Specific Learning Disabilities. Kalie Carlisle

Transcription

1 Specific Learning Disabilities Kalie Carlisle

2 Specific Learning Disabilities Specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

3 Statistics 15% of the U.S. population 1 in 7 Americans has some type of learning disability (National Institutes of Health). The most common learning disabilities are reading and language skills. As many as 80% of students with learning disabilities have reading problem Learning disabilities often run in families.

4 Causes of Learning Disabilities The exact cause of learning disabilities is unknown Some cases are neurologically based processing problems Heredity Problems during pregnancy and birth Accidents after birth

5 Characteristics by Age Level

6 Preschool Speaks later than most children Pronunciation problems Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes Extremely restless and easily distracted Trouble interacting with peers Difficulty following directions or routines Fine motor skills slow to develop

7 Elementary School Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds Rearranges number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs Slow to remember facts Slow to learn new skills, relies heavily on memorization Impulsive, difficulty planning Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents

8 Junior High School Avoids reading aloud Difficulty with handwriting Avoids writing assignments Slow or poor recall of facts Difficulty making friends Trouble understanding body language and facial expressions

9 High School Students Avoids reading and writing tasks Trouble with open ended questions on tests Weak memory skills Difficulty adjusting to new settings Works slowly Either pays too little attention to details or focuses on them too much Misreads information

10 Categories of Learning Disabilities They might relate to getting information into the brain (Input), making sense of this information (Organization), storing and later retrieving this information (Memory), or getting this information back out (Output).

11 Input (information taken in by the eyes and ears into the brain) Visual Perception. Have difficulty in determining the size, shape, color, and texture of an object They might misjudge depth or distance, bumping into things or having difficulty with tasks where this information is needed to tell the hands or body what to do. Eye hand coordination (visual motor skills) such as catching a ball

12 Input (information taken in by the eyes and ears into the brain) Auditory Perception The individual might have difficulty distinguishing subtle differences in sound (called phonemes) might have difficulty distinguishing individual phonemes as quickly as normal. They have difficulty identifying what sound(s) to listen to when there is more than one sound

13 Integration Three tasks have to take place to make sense of the information Sequencing. The individual might have difficulty learning information in the proper sequence. Abstraction. A person might have difficulty inferring the meaning of individual words or concepts. Jokes, idioms, or puns are often not understood. Organization. An individual might have difficulty organizing materials, losing, forgetting, or misplacing papers, notebooks, or homework assignments

14 Memory Working memory >ability to hold on to pieces of information until the pieces blend into a full thought or concept. understanding the full content. Short term memory >active process of storing and retaining information for a limited period of time. temporarily available Long term memory >information that has been stored and that is available over a long period of time. Individuals might have difficulty with auditory memory or visual memory.

15 Output Information is communicated by means of words (language output) or though muscle activity such as writing, drawing, gesturing (motor output). Language Disability. Spontaneous means that the person initiates the conversation Thoughts have been organized and words found before speaking. Demand means that one is asked a question or asked to explain something. One must organize their thoughts, find the right words, and speak at the same time.

16 Output Motor Disability One might have difficulty coordinating fine motor disability. coloring, cutting, writing, buttoning, or tying shoes. Others might have difficulty coordinating gross motor disability. awkward when running or jumping.

17 Common Learning Disabilities Dyslexia >A language and reading disability Dyscalculia >Problems with arithmetic and math concepts Dysgraphia >A writing disorder resulting in illegibility Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder) Problems with motor coordination Central Auditory Processing Disorder Difficulty processing and remembering language related tasks Non Verbal Learning Disorders Trouble with nonverbal cues, e.g., body language; poor coordination, clumsy Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit Reverses letters; cannot copy accurately; eyes hurt and itch; loses place; struggles with cutting Language Disorders (Aphasia/Dysphasia) Trouble understanding spoken language; poor reading comprehension

18 Signs & Symptoms of Dyslexia 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 May have difficulty with handwriting Exhibits difficulty recalling known words Has difficulty with written language

19 Signs & Symptoms of Dyscalculia 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 Displays difficulty recognizing patterns when adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing

20 Signs & Symptoms of Dysgraphia May have illegible printing and cursive writing 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 Exhibits strange wrist, body or paper position Copying or writing is slow or labored Has cramped or unusual grip/may complain of sore hand Has great difficulty thinking and writing at the same time

21 Signs & Symptoms of Dyspraxia Exhibits poor balance Shows difficulty with motor planning Demonstrates inability to coordinate both sides of the body Has poor hand eye coordination Shows possible sensitivity to touch May be distressed by loud noises or constant noises Has difficulty with fine motor tasks such as coloring between the lines, putting puzzles together; cutting accurately or pasting neatly

22 Signs & Symptoms of Central Auditory Processing Disorder Has difficulty processing and remembering languagerelated tasks but may have no trouble interpreting or recalling non verbal environmental sounds, music, etc. May process thoughts and ideas slowly and have difficulty explaining them Often is distracted by background sounds/noises Finds it difficult to stay focused on or remember a verbal presentation or lecture May misinterpret or have difficulty remembering oral directions or difficulty following directions in a series Has difficulty comprehending rapid speech Ignores people, especially if absorbed

23 Signs & Symptoms of Visual Perceptual/ Visual Motor Deficit May have reversals: b for d, p for q or inversions: u for n, w for m Complains eyes hurt and itch, rubs eyes, complains print blurs while reading Turns head when reading across page or holds paper at odd angles Closes one eye while working, may yawn while reading Cannot copy accurately Loses place frequently Does not recognize an object/word if only part of it is shown

24 Signs & Symptoms of Non-Verbal Learning Disorder Has trouble with facial expression or body language Shows poor psycho motor coordination Using fine motor skills a challenge Has difficulty coping with changes in routing and transitions Has difficulty generalizing previously learned information Has difficulty following multi step instructions Asks too many questions, may be repetitive and inappropriately interrupt the flow of a lesson

25 Language Disorders: Aphasia, Dysphasia or Global Aphasia Has difficulty gaining meaning from spoken language Demonstrates poor written output Exhibits poor reading comprehension Shows difficulty expressing thoughts in verbal form Has difficulty labeling objects or recognizing labels Feels that words are right on the tip of my tongue Can describe an object and draw it, but can t think of the word for it

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27 The End Dunn, J. M. (2006). Special Physical Education. Dubuque, Iowa : Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Company. Learning Disabilities Association of America. (2006). Retrieved April 2, 2008, from Winnick, J. p. (2005). Adapted Physical Education and Sport. Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics.