Special Needs Topics with Don Peek
This post is authored by Don Peek, a former educator and past president of the training division of Renaissance Learning. He now runs
Learning Disabilities
The term learning
disability is a classification used to describe students who have
difficulty learning in the usual ways. This
type of disability is caused by unknown factors which affect the ability of the
brain to receive and process information.
Almost 13% or about 6.5 million students are enrolled in special
education classes. Of those students,
approximately 2.5 million are identified as learning disabled.
However, it is not enough just to know that a student is
learning disabled. You need to know the
type of disability. There are four different types:
1)
Reading disorder – difficulty with accurate and
fluent word recognition, word decoding, reading rate, oral reading, and/or
reading comprehension. Many students who
have a reading disability are dyslexic.
2)
Writing disorder – difficulty with handwriting,
spelling, organization, and/or composition.
Writing disorders are also referred to as dysgraphia.
3)
Math disability – difficulty with concepts,
memorizing facts, organizing numbers, and/or understanding how to organize
problems. A math disability is termed dyscalculia.
4)
Nonverbal learning disability – shows up as
clumsy motor skills, poor visual-spatial skills, poor social relationship
skills, problems with math, and poor organizational skills.
While these learning disabilities cannot be cured, skills can be learned that help
some students cope with or overcome their disabilities almost entirely. Like many others disabilities, being learning
disabled is not a black or white situation.
Some students have a severe learning disability. Others have a mild disability. That makes it more difficult for teachers to
find the type of activities and skills that best fit each student’s disability
level.
When LD teachers step into their classrooms, they might be
facing students with up to four types of learning disabilities, and those
disabilities could range from very mild to very severe. Obviously, it is helpful to have a small
number of students in each class and also the help of an aide whenever
possible.
I believe two major problems exist when we try to teach
learning disable students. First, some
special education and many regular education teachers have low expectations for
some students identified as learning disabled.
If they do not fully understand the nature of the learning disabilities
of their students, they might make the mistake of feeling that their students
are learning disabled in areas where they have no disability at all. All teachers who teach learning disabled students
need to be aware of the exact nature of each student’s disability.
The other problem is the exact opposite of the first. Teachers have expectations that are too high
for the learning disabled student.
Material is not presented in a manner or at a rate that is manageable
for the student. When the student fails,
the teacher often sees that student as lazy or uncooperative. In reality, the student simply needed the
material presented in a different way, at a slower pace, or both.
These two problems should not occur if thorough assessments
are done on learning disabled students, and both weaknesses and proper teaching
strategies are listed in each student’s individualized education program. These IEP’s should, of course, be shared with
the student’s special and regular education teachers.
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Grant Info:
Grant Info:
Grant Name:
DonorsChoose.org Grants
Funded By:
DonorsChoose.org
Description: DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to
provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At
this not-for-profit web site, teachers register, and then submit project
proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These
ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals choose projects to
fund.
Program Areas: Disabilities, Special Education, All Other
Recipients:
Public School
Proposal Deadline:
None
Register: Teachers must register and create an account on the website
below
Availability:
All States
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