Learning Disabilities

A learning disability (LD) is a permanent neurological disorder characterized by difficulty processing, retrieving or expressing information. Learning disabilities include dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia (severe difficulty with reading, mathematics and written expression).

A common misconception about students with learning disabilities is that they are slow learners or illiterate. On the contrary, these students are like the larger student population; some are average and other very bright.

Because college success depends on the mastery of information-processing skills such as reading, writing, note-taking, analyzing, memorizing, organizing, synthesizing and test-taking, finding effective learning strategies is the biggest challenge facing these students. Despite this, students with learning disabilities can achieve academic success through self-awareness, determination and perseverance, together with understanding and cooperation from their instructors.

Effects of Learning Disabilities in the Classroom

Learning processes that may be affected by learning disabilities include the following:

Visual Perception

Although students with visual perception problems may have normal eyesight, they may see letters incorrectly or in reverse order. Sometimes they fail to see some letters, words or whole paragraphs.
Letters and symbols that are similar may be confusing, such as the number 8 and the ampersand (&).
Ends of words and spaces between words are sometimes omitted.

Auditory Perception

Despite the face that they have normal hearing, some students with learning disabilities may be unable to differentiate similar sounding works, such as "crashed the car" instead of "washed the car."
Some students may be acutely sensitive to background noises and are easily distracted by traffic noise, rustling paper and whispers. These distractions can affect students' concentration during class lectures or conversations, or when they are taking tests.

Memory Retrieval

Some students with learning disabilities have difficulty retrieving information from memory, often more so with short-term than long-term memory.
Difficulty recalling words, names, dates and thoughts can be frustrating for some students with learning disabilities.

Spatial Perception

Students with spatial perception difficulties may not be able to judge distances, easily differentiate between left and right or follow directions.
Even in familiar surroundings, they may become confused or lost.

Motor Coordination

Students with poor large muscle coordination may appear clumsy, knock things over or bump into people. Participation in activities that require agility, such as sports, is difficult. Students with poor small muscle coordination have poor manual dexterity, which can manifest itself in poor penmanship and difficulty manipulation small objects.

Students with visual-motor coordination problems find it difficult for their hands to obey visual commands such as copying from the blackboard, cutting a pattern, typing or writing. Similarly, students with auditory-motor problems have difficulty coordinating simultaneous activities such as listening and taking notes.

Each student is unique with respect to learning strengths, weaknesses and style. Many have inconsistent performance from day to day or within the same task. Information-processing deficits may be evident in only one academic area, such as math or written language. Most students with learning disabilities develop effective strategies to help compensate for their deficits and capitalize on the strengths.

Attention Deficit Disorder

People with attention deficit disorder (ADD) often appear inattentive to the situation at hand and may exhibit impulsive behavior. Though many people have some degree of the following traits, those with ADD exhibit more of them with greater frequency and intensity.

difficulty carrying through routine or uninteresting tasks
difficulty with impulse control
difficulty sustaining attention
difficulty with organization
distractibility
short-term memory problems

Although ADD and learning disabilities have a tendency to overlap, ADD is believed to be the result of chemistry differences in the parts of the brain that control inhibition. ADD may interfere with self-esteem, relationships and academic achievement. In addition to learning disabilities, adults with ADD may experience mild chronic depression, mood and energy swings, nervousness, sleep disorders and muscular tension.

Academic Adjustments for Students with Learning Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities and ADD often have similar classroom accommodation needs: extended test time, a private/quiet test environment and note-takers. Accommodations may vary depending on the nature of the disability and the course content. For example, a student may benefit from an oral examination in one subject but not in another.

A student's past success with an accommodation is often the best predictor of success in a similar academic situation. Also, an initial trial-and-error approach may be a way to determine the best academic adjustment for a student with a learning disability or ADD.

Note-Takers, Tape Recording, Lecture Notes, and Overheads

Some students with learning disabilities and ADD have difficulty listening to a lecture and taking notes at the same time. For these students, a note-taker may be an appropriate academic accommodation.
Providing instructor's lecture notes and copies of overhead transparencies is particularly helpful to students with learning disabilities who are unable to take notes or are slow to copy information projected onto a screen.
A tape recorder may be an appropriate auxiliary aid for a student whose learning disability or ADD makes note-taking difficult. When there are copyright considerations, a recorded lecture can be protected by a contract between the instructor and the student to safeguard the recorded material from unauthorized duplication.

Classroom and Lecture Dynamics

Students with learning disabilities often need explicit structure. Discuss and provide written directions about expectations such as class attendance, homework deadlines and classroom participation. Encourage students to sit at the front of the classroom to minimize distractions. Provide study aids such as an outline of the day's lecture. An outline helps to distinguish main themes from supporting ideas and highlights the relationship of parts to the whole. In addition, provide a list of vocabulary words that relate to the lecture. A hard copy of an overhead transparency also helps reinforce what was discussed in class.

Examinations

Students with learning disabilities and ADD may require extended time to finish an examination. Depending on the disability, time-and-a-half or double-time for a test may be an appropriate academic adjustment.
A student who has difficulty reading or writing may require a reader for the test, dictate answers to a scribe or use a computer. A computer with grammar-and spell-check features is particularly helpful. A dictionary can also be a useful auxiliary aid.

DS can provide test accommodations for students with learning disabilities and ADD. DS provides extended time for written examinations, private testing rooms, qualified proctors, test readers and scribes. DS resources include auxiliary aids such as computers, closed-circuit television and CD players.

Main Menu

Home Links