Learning Disabilities

Humaira
 SPECIFIC LEARNING DISORDER

DSM-5 defines the term “Specific Learning Disorder” as

“A neurodevelopmental with a biological origin that is the basis for
abnormalities at a cognitive level that are associated with the
behavioural signs of the disorder".
 SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY
(LD)
“Learning Disabilities” refers to a variety of disorders that affect the
acquisition, retention, understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or
non-verbal information.

These disorders result from impairments in one or more psychological

processes related to learning a , in combination with otherwise average
abilities essential for thinking and reasoning.
 LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)
The term “psychological processes” describes an evolving list of cognitive
functions such as:
✓ phonological processing ✓ perceptual-motor processing

✓ memory and attention ✓ visual-spatial processing

✓ processing speed ✓ executive functions; (e.g., planning,

monitoring and metacognitive
abilities).
✓ language processing
 LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)

Learning disabilities range in severity and invariably interfere with the

acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skills:

✓ oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding)

✓ reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension)

✓ written language (e.g., spelling, written expression)

✓ mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving)

 LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)

Does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of
✓ Visual
✓ Hearing
✓ Motor disabilities of intellectually challenged
✓ Emotional disturbance
✓ cultural, economic disadvantage.
 CAUSES
Disorders of the central nervous system and a variety of factors may
contribute to their occurrence. Learning disabilities may be due to:
o No Known cause
 Heredity

 Teratogenic ( relate or cause developmental malformation )

 Medical

 Environmental
Blood Flow Abnormalities
 SYMPTOMS

 DSM-5 further requires that the learning difficulties "manifest as a

range of observable description behaviours or symptoms (Criterion
A1-A6). At least one symptom must persist for a period of 6 months
despite interventions targeting the symptom. A synopsis of the
qualifying symptoms is presented below:
 SYMPTOMS

1. Inaccurate or slow and effortful word reading, frequently

guesses words, or has difficulties sounding out words.
2. Difficulty understanding what is read.
3. Difficulties with spelling.
4. Difficulties with written expression (such as multiple
grammatical and punctuation errors, poor paragraph organization,
written expression lacks clarity).
5. Difficulties mastering number sense, number facts or
calculations.
6. Difficulties with mathematical reasoning.
SPECIFIC LEARNING DISORDER
Specific learning disorder
A neurodevelopmental disorder of biological origin manifested in learning difficults and
problems in acquiring academic skills markedly below age level and manifested in the
early school years,
lasting for at least 6 months; not attributed to intellectual disabilities,
developmental disorders, or neurological or motor disorders
Specify if:
✓ 315.00 With impairment in reading.
✓ 315.2 With impairment in written expression

✓ 315.1 With impairment in mathematics

 TYPES OF LEARNING DISABILITIES

Dyslexia: which refers to difficulties in reading

Dysgraphia: which refers to difficulties in writing

Dyscalculia: which refers to difficulties in math

 ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Types of assessment:
✓ Informal assessment: Classroom assessment, behavioral observation
✓ Formal psycho educational assessment by Psychologist.
 ASSESSMENT OF SPECIFIC
LEARNING DISORDER
Assessment of SLD involves three primary types of
assessment

✓ Testing of intellectual or cognitive potential

✓ Testing of information processing or sensory motor

abilities that are indicative of a learning disability.

✓ Assessment of current educational achievement

ASSESSMENT OF READING
✓ Identification of alphabets and knowing the sounds of letters in the
early years
✓ Words in isolation
✓ Reading for meaning from a sentence or passage.
✓ Fluency in reading
✓ Does the child ignore punctuation while reading
✓ Understanding written directions
✓ Middle school and high school students should be assessed for reading
rate.
ASSESSMENT OF READING

Specific learning disorder with impairment in

reading includes possible deficits in:
Word reading accuracy
Reading rate or fluency
Reading comprehension
DSM-5 diagnostic code 315.00.
 TESTS FOR DYSLEXIA
▪ Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals

▪ (Subtests of) Wechsler Individual Achievement Test

▪ Peabody Individual Achievement Test

▪ Test of Early Reading Ability

Assessment of writing
✓ Proper pencil grip
✓ Ability to retrieve alphabets representing sounds
✓ The formation and legibility of letters or numbers
✓ Ability to plan organize and present ideas in an a written text
✓ Organization of writing and the mechanics of writing a
paragraph or essay.
✓ Speed of writing
Assessment of writing

 Specific learning disorder with impairment in written expression includes

possible deficits in:

 Spelling accuracy
 Grammar and punctuation accuracy
 Clarity or organization of written expression
 DSM-5 diagnostic code 315.2.
TESTS FOR DYSGRAPHIA
▪ Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Drawing

▪ Berry Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor

Integration

▪ Test Of Written Language-III (1996).

