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Human Exceptionality School

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7
LEARNING DISABILITIES
PART 3 PEOPLE WHO ARE EXCEPTIONAL: HIGH INCIDENCE
EXCEPTIONALITIES

More than 90 percent of students with disabilities receiving special education services in the United States
are identified as having learning disabilities, emotional and behavior disorders, intellectual disabilities,
communication disorders, or autism spectrum disorders. Of these students, 95 percent are receiving their
education in inclusive programs in general education schools and classrooms for all or part of the day
(U.S. Department of Education, 2011a).
Every educator has taught students who can be described as having a “high-incidence” exceptionality.
These individuals share academic, behavioral, and communication challenges that are often initially
identified and evident within a school and family setting. For most individuals identified as having a high-
incidence exceptionality, the cause of their disability is unknown; different biological (genetic
predisposition) and environmental issues (such as poverty and inadequate instructional practices) may
contribute to their learning, behavior, and communication challenges.
Educational instruction for students with high-incidence exceptionalities includes both academic and
social programs that are framed around one fundamental question: Are the educational needs of these
students more alike than different? Today, students identified in these high-incidence categories are often
placed in inclusive education classrooms, working side by side with “typical students” and supported by
general and special education teachers as well as related service professionals, including speech and
language pathologists and school psychologists. Part III of this text explores the definitions,
characteristics, and multidisciplinary approaches used to meet the instructional, social, and health care
needs across each of the five categories associated with high-incidence disabilities.
As you now begin your exploration of high-incidence disabilities, remember the many different
perspectives associated with this term. The vast majority of individuals classified with high-incidence
disabilities are now receiving their education within general education settings.

INSTRUCTOR’S OVERVIEW

Part III opens with Chapter 7, “Learning Disabilities.” Students with learning disabilities comprise about
42 percent of students with disabilities. These students may exhibit educational challenges in academic
subjects (reading, mathematics, science), as well as in language, attention, and memory.

CHAPTER-AT-A-GLANCE
DETAILED OUTLINE TRADITIONAL ONLINE LEARNING SERVICE LEARNING
LEARNING
A CHANGING ERA IN THE Power Point Slides: Volunteer at a learning center for
LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH Ch. 7 students with learning disabilities.
DISABILTIES p. 153-154
Test Bank, ExamView:
Ch. 7

DEFINITIONS AND Learning Objectives: Web Resources: How would you suggest schools

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-2

CLASSIFICATIONS p. 154-157 Focus 1 www.chadd.org measure “learning disabilities” in


Definitions - Classifications their students?
Power Point Slides: Premium Website:
Ch. 7 Videos

Test Bank, ExamView: WebTutor:


Ch. 7 Online resources for your course
management system

PREVALENCE AND Learning Objectives: Web Resources: Describe the wide variety of
CHARACTERISTICS p. 157-164 Focus 2 www.ldaamerica.org characteristics displayed by
Characteristics - Academic individuals with learning
Achievement Intelligence - Power Point Slides: Premium Website: disabilities in your service learning
Cognition and Information Processing Ch. 7 Videos placement.
-Learning Characteristics -
Social and Emotional Characteristics - Test Bank, ExamView: WebQuest:
Hyperactivity Ch. 7 Chapter 7, Quest 1 – Learning
Disabilities: Characteristics
http://questgarden.com/84/34/6/0
91101173213/

WebTutor:
Online resources for your course
management system
CAUSATION p. 164-165 Learning Objectives: Web Resources: Speculate about some of the
Neurological Factors-Maturational Focus 3 http://www.nichd.nih.gov possible causal agents in the
Delay-Genetic Factors-Environmental http://www.ldanatl.org/ development of a learning
Factors- Power Point Slides: www.interdys.org disability by a student in your
Ch. 7 service learning placement.
Premium Website:
Test Bank, ExamView: Videos
Ch. 7
WebTutor:
Online resources for your course
management system

ASSESSMENT p. 165-167 Learning Objectives: Web Resources: Develop and describe a


Formal and Informal Assessment- Focus 4 www.ldaamerica.org curriculum-based assessment that
Screening-Intelligence-Adaptive could be used with the participants
Skills-Academic Achievement Power Point Slides: Premium Website: in your service learning placement.
Ch. 7 Videos

Test Bank, ExamView: WebTutor:


Ch. 7 Online resources for your course
management system
THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Learning Objectives: Web Resources: In your journal reflect on the
YEARS p. 167-168 Focus 5 http://www.ncld.org/ different methods you remember
Academic Instruction and Support- used in elementary school when
Behavioral Interventions Power Point Slides: Premium Website: you attended and those used in
Ch. 7 Videos today’s schools.

