Learning Disabilities

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Learning Disabilities

Presentation by James Cermak, Stefanie
Hannaford, Katie Hendrix and Stacie
Pancoast
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Presentation Overview

• Definitions of Learning Disorders (LD)
• Prevalence
• Causes
• Empirically Validated Methods of Instruction
• Four Facilities that Provide Instruction
• Cost of Providing Effective Instruction
• Research Article
• Summary

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IDEA Definition of LD

• A disorder in one of more of the basic
  psychological processes needed to understand and
  use language, which may manifest in the inability
  to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or
  do mathematics.
• Includes conditions such as perceptual
  disabilities, brain injuries, minimal brain
  dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia.
• Does not include learning problem that is the
  result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities,
  of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance,
  or of environmental, cultural or economic
  disadvantage

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
See pages 242 244 in Exceptional Children
textbook
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National Joint Committee on Learning Disorders
(NJCLD) Definition of LD

• Refers to a group of disorders manifested by
  significant difficulties in the acquisition and
  use of listen, speaking, reading, writing,
  reasoning or math abilities
• Problems with self-regulatory behaviors, social
  perception, and social interaction may coexist,
  but do not form a LD.
• Although learning disabilities may occur with
  other handicapping conditions or with extrinsic
  influences, they are not the result of those
  influences.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
See pages 242 244 in Exceptional Children
textbook
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Operationalizing The Definitions

• Most states and school districts require that
  three criteria be met
• 1. A severe discrepancy between the
  students intellectual ability and
  academic achievement
• 2. An exclusion criterion the students
  difficulties are not a result of another
  known condition that can cause learning
  problems
• 3. A need for special education services

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Prevalence of Learning Disabilities

• The largest of all special education categories
• Nearly 2.9 million students (ages 6-21) received
  special education under LD categories in
  2000-2001
• This equates to about ½ of all school-age
  children with disabilities
• Males outnumber females 3-to-1 across all grade
  levels.

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Prevalence of Learning Disabilities (cont)

• Current figures show that about 5 out of every
  100 students in the U.S. have a learning
  disability.
• The percentage of students receiving education
  under the LD category has grown dramatically from
  23.8 to 50.0 since 1977.
• There are two drastically different perspectives
  concerning the rising prevalence of students
  classified as LD.

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Prevalence of Learning Disabilities (cont)

• On one hand, many believe the increasing numbers
  are the result of over-identification and
  misdiagnosis of low-achieving students, which in
  turn, reduces the resources available to serve
  the students who are truly LD.
• Some authorities, however, believe the current
  number of students being served as LD may not be
  a gross overestimate and may be closer to the
  truth than most people have previously thought.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
See pages 257 258 in Exceptional Children
textbook
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Causes of Learning Disabilities

• In nearly every case, the cause in unknown.
• However, there are four explanations of how LDs
  are acquired
• Brain damage or dysfunction
• Biochemical Imbalances
• Heredity
• Environmental Factors

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Causes of Learning Disabilities (cont)

• Brain damage or dysfunction
• Some professionals believe that all children with
  LD suffer from some type of brain injury or
  dysfunction of the central nervous system
• Biochemical Imbalances
• In the 1970s, professionals believed LD was
  caused by artificial coloring and flavoring
  suspected vitamin deficiencies.
• Today, most professionals give little credence to
  biochemical imbalances as a significant cause of
  LD.

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Causes of Learning Disabilities (cont)

• Heredity
• Siblings and children of persons with a LD have a
  greater likelihood of having reading problems
• Environmental Factors
• Particularly impoverished conditions early in a
  childs life and poor instruction
• Also due to infrequent communication exchanges
  with parents and quality of instruction they
  receive.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
See pages 255 260 in Exceptional Children
textbook
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Methods of Instruction/Treatments

• Medical
• Educational
• Emotional
• All of the above are empirically based

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Medical Methods

• Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, Dexedrine, and
  Cylert are some examples of the medication taken
  by persons with a LD.
• Temporarily improves a persons attention and
  ability to focus
• Most medications are effective for 3-4 hours and
  are out of their system in 12 hours.

