Specific Learning

Disabilities
KUNNAMPALLIL GEJO
JOHN, SPEECH
LANGUAGE
PATHOLOGIST

IDEA defines a specific learning disability as:

The term means a disorder in one or more of the

basic psychological processes involved in
understanding or in using language, spoken or
written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect
ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or
to do mathematical calculations, including
conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain
injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and
developmental aphasia.

Language Learning
Disability

Disorders not included. The term does not

include learning problems that are

primarily the result of visual, hearing, or
motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of
emotional disturbance, or of
environmental, cultural, or economic
disadvantage.

Learning Disability

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Improvement Act 2004 the definition of a
specific learning disability is unchanged.
However, Section 1414(b)(6) IDEA 2004 states
that schools shall not be required to take into
consideration whether a child has a severe
discrepancy between achievement and
intellectual ability in oral expression, listening
comprehension, written expression, basic
reading skill, reading comprehension,
mathematical calculation, or mathematical
reasoning.

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities can be characterized

by a discrepancy between a students
ability and his or her achievement in areas
such as reading, writing, mathematics, or
speaking. This option is up to the
individual school, or agency doing the
assessment.

Learning Disability
Discrepancy Formula
EGE = # year in school x IQ

100+ 1.0
EGE = MA + CA + Grade Age / 3 5
SD = CA IQ
300+ .17 2.5

Causes

learning disabilities. Learning disabilities

are presumed to be disorders of the
central nervous system and a variety of
factors may contribute to their occurrence.
Learning disabilities may be due to:

Causes

Heredity. Learning disabilities tend to run

in families. It is not unusual to discover
that people with learning disabilities come
from families in which other family
members have reported similar difficulties.

Causes

Problems during pregnancy and

childbirth. Learning disabilities may be
caused by illness or injury during or before
birth. Learning disabilities may also be
caused by the use of drugs and alcohol
during pregnancy, RH incompatibility with
the mother (if untreated), premature or
prolonged labor or lack of oxygen or low
weight at birth.

Causes

Incidents after birth. Head injuries,

nutritional deprivation, poisonous
substances, (e.g., lead), and child abuse
can contribute to learning disabilities

Characteristics
Students who have learning disabilities may exhibit
a wide range of traits, including:
problems with reading comprehension
spoken language
writing
reasoning ability
Hyperactivity
Inattention
perceptual coordination problems may also be
associated with learning disabilities.

Characteristics
Other traits that may be present
include a variety of symptoms, such
as:
uneven and unpredictable test
performance
perceptual impairment
motor disorders

Characteristics
behaviors such as impulsiveness
low tolerance for frustration
problems in handling day-to-day
social interactions and situations
inconsistent school performance

Characteristics
difficulty remembering today what
was learned yesterday, but may
know it tomorrow
short attention span (restless, easily
distracted)

Characteristics
letter and number reversals (sees "b"
for "d" or "p", "6" for "9", "pots" for
"stop" or "post")
poor reading (below age and grade
level)
frequent confusion about directions
and time (right-left, up-down,
yesterday-tomorrow)

Characteristics
personal disorganization (difficulty in
following simple
directions/schedules; has trouble
organizing, planning, and making
best use of time; frequent loss or
misplacement of homework,
schoolbooks, or other items)

Characteristics
impulsive and/or inappropriate
behavior (poor judgment in social
situations, talks and acts before
thinking)
failure on written tests but high
scores on oral exams (or vice versa)

Characteristics
speech problems (immature language
development, trouble expressing ideas,
poor word recall)
difficulty understanding and following
instructions unless they are broken down
to one or two tasks at a time
seems immature and has difficulty making
friends

Characteristics
trouble remembering what someone
just told him or her
poor coordination (in gross motor
activities such as walking or sports
and/or in fine motor activities such
as tying a shoelace, holding a pencil,
or handwriting - inconsistent, slow,
messy, or illegible)

Characteristics
difficulty interpreting body language,
facial expression, or tone of voice
difficulty with development of
sound/symbol correspondence

Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities may occur in the
following academic areas:
Spoken language: Delays, disorders,
or discrepancies in listening and
speaking;
Written language: Difficulties with
reading, writing, and spelling;

Learning Disabilities
Arithmetic: Difficulty in performing
arithmetic functions or in
comprehending basic concepts;
Reasoning: Difficulty in organizing
and integrating thoughts; and
Organization skills: Difficulty in
organizing all facets of learning.

Learning Disabilities

Some of these problems can be found

in all children at certain stages of
development. When a child has a
cluster of symptoms that do not
disappear as she/he gets older, you
might suspect learning disabilities.

Common Types
I-Dyslexia - a language-based disability in
which a person has trouble understanding
words, sentences, or paragraphs.

Symptoms of Dyslexia
Symptoms in preschoolers
Some of the symptoms of dyslexia or SLD in a
preschooler could include:
Delayed speech.
Problems with pronunciation.
Problems with rhyming words and learning
rhymes.
Difficulty with learning shapes, colors and how
to write their own name.
Difficulty with retelling a story in the right order
of events.

Symptoms of Dyslexia
Symptoms in primary school children
Some of the symptoms in a primary school age
child could include:
Problems with reading a single word.
Regularly confuses certain letters when writing,
such as 'd' and 'b' or 'm' and 'w'.
Regularly writes words backwards, such as
writing 'pit' when the word 'tip' was intended.

Symptoms of Dyslexia
Problems with grammar, such as learning
prefixes or suffixes.
Tries to avoid reading aloud in class.
Doesn't like reading books.
Reads below their expected level.

Symptoms of Dyslexia

Symptoms in high school children

Some of the symptoms in a high school student
could include:
Poor reading.
Bad spelling, including different misspellings of
the same word in one writing assignment.
Difficulties with writing summaries.
Problems with learning a foreign language.

Types
II-Dyscalculia - a mathematical disability
in which a person has a difficult time
solving arithmetic problems and grasping
math concepts.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

Normal or accelerated language

acquisition: verbal, reading, writing. Poetic
ability. Good visual memory for the
printed word. Good in the areas of science
(until a level requiring higher math skills is
reached), geometry (figures with logic not
formulas), and creative arts.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

Difficulty with the abstract concepts of

time and direction. Inability to recall
schedules, and sequences of past or
future events. Unable to keep track of
time. May be chronically late.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

Mistaken recollection of names. Poor

name/face retrieval. Substitute names
beginning with same letter.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

Inconsistent results in addition, subtraction,

multiplication and division. Poor mental math
ability. Poor with money and credit. Cannot do
financial planning or budgeting. Checkbooks not
balanced. Short term, not long term financial
thinking. Fails to see big financial picture. May
have fear of money and cash transactions. May
be unable to mentally figure change due back,
the amounts to pay for tips, taxes, etc

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

When writing, reading and recalling

numbers, these common mistakes are
made: number additions, substitutions,
transpositions, omissions, and reversals.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

Inability to grasp and remember math concepts,

rules, formulas, sequence (order of operations),
and basic addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division facts. Poor long term memory
(retention & retrieval) of concept mastery- may
be able to perform math operations one day, but
draw a blank the next! May be able to do book
work but fails all tests and quizzes.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

May be unable to comprehend or "picture"

mechanical processes. Lack "big picture/
whole picture" thinking. Poor ability to
"visualize or picture" the location of the
numbers on the face of a clock, the
geographical locations of states, countries,
oceans, streets, etc.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

Poor memory for the "layout" of

things. Gets lost or disoriented easily.
May have a poor sense of direction, loose
things often, and seem absent minded.
(Remember the absent minded
professor?)

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

May have difficulty grasping concepts of

formal music education. Difficulty sightreading music, learning fingering to play
an instrument, etc.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

May have poor athletic coordination,

difficulty keeping up with rapidly changing
physical directions like in aerobic, dance,
and exercise classes. Difficulty
remembering dance step sequences, rules
for playing sports.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms

Difficulty keeping score during games or

difficulty remembering how to keep score
in games, like bowling, etc. Often looses
track of whose turn it is during games, like
cards and board games. Limited strategic
planning ability for games, like chess.

Types
III-Dysgraphia - a writing disability in
which a person finds it hard to form letters
or write within a defined space.

Dyscalculia-Symptoms
Generally illegible writing (despite
appropriate time and attention given the
task)
Inconsistencies: mixtures of print and
cursive, upper and lowercase, or irregular
sizes, shapes, or slant of letters
Unfinished words or letters, omitted words

Dyscalculia-Symptoms
Inconsistent position on page with respect
to lines and margins.
Inconsistent spaces between words and
letters
Cramped or unusual grip, especially:

Holding the writing instrument very close to

the paper, or
Holding thumb over two fingers and writing
from the wrist

Dyscalculia-Symptoms
Strange wrist, body, or paper position
Talking to self while writing, or carefully
watching the hand that is writing

Dyscalculia-Symptoms
Slow or labored copying or writing - even
if it is neat and legible
Content which does not reflect the
student's other language skills

Types
IV-Dysorthographia: Individuals with this
disorder have difficulties utilizing clues
from several sources that aid in deciding
on the correct spelling of a word. It is a
specific learning disability that involves an
inability or delay in learning to properly
spell words from letters

Dysorthographia-Symptoms

Dysorthographia involves persistent

problems with symbol recognition and
ordering that are essential for proper
spelling.

Dysorthographia-Symptoms

People who are poor spellers typically

have trouble analyzing the sounds,
syllables, and meaningful parts of words in
both spoken language and written
language.

Dysorthographia-Symptoms

. In addition, they often have trouble

learning other types of symbolic codes
such as math facts and math operation
signs

Types

Auditory and Visual Processing

Disabilities - sensory disabilities in which
a person has difficulty understanding
language despite normal hearing and
vision. HANDOUT

Prevalence

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.

Prevalence

In fact, over half of all children who

receive special education have a learning
disability

Gender Differences

LD is twice as common in males as in

females, Males are significantly more likely
than females to fall within each major
disability group.

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

Educational Implications

Supports or changes in the classroom

(sometimes called accommodations) help
most students with LD.

Educational Implications

Specifically, technology can help

individuals with disabilities become more
efficient and effective learners

Other Facts

Learning disabilities should not be

confused with other disabilities such as
mental retardation, autism, deafness,
blindness, and behavioral disorders.

Other Facts

New statistics indicate that about

47.5% of the disability population
are individuals with learning
disabilities

Other Facts

Approximately 85% of all individuals

with learning disabilities have difficulties in
the area of reading.

Other Facts

44% of parents who noticed their child

exhibiting signs of problems with learning
waited a year or more before
acknowledging their child might have a
serious problem.

Other Facts

35% of children with learning

disabilities drop out of high school. This is
twice the rate of students without learning
disabilities. Of those who do graduate,
less than two percent attend a four-year
college, despite the fact that many are
above average in intelligence.

THANK YOU

KUNNAMPALLIL GEJO JOHN, MASLP

SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST