DIVINE WORD COLLEGE OF LAOAG

GRADUATE SCHOOL

The Different Learning Disabilities and

the Strategies to be Used to Manage
These Disabilities

By: Zoe L. Puyot

Learning Disability Defined:
It is a disorder in one or more basic psychological processes that may
manifest itself as an imperfect ability in certain areas of learning, such as
reading, written expression, or mathematics.
Learning disabilities are due to genetic and/or neurobiological factors
that alter brain functioning in a manner which affects one or more
cognitive processes related to learning.
These processing problems can interfere with learning basic skills such
as reading, writing and/or math. 
They can also interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time
planning, abstract reasoning, long or short term memory and attention. 
Learning Disability Defined:
Generally speaking, people with learning disabilities are of average or above
average intelligence.
There often appears to be a gap between the individual’s potential and actual
achievement.
This is why learning disabilities are referred to as “hidden disabilities”: the person
looks perfectly “normal” and seems to be a very bright and intelligent person, yet
may be unable to demonstrate the skill level expected from someone of a similar
age.
 Causes of LD:

Inherited condition-certain genes passed from parents affected the brain

development.
Chromosome abnormalities such as Down Syndrome or Fragile X.
Complications during birth resulting in a lack of oxygen to the brain.
A very premature birth.
Mothers illness during pregnancy.
Mother drinking during pregnancy.
Types of Learning Disabilities

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that affects a

person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts.
Examples: telling time, counting money, and performing mental
calculations.
Symptoms of Dyscalculia
 Difficulties with processing numbers and quantities, including: Connecting a number to the
quantity it represents (the number 2 to two apples), Counting, backwards and forwards,
Comparing two amounts
 Trouble recalling basic math facts (like multiplication tables)
 Difficulty linking numbers and symbols to amounts
 Trouble with mental math and problem-solving
 Difficulty making sense of money and estimating quantities
 Difficulty with telling time on an analog clock
 Difficulty immediately sorting out direction (right from left)
 Troubles with recognizing patterns and sequencing numbers
 Classroom Accommodations for Dyscalculia
 allowing more time on assignments and tests
 allowing the use of calculators
 adjusting the difficulty of the task
 separating complicated problems into smaller steps
 using posters to remind students to basic math concepts
 providing supplemental information via
computer-based interactive lessons
hands-on projects (let him count stones outside the house, count the spoons and
forks in the kitchen)
 use real life objects
 conduct a short, frequent review sessions — every day, if necessary — help keep
information fresh and applicable to the next new task.
Types of Learning Disabilities

Dysgraphia is a specific
learning disability that affects
a person’s handwriting ability
and fine motor skills.
 Symptoms of Dysgraphia
Some common characteristics of dysgraphia include:
 incorrect spelling and capitalization
 mix of cursive and print letters
 inappropriate sizing and spacing of letters
 difficulty copying words
 slow or labored writing
 difficulty visualizing words before writing them
 unusual body or hand position when writing
 tight hold on pen or pencil resulting in hand cramps
 watching your hand while you write
 saying words aloud while writing
 omitting letters and words from sentences
 Classroom Accommodations for Dysgraphia

Occupational therapy may be helpful in improving handwriting skills.

Therapeutic activities may include:

 holding a pencil or pen in a new way to make writing easier

 working with modeling clay or stress balls
 tracing letters in shaving cream on a desk
 drawing lines within mazes
 doing connect-the-dots puzzles
 imitating the teacher modeling sequential strokes in letter formation and
 copying letters from models
Types of Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that affects reading

and related language-based processing skills.
 Symptoms of Dyslexia
 Delayed early language development
 Problems recognizing the differences between similar sounds or segmenting
words.
 Slow learning of new vocabulary words
 Difficulty copying from the board or a book.
 Difficulty with learning reading, writing, and spelling skills
 A child may not be able to remember content, even if it involves a favorite video
or storybook.
 Problems with spatial relationships can extend beyond the classroom and be
observed on the playground. The child may appear to be uncoordinated and have
difficulty with organized sports or games.
 Symptoms of Dyslexia
 Commonly, a child may have difficulty remembering or understanding what he
hears.
 Recalling sequences of things or more than one command at a time can be
difficult.
 Parts of words or parts of whole sentences may be missed, and words can come
out sounding funny.
 The wrong word or a similar word may be used instead.
 Children struggling with this problem may know what they want to say but have
trouble finding the actual words to express their thoughts.
 Classroom Accommodation for Dyslexia
 Multisensory activities help dyslexic children absorb and process information in a
retainable manner and involve using senses like touch and movement alongside sight
and hearing. They are not only beneficial for dyslexic learners but also the rest of the
class. Engaging in something different and hands-on excites students and heightens
engagement.

