Learning Disability Information

DESCRIPTION:

Learning disabled (LD) students have a life-long condition which affect language related skills such as speaking, listening, reading, writing, spelling, and math. Learning disabilities affect students with average to superior intelligence and vary in degree of severity. A student may have problems in one or more of the following areas:  attention and concentration, visual discrimination, eye-hand coordination, organization, self-esteem, or social interactions.  Students with an acquired brain injury (ABI) have many of the same types of problems as LD students.  When given the opportunity to learn, and when provided with proper support, LD and ABI students are often able to overcome their limitations and succeed in an academic setting.

CHARACTERISTICS:

1. Visual discrimination, noting the differences between letters or words.  Teh qerceptual hanbicag fo byslexai causes broplems ni reabinq.  The perceptual handicap of dyslexia causes problems in reading. 
2. Visual memory - remembering what is seen. A student may have trouble taking notes from the board and copying them correctly.
3. Auditory discrimination - noting the difference between sound-alike words.  The students may have trouble with words that sound similar (cat/cap, bat/that, conscience/conscientious).
4. Distractibility - easily distracted by noises and various visual stimuli.  A student may have trouble "staying with" something, have a short attention span - may "get bored" easily, or be unable to block out unwanted stimuli. 
5. Figure/ground relationships.

   a. Auditory:  inability to block out background noise.

   b. Visual:  inability to see letters in words and words in sentences. Thepe rceptu alhan dicap ofdys lexia caus espro blemS inreading.

6. Eye-hand coordination - ability to write or draw what is seen.
7. Social behavior- over reacting to common situations, mis-reading social situations, and having a poor self image.  An LD student may misunderstand what is said, take things the wrong way, or get overwhelmed by the need to make a decision.
8. Integration - ability to do several tasks at once or complete a task.  Student may not be able to listen to lecture, take notes, and copy from the board all at the same time.

MYTHS AND REALITITES:

Myth:  People with learning disabilities are stupid and rarely successful.

Reality:  Learning disabled people are of average to superior intelligence and are often very bright, creative, and successful.

SOME SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES:

Bruce Jenner, Whoopie Goldberg, Cher, Tom Cruise, Albert Einstein