LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)

Learning Disorder 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

Learning disability (LD) is a processing

disability.
It has nothing
impairment

to

do

with

sensory

(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

3. Causes during birth

Premature, brain trauma, etc.

2. Causes Occurring
Before Birth.
Stressful Pregnancies,
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,
etc.

4. Causes occurring after

birth
Malnutrition, diabetes,
etc.

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.

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

Typical vs. Atypical

Migration

Cell Migration in Dyslexia

fMRI Scans

Dyslexic children have lesser

activation in the functional areas

Blood Flow Abnormalities

Blood Flow Abnormalities

Remediation

Various Types of Learning

Disabilities

Dyslexia

Dyscalculia

Dysgraphia

Dyspraxia

Dyslexia, ordevelopmental reading

disorder, is characterized by difficulty
with learning to read fluently and with
accurate
comprehension
despite
normal or above-average intelligence.
Dyslexia is the most commonlearning
difficultyand most recognized reading
disorder.

Affects reading and related

language-based processing
skills.
The

severity

of

this

specific

learning

disability can differ in each individual but

can

affect

reading

fluency,

decoding,

reading comprehension, recall, writing,

spelling, and sometimes speech and can
exist along with other related disorders.
Dyslexia is sometimes referred to as a
Language-Based Learning Disability.

Signs and Symptoms

Reads slowly and painfully

Experiences decoding errors, especially with the
order of letters
Shows wide disparity between listening
comprehension and reading 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

Strategies

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

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

Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia is also known as

Motor Learning Difficulties,
Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction,
and Developmental Coordination
Disorder (DCD).
The terms Minimal Brain Damage
and Clumsy Child Syndrome are
no longer used.

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

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

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

Strategies

Suggest use of Graphic organisers.

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

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 .

Research on
acquired
dyscalculia
(dyscalculia
acquired as a
result of brain
injury) fits with
these findings;
damage to the
parietal lobes
of the brain
results in
similar
symptoms to
developmental
dyscalculia.

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,

Strategies

Allow use of fingers and calculators

Use diagrams and draw math concepts
Provide peer assistance
Suggest use of graph paper
Suggest use of colored pencils to
differentiate problems
Work with manipulative
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

Assistive Technology

Many children with disabilities have

difficulties with reading, writing,
and math. Some children have
problems with vision, hearing,
listening and/or communicating.
Others have physical, mobility, and
motor problems.

Assistive technology helps children

use their strengths to compensate
or "work around" weaknesses
caused by the disability. Assistive
technology includes "devices" and
"services.

Thank You All

Good Bye......