Test Bank, ExamView: WebTutor:


Ch. 7 Online resources for your course
management system
ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION AND Learning Objectives: Web Resources: Describe the challenges in reading
SUPPORT p. 168-171 Focus 5 www.ldaamerica.org and mathematics faced by the
students with learning disabilities
Power Point Slides: Premium Website: in your service learning placement.
Ch. 7 Videos

Test Bank, ExamView: WebTutor:


Ch. 7 Online resources for your course
management system
BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS Learning Objectives: Web Resources: Describe the challenges in
p. 171-172 Focus 6 www.chadd.org behaviors and social relationships
faced by the students with learning
Power Point Slides: Premium Website: disabilities in your service learning
Ch. 7 Videos placement.

Test Bank, ExamView: WebTutor:

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-3

Ch. 7 Online resources for your course


management system
THE ADOLESCENT YEARS p. Learning Objectives: Web Resources: Describe the challenges in
172-173 Focus7 www.specialeducationadvocacy. interpersonal relationships and self
Academic Instruction and Support- com image faced by the students with
Transition from School to Adult Life Power Point Slides: learning disabilities in your service
– Transition Services Ch. 7 Premium Website: learning placement which may
Videos cause issues in their transition
Test Bank, ExamView: from school to adult life in the
Ch. 7 WebTutor: future.
Online resources for your course
management system
MULTIDISCIPLINARY Learning Objectives: Web Resources: Identify the supports available to
COLLABORTATION: Focus8 http://cecp.air.org students with learning disabilities
EDUCATION AND OTHER in your area. Develop a resource
SERVICES p. 176-177 Power Point Slides: Premium Website: pamphlet for parents of students
Collaboration on Inclusive Education- Ch. 5 Videos with disabilities.
Collaboration on Health and Other
Services Test Bank, ExamView: WebQuest:
Ch. 7 Chapter 7, Quest 2 – Learning
Disabilities: Multidisciplinary
Collaboration
http://questgarden.com/84/34/6/0
91101173319/

WebTutor:
Online resources for your course
management system
LOOKING TOWARD A BRIGHT Power Point Slides:
FUTURE p. 178 Ch. 7

Test Bank, ExamView:


Ch. 7

FOCUS PREVIEW

After studying this chapter, your students should be able to respond to the following:

Focus 1
Cite four reasons why definitions of learning disabilities have varied.
Focus 2
Identify seven characteristics attributed to those with learning disabilities, and explain why it is difficult
to characterize this group.
Focus 3
List four causes thought to be involved in learning disabilities.
Focus 4
Compare and contrast the purpose of assessments used for screening and progress monitoring.
Focus 5
Identify five types of interventions or supports used with people who have learning disabilities, including
two that use assistive technology.
Focus 6
Explain how behavior and emotion can affect the achievement of students with learning disabilities, and
describe two strategies for addressing these concerns.
Focus 7
Compare learning disabilities in childhood and adolescence by listing four challenges that individuals
experience as they move into secondary school and beyond.
Focus 8
Cite three areas in which general education teachers may not feel prepared to collaborate for inclusion.

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-4

CHAPTER/LECTURE OUTLINE

I. A CHANGING ERA IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILTIES - Often called one of the
invisible disabilities, learning disabilities affect people of all ages and walks of life but cannot be
detected simply by appearance, dress, or behavior.
II. DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICTIONS
a. Definitions: A condition in which one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in
understanding or using language are deficient.
i. IDEA definition; “Specific learning disability” means a disorder in one or more of the
basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or
written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write,
spell, or to do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual
disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
The term does not include children who have learning challenges which are primarily the
result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of [intellectual disabilities], of emotional
disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. (IDEA, 2004, PL
108-446, Sec. 602[30])
ii. Perceptual-motor theories emphasize an interaction between various channels of perception
and motor activity.
iii. A general umbrella term that includes both academic and behavioral problems.
iv. Specifically disorders such as reading, mathematics, and written expression.
b. Classification: The notion of severity has largely been ignored in earlier definitions and
concepts related to learning disabilities.
i. Three major elements have a substantial history of being employed in classifying learning
disabilities: discrepancy, heterogeneity, and exclusion.
ii. A child’s learning disability must be determined on an individual basis, and there must be a
severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of the
following areas: oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading
skill, reading comprehension, mathematical calculation, or mathematical reasoning.
III. PREVALENE AND CHARACTERISTICS
a. Characteristics: Many students with learning disabilities have difficulties with word
recognition, word knowledge, and the use of context in learning to read.
b. Academic Achievement
i. Reading; Reading problems are found among students with learning disabilities more often
than in any other area of academic performance.
ii. Writing and Spelling
iii. Mathematics; Individuals often have trouble with counting, writing numbers, and mastering
other simple math concepts
iv. Achievement Discrepancy; Students with learning disabilities perform below expectations
based on their measured potential, in addition to scoring below their peers in overall
achievement.
c. Intelligence: Populations with behavior disorders and learning disabilities are thought to
include people generally considered above average, average, or near average in intelligence.
d. Cognition and Information Processing: People with learning disabilities have certain
characteristics related to cognition, or information processing, the way a person acquires,
retains, and manipulates information
e. Learning characteristics: Perception difficulties in people with learning disabilities represent a
constellation of behavior anomalies, rather than a single characteristic.

