UNDERSTANDING A LEARNING

SED361-MARYSA PRETTYMAN
DISABILITY
More information Characteristics of LD
L.D.
- Individuals with learning disabilities encounter Characteristics of LD include: Disorders
difficulty in one or more of these seven areas; of attention, Poor motor abilities. Psychological
receptive language, expressive language, basic processing differences, Poor cognitive strategies of
reading skills, reading comprehension, written learning, Oral language difficulties, Reading
expression, mathematics calculations, and difficulties, Writing difficulties, Mathematics
mathematics reasoning. difficulties, Poor social skills

- The term L.D. was first introduced by Samuel Kirk There are specific characteristics for
at the Learning Disabilities Association of America . developmental, behavioral, and cognitive
psychology.
What is a Learning Disability?
According to the MARSE definition; " 'Specific
learning disability' means a disorder in 1 or more
of the basic psychological processes involved in
understanding or in using language, spoken or
written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect
ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or
to do mathematical calculations, including
conditions such as a perceptual disabilities, brain
injury, minimal…”
Relations to LD and Special Education
Causess of LD
- Concomitant- Comorbid causes of learning -There are many reasons why it is important to
disabilities for students would be a student having understand LD. Having an understanding will allow
the diagnosis of LD along with another disability. student to benefit best for their needed services.
For example, a student might have the label LD
and speech and language or the label LD and - Reasons why Special Education is important to
ADHD. understand is to have the ability to understand the
- A sign of LD would be if a student skipped a differences between disabilities, then the students
developmental stage: went from crawling to will not be misdiagnosed with services.
walking.
- Other causes would be problems during
pregnancy, birth, illness, genetics, etc.
 Assessments Field Of LD
- The text book definition, - “Assessment is the
Roles of Asessments
There are five main roles for assessment:
process of collecting information about a student
- Screening: brief evaluation to detect students for
that will be used to form judgements and make
a full evaluation.
decisions concerning that student.” (pg.38) There
-Referral process: request of formal evaluation
are two main different types of assessments;
from parents for special education services.
formative and summative assessments.
-Classification process: determines the student's
eligibility for services.
Example of Formative Assessments: Running
-Instructional Planning process: develops an
Records, DIBELS, Exit Tickets
educational program for an individual student.
Example of Summative Assessments: IQ Test,
-Monitoring student process: monitoring
Academic Achievement, M-Step
standardized tests, informal measures.

Programming
There are many services available for student's
with IEP's.
-Support services: These are services listed for a
student's IEP, 504  plan, FBA/BIP. The support
services are implemented into their student's
schedule.
Co-Teaching: This is where the classroom is
taught by two or more teachers. They are
delivering instruction to diverse group of students
in the general education classroom. There are
many styles of co-teaching.

Programming Pt. 2 Programming Pt. 3

- Occupational Therapy/ Therapist: OT is a - Assistive Technology (AT): Defined in the book,
potential member of the IEP team. An OT is "Any technology that enables an individual with a
assisting the student with their fine motor skills. disability to compensate for specific deficits. It
- Speech& Language Pathologist: SL path. is includes low0tech or high-tech equipment. "
another potential member of the IEP team. SL -Resource Room: An alternative placement of the
path. will assist a student with their articulation, general education classroom.
stuttering, and communication. - Amount of time: Amount of time varies for each
-Physical Therapy/ Therapist: PT is a potential student. The student has been formally evaluated,
member of IEP team; assisting student to improve , observed and collected to predict the right amount
strength, balance, coordination, and mobility. of time for the student to receive services.
 Instructional Implications
Learning Theories
-We can better support a child's need by
remembering that the child's needs ALWAYS Theories allow for a better understanding of a
drives the service. student's disability but also allow for supported
- Implement different instructional strategies instruction.
based on student's learning styles, interests, -Theories support the foundation of LD, basis for
disabilities, accommodations, etc. instruction, assessment/instructional procedure,
- Examples of academic instructional implications bring meaning to what is observed, ability to be
would be guided notes and graphic organizers. modified.
- Examples of behavioral/social emotional -Through research theories are challenged,
instructional implications would be social stories modified, and strengthened.
and picture ques.

Learning Theories Pt. 2

Behavioral: TO understand how behavior is
learned. An IEP can be behavioral based using the
ABC model.
Cognitive: Students think and learn and have
mental skills. These skills conceptualize, think,
reason, criticize, create, and understand.
Developmental: Cognitive skills develop
sequentially, correlated with maturation, stages
of learning, and present rate of growth.