Nature of Learning

Disability
Definition of Learning Disa
bility under the Individual
s with Disabilities Educati
on Act.
Specific Learning Disabilit
y
• means a disorder in one or more basic psycholog
ical process involve in understanding or in using l
anguage; spoken or written.
• The term includes such conditions such as perc
eptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dys
function, dyslexia and developmental aphasia.
• The term does not apply to children who have le
arning problems that are primarily the result of v
isual, hearing or motor disabilities, of mental ret
ardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environ
mental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
• Learning Disabilities are charcterized by Intra-indivi
dual differences, usually in the form of discrepancy
between a learner's ability and his or her achievem
ents in areas such as writing, reading, mathematics
or speaking.
• Some learners with learning disability also have diffi
culties in social relations.
• Intra-individual differences are differences within a l
earner across academic areas.
• It is important to understand that Learning disabiliti
es are defined differently in different groups.
 What does
"DISCREPANCY "mean
?
• Discrepancy refers to a difference betwee
n ability and achievement.
• A learner with a learning disability may in
general terms, seem quite capable of lear
ning but having a unexpected difficulty in
one or more academic areas.
• The concept of discrepancy as probably us
ed to differentiate between learners who
have low achievements because of low abi
lity.
• A learners has a learning disability if he
or she does not achieve at the proper a
ge and ability levels and has a severe dis
crepancy between achievement and int
electual ability in one or more of the foll
owing areas : Oral expression, listening
comprehension, written expresion, bas
ic reading skills, reading comprehensio
n, mathematics calculation, and mathe
matics reasoning.
Indicators of Lea
rning Disability
What causes Lear
ning Disability?
Errors in Fetal Brain Devel
opment
• Throughout pregnancy, brain develop
ment is vulnerable to disruptions. If t
he disruption occurs early, the fetus
may die or the infant may be born wit
h widespread disabilities and posibly
mental retardation.
 Other Factors that Affect
Brain Development
• Genetic Factors
- The fact that learning disabilities tend to run in f
amilies indicates that there may be a genetic link. S
ome learning difficulties may actually stem from th
e family environment.
• Tobacco, Alcohol and other Drug use -
Mother's who smoke during pregnancy may be mor
e likely to bear smaller babies. Usually those weighi
ng less than 5 pounds tend to be at risk for a variety
of problems including learning disorder.
•Alcohol
- heavy alcohol use during pregnan
cy has been linked to fetal alcohol s
yndrome which influence the child's
development and lead to problems
with learning attention, memory an
d problem solving.
Problems during Pregnancy o
r Delivery
• This type of disruption seems to cau
se newly formed brain cells to settle
in the wrong part of the brain. The
Ubilical cord may become twisted a
nd temporarily cut off oxygen to the
fetus that can lead to learning disab
ility.
Toxins in the Child's Devel
opment
• Environmental toxins may lead to Learni
ng disability posibly by disrupting childh
ood brain development or brain process
es.
• In Addition, children with cancer who h
ad been treated with chemotherapy or r
adiation at an early age may lead also to
learning disability.
 Preschool
• The child has difficulty in the following a
reas of development:
• Learning the alphabet
• Rhyming words
• Connecting spoken sounds with letters
• Counting and learning numbers
• Being understood when he or she speak
s to a stranger
• Reacting too much or too little to touch
• Using words or later, stringing words tog
ether into phrases
• Pronouncing words
• Walking forward or up and down the sta
irs
• Remembering the names of colors
• Dressing him or herself without assistan
ce.
 Elementary School
• The child has a difficulty in the following
areas of development :
• Reading accurately
• Learning new vocabulary
• Speaking in full sentence
• Understanding the rules of conversation
• Retelling stories
• Remembering newly learned information
• Playing with peers
• Moving from one activity to another
• Expressing thoughts verbally in writing
• Holding a pencil
• Writing letters and numerals by hand
• Computing math problems at his or her grade
level
• Following directions
• Remembering routines
• Learning new skills
• Understanding what she or he reads
• Succeding in one or more subject areas
• Drawing or copying shapes
• Understanding what information presente
d in class is important
• Modulating voice
• Keeping materials neat and assignments o
rganized
• Remembering and sticking to deadlines
• Understanding how to play age appropriat
e games
Adolescence and adulthood
• The individual has difficulty :
• Remembering newly learned informatio
n
• Staying organized
• Understanding what she or he reads
• Getting along with peers and coworkers
• Finding or keeping job
• Understanding jokes that are sarcastic
• Making appropriate remarks
• Expressing thoughts verbally or in writi
ng
• Following directions
• Using basic skills
• Using proper grammar in spoken or wri
tten communication
• Remembering and sticking to deadlines
Do Children outgrow
Learning Disability
?
• A true learning disability never goes a
way. But with understanding and effo
rt they can learn to use their many str
engths to "compensate" for weaker p
rocessing skills
• Many Learning disability people are h
ighly creative and "gifted" in many w
ays. Even very famous and very succe
ssful people have Learning disabilities
Famous people who have/had
a learning disability
• Louisa May Alcott
• George Bernard Shaw
• Thomas Edison
• Hans Christian Andersen
• Albert Einstein
• Tom Cruise
Facts about Learners with L
earning Disabilities
• Learning Disabilities are often referred to
as "hidden handicaps"
• These disabilities may go unrecognized b
y parents, teachers, and physicians.
• IQ's may affect different areas of a perso
ns life.
• Given labels such as "underachieve
r's" "Lazy" or "weird".
• Work harder to succeed, yet receive mo
re negative feedback about their work.
• Often identified by third or fourth grade
.
• More learners are identified because of
defects in reading and language arts tha
t in mathematics
• Tend to be "inactive learners"
• Present more diverse learning character
istics than any other special group.
• Need early identification, remedial teac
hing to their needs, and personal and f
amily counseling.
• There are numerous ways for teachers
to elicit interest and participation to en
gage learners with learning disability.
• As many as 50% will drop out of school
prior to high school graduation.
• More likely to encounter trouble with t
he law.
THANK YOU!!!