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-5

f. Social and Emotional Characteristics: Children and adolescents with learning disabilities often
have emotional and interpersonal difficulties that are quite serious and highly resistant to
treatment.
g. Hyperactivity: Also termed hyperkinetic behavior, hyperactivity is typically defined as a
general excess of activity.
IV. CASUSATION - There are probably many different causes of learning disabilities, and in some
cases, a specific type of learning disability may have multiple causes. Also, a single cause may
underlie multiple disorders, such as learning disabilities and hyperactivity, in the same child.
a. Neurological Factors:
b. Maturational Delay
c. Genetic Factors
d. Environmental Factors
V. ASSESSMENT
a. Formal and Informal Assessment
i. Norm-referenced assessment; Assessment wherein a person’s performance is compared
with the average of a larger group.
ii. Criterion-referenced assessment; Assessment that compares a person’s performance with a
specific established level (the criterion). This performance is not compared with that of
other people.
iii. Curriculum–based assessment; Assessment in which the objectives of a student’s
curriculum are used as the criteria against which progress is evaluated.
b. Screening: The role of screening is to “raise a red flag,” or suggest that investigation is needed.
c. Intelligence: Measures of intelligence may be inaccurate because of specific visual, auditory, or
other limitations that may affect the student’s performance.
d. Adaptive Skills: People with learning disabilities are frequently described as exhibiting poor
adaptive skills - that is, they lack a sense of what constitutes appropriate behavior in a particular
environment.
e. Academic Achievement: Academic achievement has always been a major problem for students
with learning disabilities.
VI. THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEARS - Services and supports for children with learning
disabilities have changed over time as professionals have come to view learning disabilities as a
constellation of specific individualized needs.
a. RTI model
VII. ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION AND SUPPORT - A wide variety of instructional approaches have
been used over the years for children with learning disabilities. These include strategies to develop
cognition, attention, spoken language, and skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.
a. Mathematics: Students with learning disabilities often have difficulties with four foundational
math skills: counting, memorizing and retrieving math facts, base-10 understanding, and
problem solving.
i. Information and communication technology have replaced much traditional seat and board
work for teaching students with learning disabilities
b. Reading: It has long been recognized that students with learning disabilities have great
difficulty with reading.
i. Progress monitoring for reading is an important strategy to help teachers make decisions
regarding the effectiveness of particular instruction for student achievement.
VIII. BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS - Distinctions between behavioral and academic interventions
are not always sharp and definitive.
a. Behavioral contracts
b. Token reinforcement systems
IX. THE ADOLESCENT YEARS - Services and supports for adolescents and young adults with
learning disabilities differ from those used for children.

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-6

a. Academic Instruction and Support


i. Lack basic skills: social, interpersonal, survival
ii. Academic
iii. Time constraints
iv. Teaching compensatory skills
b. Transition from School to Adult Life: Many of the difficulties that adolescents with learning
disabilities experience do not disappear as they grow older.
c. Transition Services: IDEA 2004 requires IEP teams to begin transition planning no later than a
student’s 16th birthday, but effective practices have been slow to evolve.
i. College bound; growing numbers of young people with learning disabilities plan to attend a
college or university.
X. MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION: EDUCATION AND OTHER SERVICES -
Multidisciplinary collaboration is particularly crucial for those with learning disabilities because of
the wide range of characteristics that may emerge in these individuals.
a. Collaboration on Inclusive Education: Some evidence suggests that general education teachers
feel unprepared to teach students with disabilities, to collaborate with special educators, and to
make academic adaptations or accommodations.
b. Collaboration on Health and Other Services: Medical personnel are sometimes involved in the
diagnosis of learning disabilities and in prescribing medications used in treating conditions that
may coexist with learning disabilities.
i. Childhood; One example of medical service appropriate for some children with disabilities
involves controlling hyperactivity and other challenging behaviors.
ii. Adolescence; In some cases, psychiatric treatment may be involved either through
interactive therapy or antidepressant medication.
XI. LOOKING TOWARD A BRIGHT FUTURE - Through the use of evidence-based instruction,
students with learning disabilities can and will learn to survive and thrive in our complex world.

DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT TOPICS

LEARNING DISABILITIES:
LECTURE NOTE II. The lack of agreement about the definition of learning disabilities is problematic for
several reasons: (1) students are misdiagnosed as having learning disabilities; (2) students are
unnecessarily labeled and stigmatized; (3) states and counties use different criteria in making placement
decisions (thus an individual might qualify for a program in one county or state but not in another); and
(4) classrooms for students with learning disabilities are often crowded, resulting in large teacher
caseloads.
Arrange for small groups of students to interview a teacher of people with learning disabilities.
Determine his or her perception of the problems caused by inconsistencies in the definition of learning
disabilities.

LECTURE NOTE III. To reinforce the concept that students with learning disabilities exhibit a variety of
characteristics, instruct class members to observe a videotape of children with learning disabilities in an
educational setting.
Assign each student to focus on a particular child in the tape and to identify his or her
characteristics and behaviors. After the videotape presentation, compare the students’ observations of the
children.

