Presented by: Madison Bowler

Brooklyn Green
Alisha Richens
Cara Whitehead

http://healthresearchfunding.org/?s=dyslexia

Making the Classroom Friendly for the Learning Disabled Student

Accommodating students with learning disabilities (LD) in the regular classroom setting can be
challenging. It is important that the accommodations fit the individual childs needs, but also be
reasonable in relation to the regular educatorstime and effort. Types of accommodations involve
student materials, instruction, and performance.
Accommodations for Student Materials
Present work in chunks (smaller amounts). Give three to four pieces of new information at a
time. Be sure that the child understands these concepts before presenting more new information.
Cover parts of the whole (e.g., cover all the rows of math problems on a page allowing the
student to complete one row at a time.) This will lessen the students level of anxiety concerning
the task.
State directions in a variety of ways (orally and written). Ask student to rephrase directions in
his/her own words to ensure that they understand the task.
Accommodations During Instruction
Maintain daily routines. Students with LD perform better when they know whats coming next
in their daily routine. If you anticipate a change in schedule, give plenty of advance notice! For
example, In about ten minutes, we are going to an assembly.
For students with a written expression learning disability, provide a copy of class notes and
study guides.
Present material visually, verbally, and with as much hands-on experience as possible.
Teach using small, sequential steps. Many students with LD require part-to-whole instruction.
For example, when teaching a student long division, focus on each step in the process (for
example, first decide how many times four goes into twelve).
Use mnemonic instruction. Mnemonics are strategies that help us remember information. For
example, when proofreading written work, teachers may encourage students to remember the
COPS strategy (Capitalization, Organization, Punctuation, Spelling).
Prior to a lesson, write key words and new vocabulary on the chalkboard/overhead. Go over
these words and what they mean before presenting them in reading text.
Review, review, review! Daily review is essential to remembering and understanding
information.
Repeat directions often. It is important to give a nonverbal (clap hands) or verbal (Listen,
everyone. This is something you need to know.) cues before you give directions.
Accommodations for Student Performance
For older students, provide an outline of the lecture prior to the lesson.
Change the required response mode. Allow the student to tape record answers. Students with
handwriting difficulty may require extra space between lines or a word processor.
Preferential seating This means that the student is seated in the best position in the
classroom for him/her to learn. Generally, this is the seat closest to the teacher.
Use assignment books; enlist a helpful peer to check assignments for accuracy.
Reduce copying requirements or use carbon copy paper when taking notes.
Allow students with writing difficulties to type responses.
Reduce assignments (e.g., modify a 20 vocabulary word list per week to a 10 vocabulary word
list).
Allow students to complete oral projects instead of written projects or vice-versa, depending on
his/her need.

Wendy, C. Ward. Teaching Students with Learning Problems. 5th ed. 2005.

Reading Helps
Here are a few strategies that can help children who are having problems with decoding,
comprehension, or reading retention.
1: Play word games: Word games and puzzles are fun and also build vocabulary and word
understanding. Try crossword puzzles, word bingo, Scrabble, or Boggle
2: Read aloud everyday: Encourage children to read directions, labels, and signs in the classroom, at
home, in the car, and at stores or shops, and have them take turns reading aloud with a classmate,
parent, or sibling. Discuss in class or at home what you are reading.
3: Put learning to use: Help children remember by having them explain, discuss, or apply information
they have just read, letting them teach you facts or ideas they have learned from their reading, or
encouraging them to act out characters from their reading selections.
Reading Strategies. (2003). Retrieved from
http:/pbs.org/parents/education/learningdisabilities/types/reading/readingstrategies

Visual Reading Activity: Fishing for sounds

This game helps early learners who need extra help with reading by providing verbal and v isual
clues.
To make: Find and cut out small pictures of familiar objects from magazines, old workbooks,
catalogues. Try to find several pictures that start with the same letter, such as book, bed, basket, boy;
snake, sun, skate, slide, etc. (The child can help; this is a good language activity too.)
Cut out 12-15 fish shapes and paste or draw one picture on each fish.

