LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)

Learning Disability is the major cause of Poor School Performance in young children.
Present from the birth, it is a Developmental Disorder.
It is not mental retardation or mental illness.
LD is the inborn difficulty to acquire and use Academic Skills

Reading, Reading-comprehension,Writing,Spelling,Mathematics,Language,
Motor Co-ordination, Social Skills etc.
LD children may be smart in everything else.
They have Normal or Above Normal Intelligence.
Learning Disability may first appear as behaviour problems
Attention-deficit,
Hyperactivity, naughtiness, defiance, aggression, addiction to TV or computer, forging
progress reports, Tics, Obsessive disorders, Anxiety, Depression, School phobia etc.
Today, many children are diagnosed with learning disabilities at school when it is
discovered that they are having difficulty in some part of their education.
It is essential to know about Learning Disabilities as sometimes, what is brushed aside
as a childhood tantrum or simply as a child being slow, may be due to a learning
disability.
Learning disability (LD) is a processing disability.
It has nothing to do with sensory impairment
(Children with LD have no hearing or visual difficulty)
It has nothing to do with less IQ. CWLD are NOT mentally retarded.
Yet children have difficulties in:
LEARNING DISABILITIY
Refers to a group of disorders showing significant difficulties in listening, speaking, writing,
reasoning, or math abilities.
Disorders affect learning for students who otherwise demonstrate at least average
abilities essential for thinking or reasoning
Possible Causes Of Learning Disabilities
1. Genetic influence
: Runs in the family
2. Causes Occurring Before Birth. : Stressful Pregnancies, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, etc.
3. Causes during birth
: Premature, brain trauma, etc.
4. Causes occurring after birth
: Malnutrition, diabetes, etc.

Brain related reasons

Neuron Cell Migration
The human brain develops through cell division and then cell migration. Cell migration
occurs when neurons develop and then travel through the brain to pre-programmed areas
In most cases, cell migration proceeds in expected ways. Sometimes, cell migration
proceeds in an abnormal or atypical way leading to Dyslexia
Blood Flow Abnormalities
fMRI scans reveal that the blood flow in the functional areas of brain shows abnormalities
and hence decreased functionality.
No matter what the cause, all learning disabilities are believed to involve the language
and visual processing centers of the brain, and are a lifelong issues.
Various Types Of Learning Disabilities
DYSLEXIA
Dyslexia, or developmental reading disorder, is characterized by difficulty with
learning to read fluently and with accurate comprehension despite normal or aboveaverage intelligence.
Dyslexia is the most common learning difficulty and most recognized reading
disorder.
Signs and Symptoms

Reads slowly and painfully

Experiences decoding errors, especially with the order of letters
Shows wide disparity between listening comprehension and
comprehension of some text
Has trouble with spelling
May have difficulty with handwriting
Exhibits difficulty recalling known words
Has difficulty with written language
May experience difficulty with math computations
Decoding real words is better than nonsense words
Substitutes one small sight word for another: a, I, he, the, there, was

reading

Strategies of instruction

Provide a quiet area for activities like reading, answering comprehension questions
Use books on tape
Use books with large print and big spaces between lines

Provide a copy of lecture notes

Dont count spelling on history, science or other similar tests
Allow alternative forms for book reports
Allow the use of a laptop or other computer for in-class essays
Use multi-sensory teaching methods
Teach students to use logic rather than rote memory
Present material in small units

DYSPRAXIA
Problems with movement and coordination, language and speech.
A disorder that is characterized by difficulty in muscle control, which causes problems with
movement and coordination, language and speech, and can affect learning.
Although not a learning disability, Dyspraxia often exists along with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia
or ADHD. It is also known as Motor Learning Difficulties or Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction,
and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).
Dyspraxia happens as the signals sent from brain to body get muddled due to the
abnormality of the Myelin Sheath covering neurons. This can affect in a variety of ways.
Signs and Symptoms
Exhibits poor balance; may appear clumsy; may frequently stumble Shows difficulty
with motor planning
Demonstrates inability to coordinate both sides of the body Has poor hand-eye
coordination
Exhibits weakness in the ability to organize self and belongings Shows possible
sensitivity to touch
May be distressed by loud noises or constant noises like the ticking of a clock or
someone tapping a pencil May break things or choose toys that do not require
skilled manipulation
Has difficulty with fine motor tasks such as coloring between the lines, putting
puzzles together; cutting accurately or tie shoe lace.
Irritated by scratchy, rough, tight or heavy clothing

Physical fine motor skills, gross motor skills, balance and co-ordination.
Speech and language difficulty pronouncing certain words, stuttering, getting
words muddled up, difficulty organising the sequence of the sentence, difficulty
controlling tone and volume of speech.
Social difficulty with eye contact, literal thinking, difficulty knowing when to
interject in a conversation particularly in large groups, may repeat ourselves,
background noise makes social situations more difficult.
Eye movements tracking, relocating.