LECTURE NOTE III. Many students with learning disabilities exhibit deficits in social-emotional
development as well as academic skills. For example, students with learning disabilities find it difficult to
relate to teachers and peers, tend to be rejected socially, sometimes make inaccurate interpretations of the
body language and facial expressions of others, and exhibit inappropriate behavior in certain settings.

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-7

Instruct each student to investigate the relationship between learning disabilities and
social-emotional development by writing an abstract of a journal article that addresses this topic.

LECTURE NOTE IV. A variety of environmental factors are being studied as possible links to learning
disabilities: dietary inadequacies, food additives, radiation, stress, fluorescent lighting, unshielded
television tubes, smoking, and drug and alcohol consumption.
Divide the class into small groups, and ask each group to review the research on one of the
suspected causes of learning disabilities. Have each group present its findings to the class.

LECTURE NOTE V. Several measurement concepts are important as we consider assessment of children
with learning disabilities, including norm- and criterion-referenced as well as curriculum-based
assessment. These concepts provide an important foundation for the evaluation of students.
Invite a school psychologist to speak to the class on the assessment and referral process for
students with learning disabilities. Possible topics regarding the referral process include: Who refers?
Why does a teacher refer? How is the referral made? What types of evaluation methods are used during
the assessment process? What other considerations contribute to the placement decision? How is a
placement decision ultimately made? What are the roles of special and general educators in the referral,
assessment, and placement processes?

LECTURE NOTE VII. Several commercially prepared teaching materials are available for use with
students with learning disabilities, including DISTAR Arithmetic, KeyMath Teach and Practice, Fountain
Valley Reading Support System, the Ransom Program, and the Soar to Success reading program.
Divide the class into small groups. Assign each to review one of the commercially prepared
materials and report to the class about what the material is designed to do, what format is used, and
whether the material would be effective in educating students with learning disabilities.

LECTURE NOTE VII. Present to the class examples of compensatory skills. For example, in the area of
reading, a student with deficits may listen to a tape recording of a story or book. In the area of writing, the
student may use a word processor or a typewriter to produce written work. In the area of math, number
lines may be used to compensate for the lack of automaticity in addition or subtraction facts.
Divide the class into small groups and assign a skill area to each. Instruct students to brainstorm
and compile a set of compensatory skills related to their specific skill areas.

LECTURE NOTE IX. Some students with learning disabilities continue on to college.
Invite one or more college students with learning disabilities to speak to the class. Encourage the
speakers to share information with the class concerning their learning disabilities and interventions that
enable their success at the college level. Have the class identify services or organizations on campus that
assist individuals with learning disabilities (e.g., tutoring programs).

LECTURE NOTE X. Placement options for students with learning disabilities range from the regular
classroom to full-time special programs.
Discuss placement options with students and the variables that might affect decisions. Are general
education teachers willing to integrate students with learning disabilities into their classrooms? Are
special education teachers willing to place these students in general education classrooms? What type of
placement do students with learning disabilities prefer? If a student is highly motivated to achieve in a
general education classroom, should this affect the placement decision? Do parents have input in making
placement decisions?

CASE STUDY FEEDBACK

ALICE REVISITED

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-8

Placing yourself in the role of Mr. Dunlap, and given the information that you now have regarding Alice,
respond to the following questions:
• How can you facilitate Alice’s social needs, particularly her relationships with her classmates?
• Who should be a part of this broad educational planning?
• Should you talk with Alice about it?
These are not each separate questions that can be considered independently and the answers to some
definitely influence action to be taken on others. One matter that Mr. Dunlap should remember is that he
is not in this alone; that he has other resources to help and advise him (this somewhat pertains to the third
question of who should be involved). Matters like sharing information about Alice’s reading difficulty
should be discussed in the team setting. Parents should be involved, and a discussion with Alice is likely
to be recommended. After all, Alice already knows that something is causing difficulties for her (so do
her classmates for that matter). She is, however, only a fourth grader and Mr. Dunlap must keep that in
mind as any discussions proceed. Given these complex and interrelated issues, it is clear that answers to
any of the questions posed cannot effectively be answered out of context. Planning and implementing the
educational program for children such as Alice is truly a clinical undertaking and depends heavily on the
context (temperament of the child, temperaments of his or her classmates, parents, etc.).

MASTERY ACTIVITIES AND ASSIGNMENTS

To master the content within this chapter, complete the following activities and assignments. Online and
interactive versions of these activities are also available on the accompanying Education Course-
Mate website, where you may also access TeachSource videos, chapter web links, interactive quizzes,
portfolio activities, flash cards, an integrated eBook, and much more!