On individual 3x5 inch index cards or on an 8x11 inch piece of paper or cardboard, print consonant
letters with a key picture for each group of pictures found. (For example, print the letter "S" with the
picture of a sun to represent all the words beginning with that letter.) (If using a sheet of paper, print
only two or three letters per sheet)

To play: Select two or three sets of fish pictures that start with the same letters and mix them up.
Place face down on a table and take turns "going fishing." As each fish is turned over, the child
names the picture and places it in the appropriate pile under the key letter / picture. When all the fish
are caught and placed correctly, have the child "read" the pictures under each heading. If necessary,
read along with him or her, saying the letter name and stressing the initial sound of the word. "Yes,
here are 'S' pictures: sssun, sssnake, sssaxophone."
To add excitement, you can play as opponents, each player having one or two categories and key
letter / pictures. Take turns fishing, and discard those fish that belong to the other player.
Six Games for Reading. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2015, from
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/six-games-reading

Learning Disabilities in Written Expression

Dysgraphia Symptoms
Dysgraphia is a learning disability that makes the act of writing tough. It often leads to
problems such as poor handwriting, putting thoughts on paper, and spelling. Individuals
suffering from the condition may have difficulty in recognizing numbers, letters, and
words in a page or line. Furthermore, this condition may result to language processing
difficulty and visual spatial difficulties. Dysgraphia can last a lifetime if left untreated,
although the way it manifest can change over time. Children with dysgraphia can benefit
from accommodations of specific learning environment.
Accommodations
There are many ways to help a student with dysgraphia in your classroom. Below is a list
of
accommodations, modifications, and techniques to assist the student with
dysgraphia.
Be patient and positive when practicing handwriting.
Encourage proper grip, posture, and paper positioning.
Allow the use of a word processor.
Use oral exams and allow students to dictate assignments to a scribe.
Avoid criticisms for sloppiness or illegibility.
Provide additional time for writing tasks.
Use writing paper with raised lines.
Allow students to use a line width that is most comfortable for them.
Reduce the amount of copying needed to complete an assignment.
Encourage the use of visual organizers to assist in outlining and brainstorming for
extended
writing assignments.
Encourage the student to use hand exercises when he/she becomes fatigued.
Have students complete writing activities in small steps.
Margaret Kay. (2007). What is dysgraphia? Retrieved September 21, 2015, from
http://www.margaretkay.com/Dysgraphia.htm
Proper Pencil Grip: Give children a pompom or cotton ball to hold in their hand when they
write. Demonstrate how to put pinky and ring man to sleep on the pompom before
picking up the pencil. http://drjeanandfriends.blogspot.com/2013/08/pencil-power.html
Spelling help for children with dyslexia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CpZAH6elIc

How I Teach Writing To My Son With Dysgraphia

Over the years we have searched and researched, and through trial and error found a number of
different approaches that have ultimately helped our son. Every child is different, therefore Im
not suggesting all of these will work for another child, but this is how I teach writing to my child
with dysgraphia.
Handwriting Without Tears We used this program for several years. My son progressed
through the printing and cursive books without too many tears! The slate chalkboard and wood
pieces helped to reinforce the size and direction of capital letters.
Pencil Grip There are many different sizes and styles of pencil grips. After a bit of trial and
error we finally found one that was comfortable. We also found it was easier to use shorter
pencils.
Copywork My son is now a teenager but we still practice handwriting daily. We look for
copywork that is interesting and meaningful for him that typically involves something related to
history. He worked his way through many of the Handwriting by George books and is now using
Write From History.
Graph Paper This is a must for working through math problems! The lines on graph paper
help to keep columns straight and neat. Speaking of mathwe often reduce the number of
problems required on a page. As long as he shows that he understands the concepts being
covered, we typically have him complete only odd or even problems rather than every problem
on the page.
White Board Writing on a white board allows for writing larger letters, therefore incorporating
larger muscle movements, and it is less stressful because it doesnt require staying on the
lines.
Spelling Smart! Spelling is still challenging, but after trying more programs than we can
count, we finally found one that works. This program helps to reinforce spelling patterns by
using word lists and various writing opportunities.
Verbal responses My son will often answer questions verbally rather than in writing. We use
narration in our lessons (summarizing and repeating back what has been learned) as a way to
gauge understanding.
Wordsmith Apprentice Yes, we do use writing curriculum. Wordsmith Apprentice was an
early favorite because it was fun and creative.
Fortuigence This is wonderful, personalized writing instruction program for students. With this
program students learn how to write specific types of essays using a simple 5 step process.
Keyboarding We have been encouraging the use of technology as much as possible. This
year we purchased a Microsoft Surface RT for our son to use to complete many of his
assignments. This has proven to be a positive step forward.

