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LD - Learning Disabilities -
Learning Disorders
A student may have a learning disorder if his/her achievement
in reading, writing, or mathematics falls below what
is expected for the child's age, grade level, and intelligence.
To be called a learning disorder, the problems must
have a negative impact on the person's academic success
or another important area of life requiring math, reading,
or writing skills.
What are the different types of learning
disorders?
There are three major types of learning disorders:
- Reading disorder
- Mathematics disorder
- Disorder of written expression
What signs are associated with learning
disorders?
In addition to the problems
associated with the specific type of learning disorder,
many students also suffer from:
- Low self-esteem
- Socialization problems
- Increased dropout rate at school
Learning disorders may also
be associated with:
- Conduct disorder
- Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
- Depression
Do learning disorders affect males,
females, or both?
Learning disorders can affect both males and females.
However, in the United States more boys than girls are
diagnosed with learning disorders.
At what age do learning disorders
appear?
Although learning disorders are most likely present
when a child is quite young, the specific type of learning
disorder is usually diagnosed in early elementary school
when reading, math, and writing begin to be used in
the classroom.
How prevalent are learning disorders
in our society?
About five percent (5%) of students in the United States
have learning disorders.
How are learning disorders diagnosed?
Because standardized, group testing is not accurate
enough for this purpose, it is very important that special,
psychoeducational tests be individually administered
to the child to determine if he/she has a learning disorder.
In administering the test, the examiner should give
special attention to the child's ethnic and cultural
background.
How are learning disorders treated?
Learning disorders are treated with specialized educational
methods. In addition to special classroom instruction
at school, students with learning disorders frequently
benefit from individualized tutoring which focuses on
their specific learning problem.
What can people do if they need help?
If you, a friend, or a family member would like more
information please contact our helpful staff at Education
First.
What causes learning
disabilities?
Little is currently known about the causes of learning
disabilities. However, some general observations can
be made:
- Some children develop and mature at a slower rate
than others in the same age group. As a result, they
may not be able to do the expected school work. This
kind of learning disability is called "maturational
lag."
- Some children with normal vision and hearing may
misinterpret everyday sights and sounds because of
some unexplained disorder of the nervous system.
- Injuries before birth or in early childhood probably
account for some later learning problems.
- Children born prematurely and children who had medical
problems soon after birth sometimes have learning
disabilities.
- Learning disabilities tend to run in families, so
some learning disabilities may be inherited.
- Learning disabilities are more common in boys than
girls, possibly because boys tend to mature more slowly.
- Some learning disabilities appear to be linked to
the irregular spelling, pronunciation, and structure
of the English language. The incidence of learning
disabilities is lower in Spanish or Italian speaking
countries.
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What are the "early
warning signs" of learning disabilities?
Children with learning disabilities exhibit a wide range
of symptoms. These include problems with reading, mathematics,
comprehension, writing, spoken language, or reasoning
abilities. Hyperactivity, inattention and perceptual
coordination may also be associated with learning disabilities
but are not learning disabilities themselves.
The primary characteristic of a learning disability
is a significant difference between a child's achievement
in some areas and his or her overall intelligence.
Learning disabilities typically affect five general
areas:
1. Spoken language: delays, disorders, and deviations
in listening and speaking.
2. Written language: difficulties with reading, writing
and spelling.
3. Arithmetic: difficulty in performing arithmetic operations
or in understanding basic concepts.
4. Reasoning: difficulty in organizing and integrating
thoughts.
5. Memory: difficulty in remembering information and
instructions.
Among the symptoms commonly
related to learning disabilities are:
- poor performance on group tests
- difficulty discriminating size,
shape, color
- difficulty with temporal (time)
concepts
- distorted concept of body image
- reversals in writing and reading
- general awkwardness
- poor visual-motor coordination
- hyperactivity
- difficulty copying accurately from
a model
- slowness in completing work
- poor organizational skills
- easily confused by instructions
- difficulty with abstract reasoning
and/or problem solving
- disorganized thinking
- often obsesses on one topic or
idea
- poor short-term or long-term memory
- impulsive behavior; lack of reflective
thought prior to action
- low tolerance for frustration
- excessive movement during sleep
- poor peer relationships
- overly excitable during group play
- poor social judgment
- inappropriate, unselective, and
often excessive display of affection
- lags in developmental milestones
(e.g. motor, language)
- behavior often inappropriate for
situation
- failure to see consequences for
his actions
- overly gullible; easily led by peers
- excessive variation in mood and
responsiveness
- poor adjustment to environmental
changes
- overly distractible; difficulty
concentrating
- difficulty making decisions
- lack of hand preference or mixed
dominance
- difficulty with tasks requiring
sequencing
When considering these symptoms,
it is important to remain mindful of the following:
1. No one will have all these symptoms.
2. Among LD populations, some symptoms are more common
than others.
3. All people have at least two or three of these problems
to some degree.