1. Complete a written test of the chapter’s content. If your instructor requires a written test of your
content knowledge for this chapter, keep a copy for your portfolio. A practice test on the information
covered in this chapter is available through the Education CourseMate website.
2. Review the Case Study, “Alice Revisited,” and respond in writing to the Application Questions. Keep
a copy of the Case Study and of your written response for your portfolio.
3. Read the Debate Forum in this chapter and visit the Education CourseMate website to complete the
activity “Take a Stand.” Keep a copy of this activity for your portfolio.
4. Participate in a community service learning activity. Community service is a valuable way to enhance
your learning experience. Visit our Education CourseMate website for suggested community service
learning activities that correspond to the information presented in this chapter. Develop a reflective
journal of the service learning experience for your portfolio.

RELATED MEDIA

7.1 Interviewing Skills for Job Candidates with Learning or Other Hidden Disabilities (VHS or DVD,
25 minutes). This training video can help people who have disabilities get the job they want. Tips on
disclosure issues, as they relate to the Americans with Disabilities Act, will assist people with hidden
disabilities as they prepare for the job interview. Program Development Associates, P.O. Box 2038,
Syracuse, NY 13220-2038, Tel (800) 543-2119. 1997, $199.95, http://www.pdassoc.com

7.2 Einstein and Me: Talking About Learning Disabilities (VHS, 30 Minutes). Panels of teens and
younger students speak candidly about how they found out about their learning disabilities, the policies
and people who have made life difficult, and the programs that have helped them cope. Self Realization
Publications, 163 3rd Avenue, Suite 122, New York, NY, 10003, Tel (888) 879-5919. 1994, $69.00,
www.srpublications.com

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-9

7.3 Dyslexia: An Unwrapped Gift (DVD, 22 minutes). This program approaches dyslexia from a new
angle, exploring how the so-called disability might prove an advantage in an increasingly image-based
world. Educational experts from the United States and England discuss aptitudes of dyslexia, while video
diaries show how dyslexia has affected the lives of young people. Program Development Associates, P.O.
Box 2038, Syracuse, NY 13220-2038, Tel (800) 543-2119. 2001, $89.95, http://www.pdassoc.com

7.4 Pathways to Success: College Students with Learning Disabilities (VHS, 30 minutes). Students
with learning disabilities share strategies that have brought them success in college and graduate school.
They discuss the realities of adjusting to the new academic challenges and to the differences in support
services between post-secondary and high school levels. Learning Disabilities Worldwide, P.O. Box 142,
Weston, MA, 02493, Tel (781) 890-5399. No date, $73.95,
www.ldworldwide.org/store/ldw_store_videos_dvds.html

7.5 Planning for Success (VHS, 15 minutes). The college admission process can be a confusing and
overwhelming experience for students with learning disabilities and their families. This video covers early
planning, college visits and interviews, the application and essay, as well as how to choose the best
college. Learning Disabilities Worldwide, P.O. Box 142, Weston, MA, 02493, Tel (781) 890-5399. No
date, $73.95, www.ldworldwide.org/store/ldw_store_videos_dvds.html

7.6. Adjusting for Learner Needs (VHS, 35 minutes). This video shows how to help students with
learning disabilities succeed in the regular classroom. It features classroom scenes that demonstrate
accommodations for cognitive, processing, affective, and behavioral problems, and explains the rationales
for various adjustments and how to use time effectively. Insight Media Ind., 2162 Broadway, New York,
NY, 10024-0621, Tel. (800) 233-9910. 2002, $329.00, www.insight-media.com

7.7 Stop and Go Ahead with Success: An Integrated Approach to Helping Children Develop Social
Skills (VHS, 20 minutes). Friendships are critical for our sense of being. This video offers practical
solutions for teachers and parents on how to address the social problems children with learning
disabilities in elementary school face. When parents, teachers, and other adults work together to coach
children on these skills, children become more confident and enter social situations anticipating success.
Learning Disabilities Worldwide, P.O. Box 142, Weston, MA, 02493, Tel (781) 890-5399. No date,
$73.95, www.ldworldwide.org/store/ldw_store_videos_dvds.html

7.8 We’re Not Stupid (DVD or VHS, 14 minutes). Portrays lives of children and adults with learning
disabilities. Interviews present fears, frustrations, hopes, and successes of these people. Program
Development Associates, P.O. Box 2038, Syracuse, NY 13220-2038, Tel (800) 543-2119. 1998, $129.95,
http://www.pdassoc.com

7.9 Portraits of Success: Fostering Hope and Resilience in Individuals with Learning Disabilities
(VHS, 30 minutes). This video features interviews with adults, parents, and teachers about their
experiences with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Worldwide, P.O. Box 142, Weston, MA,
02493, Tel (781) 890-5399. No date, $73.95, www.ldworldwide.org/store/ldw_store_videos_dvds.html

7.10 Last One Picked…First One Picked On (VHS, 62 minutes). This program explains that children
with learning disabilities often feel isolated or rejected. Social problems associated with learning
disabilities and solutions are addressed. Insight Media Ind., 2162 Broadway, New York, NY, 10024-
0621, Tel. (800) 233-9910. 1994, $119.00, www.insight-media.com

7.11 Learning Disabilities: Practical Information for Classroom Teachers (Mac/Windows CD-ROM).
Presenting a variety of theoretical approaches to working with students with learning disabilities, this CD-
ROM course shows how to perform appropriate and sensitive assessments and evaluations. It discusses

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Instructor’s Manual 7-10

program planning and implementation, the importance of partnering with parents and caregivers, and
demonstrates methods that ensure the efficacy of the home–school axis. Insight Media Ind., 2162
Broadway, New York, NY, 10024-0621, Tel. (800) 233-9910. 2001, $179.00, www.insight-media.com

7.12 Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities (DVD, 40 minutes). This
program provides school leaders with tools for promoting and teaching such learning strategies as
webbing, cubing, scaffolding, differentiating assessment, self monitoring, self managing, and peer
tutoring. Insight Media Ind., 2162 Broadway, New York, NY, 10024-0621, Tel. (800) 233-9910. 2005,
$289.00, www.insight-media.com

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


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Title: Alden the Pony Express rider


or, Racing for life

Author: Edward Sylvester Ellis

Illustrator: Edwin John Prittie

Release date: December 24, 2023 [eBook #72501]

Language: English

Original publication: Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company,


1909

Credits: Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed


Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALDEN THE


PONY EXPRESS RIDER ***
THE OVERLAND SERIES

ALDEN THE PONY EXPRESS RIDER


The Sharp Crack of Weapons Rang Out in the Stillness
THE OVERLAND SERIES

ALDEN
——THE——

Pony Express Rider


——OR——

Racing for Life

——BY——
EDWARD S. ELLIS
Author of the Deerfoot Books,
The Arizona Series, etc.

ILLUSTRATED BY
EDWIN J. PRITTIE

THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY


PHILADELPHIA
Copyright 1909, by
The John C. Winston Co.

PRINTED IN U. S. A.
CONTENTS
Chapter Page

I. Introductory 9
II. A Quarrel 24
III. Westward Bound 39
IV. The Danger Cloud 54
V. On Guard 69
VI. Aboriginal Cunning 84
VII. Just in Time 99
VIII. The Attack 114
IX. Old Acquaintances 129
X. A Hunt 145
XI. A Disappointment 159
XII. A Not Uncommon Incident 176
XIII. “That’s Just Like Him” 191
XIV. An Alarming Situation 204
XV. Now for the Mail Station 219
XVI. Cause and Effect 234
XVII. At the Station 249
XVIII. Outwitted 264
XIX. A Blessing in Disguise 279
XX. A Strange Proceeding 293
XXI. A Setback 307
XXII. Jethro’s Secret and What Followed 320
RACING FOR LIFE
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY