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Medical Methods (cont)

• Types of therapy that have not been proven to
  affect length of attention span
• Special diets
• Sugar free diets
• Megavitamins
• Colored lenses
• Body stimulation or manipulation

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Educational Methods

• Separate all-day classrooms
• Resource rooms
• Parents hire trained tutors
• Special schools

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Emotional Methods

• Counseling
• Joining support groups
• Behavior modification
• Structuring tasks

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Exceptional Model Schools

• Marburn Academy
• The Langsford Center
• ADDed Dimension Coaching
• The Ohio State University

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Marburn Academy

• Founded in 1981
• Provides effective instruction for bright
  children whose learning differences prevented
  them from succeeding in traditional school
  programs
• All remediation teachers are trained in
  Orton-Gillingham and Visual Mathematics, and an
  Enrichment Program is in place to meet the needs
  of gifted students.
• One of only 10 accredited schools in the U.S. for
  Orton-Gillingham instruction

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
http//www.marburnacademy.org/
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The Langsford Center

• Specialists in reading
• 5 centers 3 in the Louisville, KY area, 2 in the
  Cincinnati, OH area
• One-on-one instruction between instructor and the
  student
• Not a school, but teaches alternate learning
  skills to be applied at the students school

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
http//www.langsfordcenter.com/
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The Langsford Center

• Specializes in learning disabilities that affect
  the development of reading skills and language
  processing
• specific phonological awareness, phonics,
  reading, comprehension, listening comprehension
• Uses the Socratic teaching method
• Help the students discover the information by
  asking them questions to guide their thinking
• The result is that there are no wrong answers
• This helps the student learn to think differently
  about information, leading to the building of
  self-esteem and self-confidence within the
  student

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Specific Disability Coaching

• ADDed Dimensions Coaching
• While ADHD is not a disability category
  recognized by IDEA 1/2 children w/ADHD receive
  special education
• Kate Kelly RN, MSN, CS
• An advanced practical mental health nurse with
  nineteen years of experience as a group and
  individual therapist
• Specialized in working with ADD adults for the
  past eight years

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
http//www.iser.com/ADDcoach-OH.html
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The Ohio State University

• Office for Disability Services
• Stresses self-advocacy for the student
• Provide counselors to train students how to
  approach professors and ask for the specific
  accommodations needed
• Not bound by the students IEP

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
http//www.ods.ohio-state.edu/
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Cost of providing effective instruction

• ADDed Dimension Coaching
• Initial session 120/hour
• 3 types of sessions/coaching
• Personal Coaching 225 - 350 monthly
• 30 minute weekly session
• Couples Coaching 250 - 350 monthly
• 30 minute weekly session
• Spot Coaching 125 every session
• 90 minutes bi-weekly sessions

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Cost of providing effective instruction

• The Langsford Center
• 65 weekly hourly sessions
• The Ohio State University Office of Disability
  Services
• 300 for LD/ADD testing
• No fees for any other services
• Marburn Academy
• Elementary to Junior High (15,900)
• High School (14,900)
• Some funding options include loan programs and
  scholarships

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Succeeding in Postsecondary Education Through
Self-Advocacy

• By Robin H. Lock Carol A. Layton
• Volume 34 2
• Nov-Dec 2001
• http//journals.sped.org/ec/archive_articles/VOL.3
  4NO.2NOVDEC2001_TEC_Article10.pdf

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Research Article

• Students with LD enter post-secondary schools in
  large numbers, but often find college programs
  lacking in accommodations they need for success
  in higher education.
•  Most counselors and instructors are unfamiliar
  with the needs of students with learning
  disabilities.
• Community colleges only 31 faculty and 6 of
  academic counselors have received preparation in
  special education.
• The article shows how young adults can determine
  cognitive strengths and weaknesses and develop
  their own self-advocacy plans to increase their
  chances of success.