4. The number of symptoms seen in a particular child
does not give an indication as whether the disability
is mild or severe. It is important to consider if the
behaviors are chronic and appear in clusters.
Some of these symptoms may indicate dyslexia.
For more information go to
WHAT
IS DYSLEXIA.
Some of these symptoms may indicate attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder. For more information
go to What
is ADD/ADHD.
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What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific difficulty in learning to read
that cannot be attributed to other factors such as low
intelligence, physical disabilities such as poor vision
or hearing, lack of knowledge of English, or lack of
exposure to printed material as a child that results
in the lack of important pre-reading skills such as
the ability to recognize letters and the ability to
attach sounds to letters. More
on Dyslexia
What causes
dyslexia and LD?
Dyslexia is a specific difficulty in learning
to read that cannot be attributed to other factors such
as low intelligence, physical disabilities such as poor
vision or hearing, lack of knowledge of English, or
lack of exposure to printed material as a child that
results in the lack of important pre-reading skills
such as the ability to recognize letters and the ability
to attach sounds to letters.
It is becoming apparent that dyslexia is a brain-based
disorder that is likely to have a genetic component.
For example, it is common for a child who has been identified
as having dyslexia to also have one or more relatives
who also have learning difficulties. An individual with
dyslexia typically has difficulty in processing the
constituent sounds (called phonemes) of language, and
research examining the brains of dyslexic individuals
while they are reading has identified differences between
the brain activity of a dyslexic reader and the brain
activity of a normal reader.
The difficulty in processing the constituent sounds
of language often results in language acquisition delays
and in the development of articulation problems. It
is important to recognize that there is virtually no
evidence that dyslexia has anything to do with the visual
system. In other words, the common belief that dyslexics
see letters backwards or read sentences from right to
left rather than from left to right is simply not true.
How do we identify dyslexia and
LD?
The diagnostic process typically involves determining
if there is a gap between an individuals general learning
ability, and their performance in an academic skill
such as reading or mathematics. So, for example, an
individual who has normal abilities in areas like speaking
and learning from auditory sources, but difficulties
in learning to read or do mathematics may have a learning
disability.
In addition, an individual with either dyslexia or dyscalculia
typically displays particular patterns of strengths
and weaknesses. The dyslexic reader generally has little
difficulty in identifying letters, but does have difficulties
in reading words, and has particular difficulties in
sounding out letter sequences that do not form words
(e.g., "plok"). The individual with dyscalculia
displays difficulties in learning math facts such as
addition, subtraction and multiplication tables.
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What are the interventions for
learning disabilities such as dyslexia?
Common interventions for students identified
as having dyslexia involve attempting to remediate their
difficulties in processing and using the constituent
sounds in language. For example, one common difficulty
dyslexics have is identifying and using the sounds that
make up words. The ability, to identify sound patterns
is called phonological awareness, and interventions
for dyslexics often include practice in sound identification.
Another intervention approach involves trying to teach
the dyslexic reader to use phonics as a strategy to
assist in the word identification process. There are
many different variations of phonics-based strategies.
Sound based interventions (phonological awareness and
phonics training) are sometimes successful, but can
ultimately be harmful if continued for extended periods
of time without signs of significant progress. The difficulty
is that students develop the habit of sounding out virtually
every word they read. This makes reading painfully slow
and makes it very difficult to read for comprehension
without repeated re-readings.
There is less commonality to interventions for students
with dyslcalculia. Many interventions seem to be based
on the assumption that students do not understand the
conceptual bases of mathematics. However, there is no
evidence that this is true and there is little evidence
that conceptually based interventions are successful
at remediating math learning difficulties.
How successful is the
treatment for learning disabilities?
Learning disabilities vary greatly in
their degree of severity, and this has implications
for the likelihood that they can be successfully treated
via interventions. A severe disorder is less likely
to greatly benefit from an intervention than a mild
disorder.
Another factor contributing to the likelihood of a successful
intervention is the age of the child. Interventions
are most successful if they occur early. Interventions
provided to children prior to grade four are much more
likely to prove beneficial than interventions given
to older children.
What are the interventions for reading difficulties?
The most common intervention provided
to a very young child (kindergarten or first grade)
is to teach "phonological awareness" and letter-sound
relationships. Phonological awareness is the ability
to hear and identify the constituent sounds of spoken
words. For example, a child who has phonological awareness
can identify words that rhyme and words that do not
rhyme, and they can tell you what word would be produced
if we took away the "cuh" sound from the word
"cart."
In contrast, a child who is in danger of developing
dyslexia has considerable difficulty performing these
tasks. Research has shown that some children who do
not have phonological awareness can be taught it via
direct instruction, and this in turn can prevent or
alleviate the development of reading problems as the
child matures.