N ever did the town of St. Joseph, in the State of Missouri, pass
through more stirring excitement than on the afternoon of April
16, 1860.
Every man, woman and child seemed to feel the pulsing in the air.
Most of the people were on the street, though hundreds of mothers
and daughters were at the upper windows, on the alert that
something which was expected should not elude them. The men
talked together in earnest voices, sometimes moving restlessly over
the pavements, glancing at their watches and saying, in those
hushed, eager tones which often accompany tense emotion:
“It’s pretty near time! I hope he won’t be late.”
“No fear for Alec; he’s always on time.”
“Poor fellow! he doesn’t look strong,” remarked a sympathizer.
“Alec Carlyle is one of those chaps that you can’t judge by looks;
there isn’t a better horseman west of the Alleghanies.”
St. Joseph in those days was not a large town. There was room to
hold in comfort most of the population on Third Street, and it was
there that nearly all of them had gathered on this soft spring
afternoon. Had you been a member of the crowd you would have
noticed that the eyes of nearly every one were turned expectantly
toward the one-story, brick express office on the east side of the
street, between Felix and Edmond Streets. Something was going on
inside of that modest structure, but as yet it was veiled from the
public. Several men and boys who stood nearest the building tried to
peep through the windows, but, unable to do so, intently listened. All
that they heard was the occasional stamp of a horse’s feet, and the
confused murmur of voices. But it was not hard for them to imagine
the scene within.
It was about four o’clock, when a small cannon boomed from the
side of the street, two or three doors distant. The report was a signal
to the ferry boat to come across from the Ellwood side of the river
and await a certain horseman who would soon arrive at the bank.
Only a few minutes had passed, when from within the stables near
the express office, some one vigorously shoved open the doors. At
the same instant, a wiry pony, with flashing eyes and dilated nostrils
and fine muscles aquiver, made a tremendous leap which carried
him almost to the middle of the street, and heading toward the river,
plunged away under the prick of the spur, on a dead run.
Horse and rider made a fine picture. Silver mounted trappings
decorated both. The man might have been mistaken for a circus
performer, in his brilliant uniform, with plated horn, pistol, scabbard
and belt, gay, flower-worked leggings, jingling spurs and fine boots
with high heels, such as cowmen and rustlers affect. He was of slight
figure, dark mustache, flashing hazel eyes, flowing hair and closely
compressed lips, and he sat his steed with perfect grace. He wore
the broad-brimmed sombrero that seemed scarcely affected by the
gale which his animal created. He did not look to the right or left, nor
notice the cheers, shouts and waving of hats and hands. He peered
grimly ahead, as if his life depended upon his reaching the ferry
without a second’s loss of time.
As the pony shot like a cannon ball out of the doors of the stable
and sped with arrowy swiftness down the street, the two men with
whom he had been in consultation within the structure stepped
forward and watched him. They smiled, though there was a serious
expression on each face, for both felt they were looking upon an
epoch-making event. And it was Alexander Carlyle, the superb
horseman, who was making it.
Neither of the couple took their eyes from him as long as he was
within sight. One was Ben Fickland, superintendent of the stage line
to Denver, known as “Pike’s Peak Express,” the uncle of the
horseman. The other was Mr. Russell of the firm of Russell, Majors &
Waddell, who had been running for years a daily coach from the
Missouri River to Salt Lake City. The two were thrilled not so much
by what they saw as by their knowledge of what it meant.
On the afternoon that I have named, the first “Pony Express” left
St. Joseph, Missouri, on the long westward trip to San Francisco.
The four small leather sacks holding the mail were each six by
twelve inches, one being fastened at the front and the other at the
rear of the saddle, so that the rider sat between them. The pouches
were impervious to rain, and for further protection, the letters were
wrapped in oiled silk and then sealed. The pouches themselves were
locked, not to be opened until they reached their destination. It was
ordered from the first that they and their contents should never weigh
more than twenty pounds. A rider might carry several hundred letters
on each trip, for all were written on the finest of tissue paper. The
postage at first was five dollars for each letter, later reduced as the
building of the telegraph line progressed, to one dollar an ounce. In
addition to this enormous postage, the merchants who were awaiting
the important missives joined in paying the carrier a liberal fee, when
he maintained the schedule or made quicker time than usual.
Mr. Russell had been persuaded by Senator Gwin of California to
start the Pony Express. He had made an arrangement with the
railways between New York and St. Joseph to run a fast train; the
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad used a special engine, and the
boat which made the crossing of the Missouri was held so that not a
minute would be lost in transferring the mail. A piercing whistle
notified the horseman that the boat was waiting for him.
About the same time, Harry Roff, mounted on a mettled half-breed
broncho, galloped eastward from Sacramento. He, too, did his part in
opening one of the most romantic episodes in the history of our
country. Two sets of mail bags were approaching each other from
points two thousand miles apart, and there were times when this
approach was at the astounding speed of forty and even fifty miles
an hour! The average daily rate was two hundred and fifty miles a
day, but where everything was favorable, or when an express rider
was fleeing from the vengeful red men, his pony struck a gait of
twenty-five miles and maintained it, when an untrained horse would
have dropped in his tracks.
When Harry Roff dashed out from Sacramento, he made one
change and covered the first twenty miles in fifty-nine minutes. He
changed again at Folsom and headed for Placerville, at the foot of
the Sierra Nevada range, fifty-five miles away. At that point, he found
a rider awaiting him, who, quickly shifting the two packed mail
pouches, was off with the speed of the wind. Thus from point to point
and relieving one another at comparatively regular distances, the
entire run of 185 miles was made in a little more than fifteen hours.
Be it remembered that in crossing the western summit of the
mountains the horse had to wallow through thirty feet of snow. Not
only that, but most of the distance was through a hostile Indian
country, where a slight mistake on the part of the horseman was
likely to prove fatal to him. There was no saying what boulder or rock
sheltered a crouching redskin waiting exultingly with bow and arrow
or rifle for the horseman to come within range. A white man was
legitimate game for the warrior, as much as was the deer or bear,
and the sentiments of the rider were the same regarding the warrior.
One rider covered the last 130 miles of the western division, from old
Camp Floyd to Salt Lake City, where his partner from the east met
and exchanged mails with the comrade going toward the Missouri.