Sensory over/under-sensitive to touch, temperature, noise, smell, taste, pain,

light.
Spatial awareness knowing where we are in relation to other objects/people,
difficulty judging amount of pressure to apply to things (I wasnt sure what other
category this would fit into!).
Memory difficulty with short-term memory, following a long list of instructions can
be difficult.
Organisation made more difficult due to difficulties with memory, organisation
doesnt come naturally to us.
Concentration daydream very easily, difficult to concentrate for long periods of
time, concentration can be made even more difficult by background noise.
Emotion tendency to get easily stressed and frustrated, difficulty adapting to
changes in routines.
Sense of direction getting lost easily, difficulty telling left and right apart.
Thought processing thought processes can be slower than for others, tend to
have lots of thoughts at once can make getting to sleep difficult as our brain
cant shut down easily.

Strategies

Pre-set students for touch with verbal prompts, Im going to touch your right
hand. Avoid touching from behind or getting too close and make sure peers are
aware of this
Provide a quiet place, without auditory or visual distractions, for testing, silent
reading or work that requires great concentration
Warn the student when bells will ring or if a fire drill is scheduled
Whisper when working one to one with the child
Allow parents to provide earplugs or sterile waxes for noisy events such as
assemblies
Make sure the parent knows about what is observed about the student in the
classroom
Refer student for occupational therapy or sensory integration training
Be cognizant of light and light sources that may be irritating to child

DYSGRAPHIA
Affects a persons handwriting ability and fine motor skills.
A person with this specific learning disability may have problems including illegible
handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and
difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time.
Dysgraphia is believed to involve difficulty with fine motor skills such as motor memory,
muscle coordination, and movement in writing.
Language, visual, perceptual, and motor centers of the brain are also believed to play a
role. Evidence suggests it may be hereditary.
Signs and Symptoms
May have illegible printing and cursive writing (despite appropriate time and
attention given the task)
Shows inconsistencies: mixtures of print and cursive, upper and lower case, or
irregular sizes, shapes or slant of letters
Has unfinished words or letters, omitted words
Inconsistent spacing between words and letters
Exhibits strange wrist, body or paper position
Has difficulty pre-visualizing letter formation
Copying or writing is slow or laboured
Shows poor spatial planning on paper
Has cramped or unusual grip/may complain of sore hand
Has great difficulty thinking and writing at the same time (taking notes, creative
writing.)
Strategies

Suggest use of word processor

Avoid chastising student for sloppy, careless work
Use oral exams
Allow use of tape recorder for lectures
Allow the use of a note taker
Provide notes or outlines to reduce the amount of writing required
Reduce copying aspects of work (pre-printed math problems)
Allow use of wide rule paper and graph paper
Suggest use of pencil grips and /or specially designed writing aids
Provide alternatives to written assignments (video-taped reports, audio-taped
reports)

DYSCALCULIA
Dyscalculia is a brain-based condition that makes it hard to make sense of numbers and
math concepts. Individuals with this type of Learning Disability may also have poor
comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers,
have difficulty telling time, or have trouble with counting.
A recent brain imaging study showed less brain activity in parietal and frontal areas of the
brain associated with mathematical cognition.
In addition children with dyscalculia also show difficulties on basic cognitive tasks known
to involve these areas.
Signs and Symptoms
Shows difficulty understanding concepts of place value, and quantity, number lines,
positive and negative value, carrying and borrowing
Has difficulty understanding and doing word problems
Has difficulty sequencing information or events
Exhibits difficulty using steps involved in math operations
Shows difficulty understanding fractions
Is challenged making change and handling money
Displays difficulty recognizing patterns when adding, subtracting, multiplying, or
dividing
Has difficulty putting language to math processes
Has difficulty understanding concepts related to time such as days, weeks, months,
seasons, quarters, etc.
Exhibits difficulty organizing problems on the page, keeping numbers lined up,
following through on long division problems
Strategies of Instruction
Allow use of fingers and calculator in class.
Use diagrams and draw math concepts
Provide peer assistance
Suggest use of graph paper, to help keep numbers lined up.
Suggest use of colored pencils to differentiate problems
Have more time to take a test.
Answer fewer questions on a test.
Draw pictures of word problems
Use mnemonic devices to learn steps of a math concept
Use rhythm and music to teach math facts and to set steps to a beat Schedule
computer time for the student for drill and practice
Using visual aids when solving problems, including drawing pictures or moving
around physical objects, refer to as manipulatives.
Breaking new lessons into smaller parts that easily show how different skills relate
to the new concept.