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Research Article

• The increasing need for postsecondary
  accommodations
• Dramatic enrollment increases
• According to the National Center for Learning
  Disabilities website of the 428,000 students with
  disabilities in postsecondary education settings,
  196,000 (46) have a learning disability
• Transition Issues
• Many students are unaware of their strengths and
  weaknesses in terms of academic functioning
• Accommodations most often are typical
  accommodations, such as a tape recorder or
  extended exam times, and have no regard for
  specific, individual student learning
  requirements
• Needs of Students
• Students need programs supported by the campus
  office for students with disabilities.

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Research Article

• Professor concerns
• Providing accommodations means watering down
  the course
• Students use learning disabilities as an excuse
  to get out of work
• Accommodations for disabilities give students an
  unfair advantage
• Accommodations dont have to be provided if the
  professor does not want or know how to make the
  accommodation work in his or her course
• Students receiving accommodations are not
  responsible for the required course assignments
• Students with learning disabilities have lower
  intellectual abilities than those without
  learning disabilities
• Students with learning disabilities have attitude
  problems and have no responsibility for meeting
  their own needs in the classroom.

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Research Article

• How To Develop A Self-Advocacy Plan
• Using a learning disabilities inventory, students
  can discover what kind of accommodations they
  could implement without the aid of their
  professors
• The Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory
  (LDDI Hammill Bryant) is a teacher-observationa
  l rating scale for indicating the possible
  presence of a learning disability.
• However, if one uses it in a self-reporting
  format, then it is useful in determining a
  persons strengths and weaknesses.

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Research Article

• How To Develop A Self-Advocacy Plan (cont)
• The independent scales include listening,
  speaking reading, writing, mathematics and
  reasoning.
• These scales include 15 items that are associated
  with behaviors of weakness in that area.
• The student then rates the frequency of their
  behaviors to determine how strong or weak they
  are in that area.

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Research Article

• Results
• Authors conducted interviews as to the usefulness
  of creating the self-advocacy plans
• Written plan was helpful in guiding conversations
  with professors, felt more fully engaged, felt
  more successful, professors felt they had
  increased understanding of accommodation needs.

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Research Article

• Discussion
• Didnt state whether actual grades showed
  improvement
• Only effective if you use the plan actively
• Have to have social skills to talk to professors
  and counselors
• Should still make themselves aware of campus
  services available to them-success centers,
  technique centers, academic support centers, etc.

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Research Article

• Implications/applicability
• Helping students become better self advocates is
  one method for improving transitions from high
  school to college
• Often LD students know they have a disability and
  probably where they struggle but many do not have
  specific knowledge of weaknesses and needs so
  creating a self advocacy plan helps students be
  aware and gives them concrete ways they can be
  more successful on their own and what professors
  can to meet their needs
• As educators the sooner self-advocacy plans are
  made with students, the more informed and
  prepared they can be to make sure their
  educational needs are met and that their
  disability is never a reason for poor academic
  success.

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Presentation Summary

• In 2000-2001, nearly 2.9 million students were
  served under the learning disabilities category,
  making it the largest special education category.
• Learning disabilities are usually caused by brain
  damage or dysfunction, biochemical imbalances,
  heredity or environmental factors.
• Treatment includes the use of medication such as
  Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, Dexedrine, and
  Cylert
• Instructional methods include utilizing separate
  all-day classrooms, resource rooms, special
  schools and trained tutors.
• Counseling, support groups, behavior modification
  and structured tasks all are emotional methods to
  support students with learning disabilities.

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Presentation Summary (cont)

• Instruction Models
• Goal is to provide an equal education to students
  with learning disabilities
• Recognize that students with learning
  disabilities need different skills than normal
  students
• There is more of a need for smaller class sizes
  and especially one-on-one instruction
• There is a variety of treatments available and
  the costs for each treatment varies also.

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Presentation Summary (cont)

• By taking the LDDI and modifying it in to a self
  report, students with learning disabilities can
  identify specific weaknesses as it relates to
  their postsecondary education and can then become
  advocates for themselves. Since postsecondary
  education often lacks proper training in how to
  be advocates for those with learning
  disabilities, students being self advocates is
  important so they never let their disability be
  the cause for a less successful postsecondary
  experience.