After the rider from St. Joseph had reached the river side, he
passed upon the waiting ferry boat, and entering a room prepared for
him, changed his fancy costume for what might be called a business
suit. Hardly had the boat touched the other shore, when the eager
pony was off again on a dead run.
It is worth remembering in these later days, that the route of the
Pony Express westward was that which was followed by the
Mormons in 1847, and by the emigrants a year or two later when on
their way to California in quest of gold. Crossing the Missouri, the
messenger veered slightly to the southwest, holding to the course
until he struck the old military road, forty-odd miles distant, where he
shifted to the northwest and crossed the Kickapoo Reservation.
Then in succession he passed through Grenada, Logchain, Seneca,
Ash Point, Guittard’s, Marysville, Hollenburg, thence following Little
Blue Valley to Rock Creek, Big Sandy, Liberty Farm, across prairies
to Thirty-Two Mile Creek, over the divide, sand hills and plains to
Platte River, and then westward and up that valley to Fort Kearny.
When the Pony Express began operations, the messengers from
St. Joe rode to the station of Guittard, 125 miles away. This was
done every week, until two months later the service was made semi-
weekly, when the first rider finished his run at Seneca, 80 miles out.
Fort Kearny was an old post in Nebraska. It is now a thriving town
and the capital of the county of the same name. The trail from this
point led westward for 200 miles along the Platte River to Julesburg,
in the northeastern corner of Colorado, then to Fort Laramie, whose
gray ruins stand to-day in southeastern Wyoming, fifty miles west of
Cheyenne. Next, over the foothills to the northwest, and through the
famous South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, by Fort Bridger to Salt
Lake City.
This completed the long ride over the eastern division. From Salt
Lake, the express rider strained every nerve to Fort Churchill, 50
miles away, thence to Rush Valley, or old Camp Floyd, Deep Creek,
Ruby Valley, Smith’s Creek, Fort Churchill, over the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, and so on through points that have been already named,
to Sacramento, whence the mail was carried by boat to San
Francisco.
A glance at the map will show that this long run—not quite two
thousand miles from St. Joe—was across and through the wildest
portion of our continent. Rugged mountains, inaccessible to the
ordinary traveler, had to be crossed, and only he who was familiar
with the route could do it. Tumultuous torrents had to be forded or
swum, where horse and rider were often hurled far down stream
before the animal could clamber up the rocky bank on the other side.
Those desolate solitudes were swept by furious storms of sleet, hail
and rain, vast valleys were turned into swirling lakes, and the driving
snow often blinded horse and rider, so he could not see twenty feet
beyond the nose of his animal.
There were stretches of plain where the panting pony and his
master could not get a drop of water for hours. When they plunged
into the mountains in the depth of winter, the temperature was often
far below zero, but the undaunted rider kicked away the snow on the
lee side of some boulder, kindled a fire of dead limbs, when he could
find such sparse fuel, but more often he had nothing of that nature.
The tough little pony was wrapped about by his blanket, the master
inclosed his iron body in another, or partly in the same one, lay down
and slept, with never a dream to disturb his rest. But he could not
forget his duty, which was so impressed on his mind that he awoke
to the minute he had set for awaking. Probably the first faint
streakings of morning were showing in the east, when he flung his
blanket aside, remounted and dashed off again.
It will be understood that when the Pony Express was organized, it
was necessary to establish relief stations at intervals of a dozen
miles or so. Now and then these were separated by greater
distances, when it was impossible to have it otherwise. Between the
stations, the rider kept his horse at the highest possible speed. The
average time scheduled was ten or twelve miles an hour, but where
the route was favorable, the ponies held a speed of twenty and
sometimes of twenty-five miles. Thus, as has been stated, the rider
from the east and he from the west thundered toward each other at
the incredible rate of fifty miles an hour—equal to the speed of an
express railway train.
There were portions of the trail where no rider dared show himself
and pony during the daytime, because of the Indians on the alert for
his scalp. The intrepid fellow and animal remained in hiding till night.
When darkness came the man stealthily re-saddled his horse, led
him out from the covert in which they had been crouching, climbed
silently into the saddle and resumed his headlong ride.
The late Major Chorpenning, remembered as one of the most
prominent of freighters across the plains, told me that more than
once he had labored through the mountains in the depth of winter
when the snow under his feet was sixty feet deep! He was in Salt
Lake City, talking with Brigham Young, when word came that the mail
rider westward had been killed by Indians. The fiery-tempered Major
bounded to his feet and swore he would follow up the rider, recover
the mail and carry it to Sacramento. When he refused to take any
companion with him, President Young forbade him to go, insisting
that it would be sure death.
“I’m serving the United States and not you,” replied the Major,
laying his hand on his revolver; “I don’t think it will be healthy for
either you or any one else to try to stop me.”
So it was the daring Major rode out of Salt Lake City alone. Being
perfectly familiar with the route, he made good progress. He had
decided in his mind where the rider had met his death, and there
sure enough he came upon the body. It was shockingly mutilated,
and it was evident the man had made a brave defense. Chorpenning
found his watch, which strangely enough had not been taken away
by his slayers, and within a rod of where he lay were the mail
pouches, unharmed. The pony, of course, was gone.
The Major strapped the pouches in place and resumed his ride
westward.
“From that hour,” said he, “until I came in sight of Carson City, it
seemed to me I was playing hide and seek with the Indians. The first
thing that caught my eye was what looked like a crow sitting on the
edge of a rock only a little way in front. A second glance showed that
it was the topknot of a redskin, who dropped down before I could
draw bead on him. He wasn’t the only one of his kind in the
neighborhood, for I caught glimpses of several, and believe I winged
one of them.
“Having found secure shelter, I waited till night before moving on
again. For the following three days and nights I did not do a mile of
traveling when the sun was shining. As it was, I pushed so hard that,
being lucky in catching the boat at Sacramento, I reached San
Francisco several hours ahead of schedule time. The people would
not believe my story at first. I remember that the famous
mountaineer Kit Carson was one of the doubters, but when
convinced of what I had done, he declared it the most remarkable
ride ever made by any man in crossing the plains.”
Since this chapter is introductory and intended merely to clear the
ground for what follows, I shall close it with an account of the most

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