The most common intervention for an older child (first
grade and beyond) involves teaching phonics skills that
assist in word recognition. There are many variations
of phonics-based interventions. However all of the phonics-based
approaches share the assumption that the child has difficulty
recognizing words and that systematic instruction in
identifying the sounds that letters make and in blending
those sounds to produce words will alleviate the reading
difficulties that the child is having.
Phonics-based interventions are effective with some,
but not all children. In some cases children learn to
use phonics to identify words, but they are never able
to develop the rapid sound blending skills that enable
effortless reading. This means that the child will always
have difficulty reading with comprehension and that
reading will continue to be a very effortful activity
requiring numerous re-readings before understanding
will occur.
The Educational Help approach to intervention with dyslexic
readers is to directly teach the rapid recognition of
words without using a phonics-based sound out strategy.
The research supporting the Educational Help approach
has shown that children with reading difficulties can
learn a large sight vocabulary.
In addition, the research has shown that practice in
rapid word recognition generalizes in two important
ways. First, an improvement in the ability to rapidly
recognize words also results in an improvement in reading
comprehension. Second, practice at rapidly recognizing
words generalizes to improvement in recognizing words
that are not being practiced. In other words, the intervention
has been shown to produce overall improvements in reading.
Interventions can improve the reading ability of a dyslexic
reader, but they cannot "cure" dyslexia. A
dyslexic reader can develop the ability to easily read
and understand familiar material. However, the symptoms
of dyslexia often reappear when the reader begins to
read in a new area (such as a science) or attempts to
learn a new language. This means that the reader should
also learn and use general strategies that will help
them any time they need to master new material. The
Educational Help approach includes assistance in learning
these strategies.
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What are the interventions for
math learning difficulties and how successful are they?
The typical child with a math learning disability
displays difficulty in learning simple computational
skills and difficulty in learning numerical operations
in general. For example the child has problems learning
math facts involving addition, subtraction and multiplication,
and often has difficulties performing operations like
making change, telling time from an non-digital clock,
and understanding and using devices, such as a ruler
that are based on unfamiliar numerical systems. Most
children with math learning difficulties use counting
strategies (such as finger counting) to assist in the
computation of simple addition and subtraction problems.
There is far less research on math learning difficulties
than there is on reading difficulties. One of the more
common approaches to treating a child with math learning
difficulties involves an attempt to teach the child
the conceptual underpinnings of mathematics. These approaches
typically involve the active use of manipulatives such
as balance beams, plastic tiles that teach fraction
skills, and so on.
Again it is the case that the Educational Help approach
to helping children with math learning difficulties
differs from more common approaches. Our approach is
designed to develop knowledge of math facts that will
enable the rapid and effortless solution of common addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division problems. The
research that our approach is based on has shown that
children who develop the ability to solve computation
problems from memory also generally improve in mathematics
performance.
What are the interventions for
attentional disorders, ADHD and ADD and how successful
are they?
The typical child with a math learning disability
displays difficulty in learning simple computational
skills and difficulty in learning numerical operations
in general. For example the child has problems learning
math facts involving addition, subtraction and multiplication,
and often has difficulties performing operations like
making change, telling time from an non-digital clock,
and understanding and using devices, such as a ruler
that are based on unfamiliar numerical systems. Most
children with math learning difficulties use counting
strategies (such as finger counting) to assist in the
computation of simple addition and subtraction problems.
There is far less research on math learning difficulties
than there is on reading difficulties. One of the more
common approaches to treating a child with math learning
difficulties involves an attempt to teach the child
the conceptual underpinnings of mathematics. These approaches
typically involve the active use of manipulatives such
as balance beams, plastic tiles that teach fraction
skills, and so on.
Again it is the case that the Educational Help approach
to helping children with math learning difficulties
differs from more common approaches. Our approach is
designed to develop knowledge of math facts that will
enable the rapid and effortless solution of common addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division problems. The
research that our approach is based on has shown that
children who develop the ability to solve computation
problems from memory also generally improve in mathematics
performance.
Why CAAS for dyslexia and LD?
The CAAS system is a self-contained system that
allows for:
- The identification of individuals with learning
difficulties.
- The development of an intervention plan that is
tied directly to the difficulties that the CAAS evaluation
system identifies.
- Continuous monitoring of progress, thereby allowing
one to immediately see whether the prescribed intervention
is working, and to chart continued progress in reducing
the gap between where a student is, and where they
should be.
READING and WRITING DISORDERS
(You have the basic info on Dyslexia) Here are some
additional websites
International Dyslexia Association
www.interdys.org
Dyslexia, The Gift
www.dyslexia.com
Dyslexia Online
www.audiblox2000.com/dyslexia_dyslexic/dyslexia.htm
Reading
Disorders
Math
Disorders
Disorders
of Written Language
What
is a Sensory Integration Disorder?
What
is Dysgraphia?
What
is Dyscalculia?
What
is Dyslexia
What
is Autism?
What
is ADHD - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
What
is Asperger's Disorder
Information
on Rare Disorders
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Info for parents to download 
