Students with Learning Disabilities

Definition

A general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities.  These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span.  Problems in self-regulatory behaviors, social perception, and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities, but do not by themselves constitute a learning disability.  Although learning disabilities may occur concomitantly with other disabling conditions, for example, sensory impairment, mental retardation, or serious emotional disturbance, or with extrinsic influences, such as cultural differences or insufficient or inappropriate instruction, they are not the result of those condition or influences.(from the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities)

Students with learning disabilities usually have average or above-average intelligence.  Learning disabilities are not the same as mental retardation or emotional disorders.

Learning disabilities must be documented through a series of intellectual, cognitive, and achievement skills testing.  The testing indicates that there is a learning disability when there is a discrepancy between the student’s achievement skills and intellectual capacity.

Common LD problems/deficits exhibited

• Auditory processing – difficulty perceiving or processing auditory material, i.e. differentiating between similar sounds, hearing sounds out of sequence, difficulty in “tuning out” background noises
• Visual processing – difficulty perceiving or processing visual materiel, i.e. seeing an image in a competing background, seeing things in correct sequence, differentiating between similar objects, perceiving depth or distance
• Information processing speed – how quickly one receives information, processes the information, and reacts to it
• Abstract and general reasoning – difficulty thinking in an orderly, logical way, difficulty applying a learned skill to a new task
• Long and short term, visual or auditory memory – difficulty processing information to transfer into long-term memory, difficulty remembering rote facts, difficulty recalling information from memory in test situations
• Spoken and written language skills – difficulty in expressing one’s self coherently, difficulty with the physical act of writing, i.e. dysgraphia
• Reading skills – difficulty with any task in which reading is an essential component, i.e. dyslexia
• Mathematical skills – difficulty with calculations, rapid processing of math facts, reversal of numbers, i.e. dyscalculia
• Visual spatial skills – difficulty perceiving dimensions of space, trouble distinguishing left from right, north from south, up from down, ahead from behind
• Motor skills – difficulty with physical coordination, seeing, then doing or hearing, then doing the problems
• Planning (executive) functioning – difficulty managing or prioritizing time and tasks

Possible Accommodations

• Tape recorders and/or laptop computers in class
• Extended time for exams
• Exams in a quiet, distraction-free environment
• Alternative forms of exams, such as oral tests or essay instead of multiple-choice format, alternatives to computer-grid-scored sheets
• Extended time to complete assignments in courses with significant demand on reading and writing skills
• Texts in alternate formats (CD, electronic)
• Notetakers or copies of instructor and/or classmate’s notes, overheads, and/or PowerPoint presentations
• Calculator, spell checker, thesaurus, reader, and/or scribe during exams

Possible Teaching Strategies

• Write new terms and key points on the blackboard.
• Provide study guides or review sheets for exams.
• Use multiple teaching modalities, i.e. use of concrete examples, personal experiences, hands-on models, and visual aids, such as charts and graphs.
• Provide an advanced syllabus prior to the start of the class with clear and detailed expectations, topics, and procedures.
• Read aloud material that is written on the blackboard or given in handouts or transparencies or provide copies.
• Provide concise oral directions.
• Review previous material, provide an outline of current material, and give a summary of important points at the end of class.

 

Equipment available at Raynor Library to assist learning disabled students at Marquette:

• Kurzweil 3000 software system
• Reading Edge
• Cassette recorders, CD players

*For more information please visit: http://www.marquette.edu/oses/disabilityservices/resources/ds_resource_tech.shtml

If you have any more questions or concerns, feel free to contact the Office of Disability Services.  We are located in the Alumni Memorial Union, Room 317.  The phone number is extension 8-1645.

Heidi Vering

Coordinator, Disability Services

ODS 10/08