Writing Sample Showing Several
Problems

Taylor/Smiley/
Richards,
Exceptional
Students
ASSESSMENT OF
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
✓ The ability to recall basic math facts, procedures, rules,
or formulas
✓ Ability to maintain precision during mathematical work
✓ Ability to sequence and carry out successfully multiple
steps
✓ Ability to solve word problem
✓ Ability to remember and understand the vocabulary and
language of math
✓ Ability to read texts to direct own learning
✓ Ability to remember assigned values or definitions in
ASSESSMENT OF MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Specific learning disorder with impairment in mathematics includes

possible deficits in:
 Number sense
 Memorization of arithmetic facts
 Accurate or fluent calculation
 Accurate math reasoning
 TESTS FOR DYSCALCULIA
▪ Wide Range Achievement Test

▪ Key Math Diagnostic Assessment

▪ Test of Mathematical Abilities

▪ (Subtests of) Wechsler Individual Achievement Test

CO-MORBIDITY
 Co-morbidity means that certain diseases and disorders
tend to occur together

 In 25% of the cases of Learning disabilities, a co-morbid

condition is Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder-AD/HD
PREVALENCE/GENDER
DIFFERENCES
 As many as 1 out of every 5 people in the United States
has a learning disability. Almost 3 million children (ages 6
through 21) have some form of a learning disability and
receive special education in school.
 In fact, over half of all children who receive special
education have a learning disability
 LD is twice as common in males as in females, Males are
significantly more likely than females to fall within each
major disability group.
IDEA
Provides free and appropriate public education in the least
restrictive environment.(Individual With Disabilities
Education Act)
EDUCATIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS
According to IDEA
 FACTS OF LEARNING
DISABILITIES
Persons with learning disabilities are not “lazy” or “dumb.”

Attention disorders, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity

Disorder and learning disabilities often occur at the same time,
but they’re not the same.

Learning disabilities are not the same as autism, hearing or visual

impairment, physical disabilities, or emotional disorders.
 FACTS OF LEARNING DISABILITIES

 Learning disabilities aren’t caused by lack of educational

opportunities, such as frequent changes of schools, poor
school attendance, or lack of instruction in basic skills.

 A learning disability is not a disease, so there is no cure,

but there are ways to overcome the challenges it poses
through identification and accommodation.
 EMOTIONAL ISSUES
✓ Students with learning disabilities may suffer from
emotional problems/depression, and/or low self-esteem.
This may cause students to withdraw from social
interaction.
✓ These same students may turn to drugs or alcohol for
relief from feelings of low self-worth.
✓ As many as 35% of students with learning disorders,drop
out of High School (Girod, 2001, p. 31).
✓ “Teenagers with dyslexia …[are] more likely to…think
about and to attempt suicide than other young people
their age” (Landau, 2004,).
 NEW TREATMENT AVENUES

 Task Analysis
✓ Breaking a task down into simpler components to be taught
in sequence
 Fast Forward
✓ Computer based program to help kids to blend speech
sounds (to speed the normal process of phonological
manipulation)
 Learning Specialists
✓ To train children in strategies for decoding words
(Lindamood/Bell, Orton Gillingham, Preventing
Academic Failure, etc.)
 NEW TREATMENT AVENUES
Accommodations
✓ An “accommodation” allows a student to complete the
same assignment or test as other students, but with a
change in timing, formatting, setting, scheduling,
response and/or presentation.
Modification
✓ A “modification” is an adjustment to an assignment or a
test that changes the standard or what the test
assignment is supposed to measure.
TECHNOLOGY AND
INDIVIDUALS WITH
The use of technology has been a great benefit to people
LEARNING DISABILITIES
with disabilities including those with learning disabilities.

 Students with learning disabilities are increasingly making

use of technology to assist them in achieving academic
success including word processing, the internet,
videodiscs, CD-ROMS, and hypermedia.
TECHNOLOGY USED
COMPUTERS:
✓ For writing assignments, students with LD should be allowed to use a
computer (if available) so that they can get spelling support through the
spell check program.

✓ Students with dyslexia may find that writing assignments are more
easily completed on a computer.

✓ Consider trying computer software, like Kurzweil 3000, which reads

textbooks and other materials to students.
OTHER ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY
Teachers may:
✓ Allow students to use calculators during Math, when the goal is concept
attainment (and not automaticity of math facts)
✓ Allow students to tape record lectures and/or tape notes for students.
✓ Allow students who cannot speak clearly to use a speech synthesizer

Assessment:
✓ Allow for alternate forms of assessment by allowing students to
demonstrate learning through such things as portfolios, slide
presentations, photographic essays, or taped interviews.
WHAT IS THE SEVERE
DISCREPANCY FORMULA?
 Severe discrepancy between intelligence and achievement
to identify individuals with learning disabilities*
 Example:
 IQ = 90 or above and
 Significant deficit in Achievement Score (in reading,
math, spelling, handwriting, listening, speaking,
etc.)

*Not required by IDEA 04

Taylor/Smiley/
Richards,
Exceptional
Students
DEALING WITH SPECIFIC
LEARNING
Knowledge
DISABILITIES
✓ Declarative knowledge – facts
✓ Procedural knowledge – how to learn
✓ Conditional knowledge – when and why
Reading
✓ Phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,
comprehension
Written language
Taylor/Smiley/
Richards,
✓ Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, final draft
Exceptional
Students
DEALING WITH SPECIFIC
LEARNING DISABILITIES
Mathematics
✓ Problem solving, computation, self-regulation, strategy
use
Study Skills
✓ Listening, note taking, time management,
comprehension, test taking, memory strategies,
textbook usage
Remediation
CELEBRITIES WITH DYSLEXIA
 Tom Cruise  Henry “The Fonz”
Winkler

 Walt Disney  Magic Johnson

Thank you