Examples of multi sensory activities for the classroom include:

Writing words and sentences with tactile materials, e.g. glitter glue, sand, pasta,
LEGO, or beads.

Physical activities to practice spelling, e.g. hopscotch or jump-rope – the children spell

out words when they jump to each square or over the rope.
 Classroom Accommodation for Dyslexia
 Use assistive technology and tools

Pocket Spell Checkers

The dyslexic learner types in a word how they think it’s spelled, often phonetically,
and the spell checker will return a correctly-spelled match. This helps the child
strengthen their confidence in both writing and spelling and commit correct spellings
to memory.

Colored Keyboard
Keyboards with colored overlays and larger letters make typing more accessible to
dyslexic students. Some come with multimedia hotkeys that enable the user to play,
pause, stop, or rewind audio, which is useful as dyslexic learners often use text-to-
speech software when reading and writing.
 Classroom Accommodation for Dyslexia
Use audiobooks like those available through a free online library for students with
disabilities.

Allow the student to use a text reader like a Reading Pen or text-speech software
(talking pen)

Use speech-to text to help with writing.

Types of Learning Disabilities

Dyspraxia is a disorder which causes problems with movement and

coordination, language and speech.
 Symptoms of Dyspraxia

 unusual body positions

 general irritability
 sensitivity to loud noises
 feeding and sleeping problems
 a high level of movement of the arms and legs
 difficulty with fine motor skills that affect writing, artwork, and playing with
blocks and puzzles
 coordination problems that make it difficult to hop, skip, jump, or catch a ball
 hand flapping, fidgeting, or being easily excitable messy eating and drinking,
temper tantrums
 becoming less physically fit because they shy away from physical activities
 Symptoms of Dyspraxia

 a short attention span for tasks that are difficult

 trouble following or remembering instructions
 a lack of organizational skills
 difficulty learning new skills
 low self-esteem
 immature behavior
 trouble making friends
 Classroom Accommodations for Dyspraxia
 Provide a quiet space to work on balance, fine-motor skills, and coordination
exercises
 Play speech and vocabulary games
 Allow extra time on tests
 Allow students to sit close to people who can assist them
 Provide the student with a choice to work in different positions
 Provide pencil grips
 Keep spring-loaded or loop scissors available
 Give special paper as needed, like raised-line paper or graph paper
 Allow different writing tools to reduce pencil pressure
 Provide breaks so the student can move around a few times a day
 Give students extra time to get from class to class
 Allow extra time to get changed for the gym and ready for recess
 Classroom Accommodations for Dyspraxia
 Provide teaching notes ahead of time or have a note-taking buddy
 Provide worksheets that reduce the need to copy, like fill-in-the-blanks or
matching
 Utilize larger print for worksheets, notes, and textbooks
 Let the student use a computer for writing
 Provide extra time for tests and writing tasks
 Allow oral answers on exams
 Provide checklists, rubrics, step-by-step, and visual directions for assignments
 Provide extra time to complete work
 Give directions slowly and in short sentences and phrases
 Pre-teach physical skills
 Teach specific handwriting strategies
 Final Say…

A learning disability cannot be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong

challenge.

However, with appropriate support and intervention, people

with learning disabilities can achieve success in school, at
work, in relationships, and in the community.

Thank You!
 References
https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-dyscalculia-overview-and-sympto
m-breakdown/#:~:text=Dyscalculia%20is%20a%20math%20learning,%E
2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9Cmath%20dyslexia.%
E2%80%9D
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-dysgraphia
https://
www.theedadvocate.org/a-guide-to-classroom-and-at-home-accommodati
ons-for-dyspraxia/
https://
www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/ins
tructional-strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-dyslexia