Summarize at the end. Give independent activities based on the material. 1 Faculty Training Tips: Guidance for Teaching Students with Disabilities. Horsham, PA: LRP Publications (2005).

Tutoring Skills Always ask questions in a clarifying manner. Not do you understand, but what does this mean to you? Or what do you think the prof wants you to do? Write things down when you speak. Its very helpful for students to have multiple modes of sensory input. (i.e. seeing, hearing, etc.) Provide clear copies of what you review whenever possible. Any kind of visual aid can be helpful so if you prepare prior to the tutoring session, try to provide visual aids.

Tutoring Skills Help students to develop chapter outlines or study guides that cue them to key points in their readings. You may want to periodically review the students syllabus with him/her to help make sure that s/he is staying on track and managing their academic demands for the course well. Ask questions in an open-ended way instead of yes/no. The more the student needs to say to answer questions, the better.

Tutoring Skills Try to phrase questions in a way that helps the student gain confidence instead of feeling stupid. Keep oral instructions logical and concise. Repeat or re- word complicated directions. Pace instruction carefully to ensure clarity. You may need to go slower than usual. Isolate new and or technical vocabulary. Provide and teach memory associations (mnemonic strategies). Talk distinctly and at a rate that the student with a learning disability can follow.

Tutoring Skills Help students go back through their notes and organize them in a way that makes sense. Review class material that has been covered but also try to briefly introduce what will be covered next before the student encounters the material in class. Previewing goes a long way to helping the lecture become more valuable for a student with a learning disability. Ask questions that require the student to demonstrate understanding.

Tutoring Skills Have lots of practice exercises available. The more a student practices, the better s/he will learn. Have students with learning disabilities underline key words or directions then review what theyve underlined to make sure theyre emphasizing whats meaningful. When working with students on complex assignments, help them to break the project down into smaller, manageable tasks.

Tutoring Skills Technical content should be presented in small incremental steps. Use plenty of examples! Dont think just one example will do the trick! Use straight forward instructions with step-by-step unambiguous terms. (Preferably, presented one at a time). Recommend wherever necessary that the student borrow a classmates' notes. If you detect a note-taking problem, recommend that the student discuss this with the SDS Office. There are options available for assistance.

Tutoring Skills Help the student to create cue cards or labels designating the steps of a procedure to expedite the mastering whenever possible. In dealing with abstract concepts, use visual tools such as charts and graphs. Also, paraphrase and present them in specific terms, and sequence and illustrate them with concrete examples, personal experiences, or hands-on exercises.

How to tutor math to students with LD Use manipulatives and hands-on learning as much as possible. Available manipulatives may include base-10 blocks, algebra tiles or tangrams.learning Show students how the math concepts can relate to their lives. Because students with learning disabilities may need to exert extra effort in order to master difficult math concepts, they will need extra motivation. Connecting what they are learning to their own lives can provide this motivation.

How to tutor math to students with LD Use assistive technology, such as computers, whenever possible. You can find computerized demonstrations online of various math concepts. Allow students to do research online, or provide students with review games they can access through the Internet.computersgamesInternet Teach students self-regulation and self-monitoring strategies. To do this, help students make small subgoals for themselves that will be easy to reach, eventually leading to larger subgoals that will be somewhat more difficult. Then help them structure their time to meet those goals. Using subgoals can be especially useful for students who are used to failure in math class, in combating their "learned helplessness" and showing them that they can succeed. Read more: How to Teach Math to Learning Disabled Students | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6370432_teach-math-learning- disabled-students.html#ixzz12ubuqBeKHow to Teach Math to Learning Disabled Students | eHow.comhttp://www.ehow.com/how_6370432_teach-math-learning- disabled-students.html#ixzz12ubuqBeK

How to tutor writing to students with LD Check the student's understanding of her/his disability and what she/he thinks is wrong with her/his writing. Ask the student about the process that she/he takes when she/he begins to write (get a fix on how she/he writes).

How to tutor writing to students with LD Try an exercise (demonstration) that will prove the student can write A. Analyze a writing assignment that the student has. B. You (the tutor) write a title at the top of a computer screen (check with the student to see if the point size is large enough for the student to read from the screen); you are the hands for the student or you can use a tape recorder. C. Ask the student to simply talk on the topic; she/he can look at the screen or not. Do this for at least 20 minutes and don't let the student stop talking; encourage the student to talk in sentences. When 20 minutes are up, print out a copy for both of you to read out loud. Ask the student what is the main point she/he is trying to say-- this becomes the thesis statement. Go through the text and pick out the list of supporting ideas, then order this list.

How to tutor writing to students with LD D. The result is a thesis statement with a list of supportive ideas--the student can later write a paragraph on each idea expanding upon what was discussed earlier. E. Work with the student to write an introduction. Ease into it. Ask the student what would introduce the thesis statement. Together come up with three or four possible introductions to choose from. F. Do a conclusion and ease them back out of the process. Help students by asking, "So what?" and "Why is this important?"

You can help! As a tutor, you have direct, small group or one-to-one contact with the student. We rely on you! Pay close attention. Prepare thoroughly. Use available resources and ask questions. Help us identify students with undiagnosed LD BE PATIENT

Thank you! Sheila Steinhof, M.A. [email protected] This presentation adapted from materials created by Dr. Sarah Hahn and Dr. Beth Lesen

tutoring and learning disorders sheila steinhof, m.a. cuny ld project coordinator...

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