Susan William. How I Teach Writing to My Son with Dysgraphia. (October 2013).
http://educationpossible.com/teach-writing-child-dysgraphia/

Math Calculating and Problem Solving

Strategies for Teaching Students with a Math Disability
1. Read question out loud and write it on the board
2. Use Visual Aids: Such as Formulas, graphs, and charts. Draw a visual on the board of the
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

problem.
Think Aloud Express out loud the steps to solving the problem.
Create a Model Steps for students to follow when calculating problems.
Calculate answer for the class.
Demonstrate how to check for accuracy: Plugging the answer into the problem.
Introduce new concepts.
Review concepts already learned.
Relate problems to real life examples.

Work Cited:
Marone, D. (2002, June1). Teaching Students Who Have a Learning Disability. Retrieved
September 11, 2015, from
http://www.ubalt.edu/downloads/T-PenTeachingStrategies.pdf

Other Strategies
1.
2.
3.
4.

Use Graphing Paper

Worksheets Neat and not too many math problems
Use Hand Gestures
Touch Math: Touch Points teach children to associate numbers with quantities. Numbers 1-5
have 1 Touch Point. Numbers 6-9 have 2 Touch Points.

Work Cited:
How It Works. (2013). Retrieved September 25, 2015, from
https://www.touchmath.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.how

Learning Disabilities
Oral Expression
What is it?
Oral expression is the ability to express ones thoughts, needs, wants and ideas using
appropriate syntactic, pragmatic, semantic and phonological language structures.

Strategies for teaching students who struggle with Oral

Expression
Incorporate an Expanding Expression Tool (EET) within your classroom.
- A multisensory tool that can be used in a regular and special education
classroom setting. This is a hands on tool improves students oral and
written language expression by giving aid in describing and defining
different objects.
Allow extra wait-time when students answer questions.
- Students that struggle with oral expression have a hard time
communicating their thoughts and opinions. It is important to allow these
students extra time to answer questions.
Ask specific structured questions that requires a short answer.
- It is important to give students questions that will not result in one
worded answer. This is beneficial for all students within a classroom
setting.
Structure small group activities that encourage students to engage in
the use of verbal expression.
- Mostly all students get nervous when put on the spot in front of a class.
By breaking the students up into small groups allows for a stress free
environment that promotes student-to-student discussions.

Set aside time outside of the classroom for speech therapy

-

Students with learning disabilities vary from case to case. Children that
have difficulty with oral expression will most likely need some one on one
speech therapy outside of class. Talk to the speak therapist and see what
you can continue doing in the classroom that will help your student excel.

 Come up with activities that improve students Oral expression

http://www.stancoe.org/cfs/handouts/Speech/pdf/oralexpression.pdf

- The website about had some great activities to help improve oral
expression that can be used in the classroom.

Websites
http://edie502.wikispaces.com/Oral+Expression+Disability
http://www.teachbeyondspeech.com/blog/expanding-expression-tool-kittm-a-must-buy-for-everyslp
http://education.vermont.gov/documents/educ_accommodations_strategies.pdf