God,

Please grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference. So far today, we’ve been doing alright. We have not gossip, lost our temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or self-indulgent. We have not whined, complained , cursed or eaten too much calories. But we will be studying in a minute and we know we will really need your help then.

Thank you Father.

Amen

LEARNING DISABILITIES

INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL EDUCATION 1

A STORY ABOUT NOAH

“ If you plant a lettuce

and doesn’t grow well,

you don’t blame the lettuce”

Noah felt like he was always hitting the books. While his friends were meeting for pickup soccer games after school, he was back home in his room reading and rereading the same material.

But no matter how hard Noah studied, he had difficulty remembering things and his grades stayed average. Meanwhile, his friend Sean, who never seemed to study, always aced tests. It didn't seem fair.

Because Noah was so frustrated, his dad and teachers made an appointment with the school psychologist. She diagnosed Noah with a learning disability. Although Noah felt relieved to know what was going on, he was also worried.

He didn't like the "disability" label. And he was concerned about what it might mean for his future. Would he be able to go to college and study engineering as he'd hoped?

is acquiring new, or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information.

LEARNING

DISABILITY

-any restriction or lack (resulting from any impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

Learning disability • are problems that affect the brain's

ability to receive, process, analyse, or store information

• can cause a person to have trouble learning and using certain skills.

• is a classification including several areas of functioning in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors.

RUN

AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

There is no "cure" for learning disabilities. They are life-long. However, children with learning disabilities can be high achievers and can be taught ways to get around the learning disability. With the right help, children with learning disabilities can and do learn successfully.

Preschool signs and symptoms of learning disabilities

• Problems pronouncing words• Trouble finding the right word• Difficulty rhyming• Trouble learning the alphabet,

numbers, colors, shapes, days of the week

• Difficulty following directions or learning routines

• Difficulty controlling crayons, pencils, and scissors or coloring within the lines

• Trouble with buttons, zippers, snaps, learning to tie shoes

Grades K-4 signs and symptoms of learning disabilities

• Trouble learning the connection between letters and sounds

• Unable to blend sounds to make words

• Confuses basic words when reading

• Consistently misspells words and makes frequent reading errors

• Trouble learning basic math concepts

• Difficulty telling time and remembering sequences

• Slow to learn new skills

Grades 5-8 signs and symptoms of learning disabilities• Difficulty with reading

comprehension or math skills• Trouble with open-ended test

questions and word problems• Dislikes reading and writing;

avoids reading aloud

• Spells the same word differently in a single document

• Poor organizational skills (bedroom, homework, desk is messy and disorganized)

• Trouble following classroom discussions and expressing thoughts aloud

• Poor handwriting

A learning disability can cause a person to have trouble learning and using certain skills. The skills most often affected are:• reading,• writing,• listening,• speaking,• reasoning, and• doing math.

Verbal Non-Verbal• difficulty with

words, both spoken and written

• have trouble with the act of writing

• difficulty processing what they see

• have trouble making sense of visual details like numbers

If, like Noah, you've been diagnosed with a learning disability, you're not alone. Nearly 4 million school-age kids and teens have learning disabilities, and at least 20% of them have a type of disorder that makes it difficult to focus.

Walt Disney

Alexander Graham Bell

Tom CruiseEinstein

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language, particularly with reading and spelling.

2 TYPES OF DYSLEXIA

• Basic reading

• Reading Comprehension

Signs of reading difficulty include problems with:• letter and word

recognition• understanding words

and ideas• reading speed and

fluency• general vocabulary

skills

dyscalculia

• Learning disabilities in math vary greatly depending on the child’s other strengths and weaknesses.

• A child’s ability to do math will be affected differently by a language learning disability, or a visual disorder or a difficulty with sequencing, memory or organization.

dysgraphiaLearning disabilities in writing can involve the physical act of writing or the mental activity of comprehending and synthesizing information.

• Basic writing disorder refers to physical difficulty forming words and letters.

• Expressive writing disability indicates a struggle to organize thoughts on paper.

Symptoms include the problems with:• neatness and consistency of

writing• accurately copying letters and

words• spelling consistency• writing organization and

coherence

dyspraxia-refers to problems with movement and coordination

-whether it is with fine motor skills orgross motor skills

aphasia/dysphasia-involve the ability to understand or produce spoken language.

-Involves the ability to retell a story and the fluency of speech, -as well as the ability to understand the meaning of words, parts of speech, directions, etc.

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s natural, lifelong ability to change. Throughout life, the brain is able to form new connections and generate new brain cells in response to experience and learning.

Arrowsmith programuse strategic brain exercises to identify and strengthen weak cognitive areas.

A Camperdown Academy student participating in the Arrowsmith Program.Only 24 schools in the U.S. offers the program(oct.2011)

“90 to 95% of reading impaired children can overcome their difficulties if they receive treatment.”-Kathryn Drummond, Ph.D.

-ABCLITERACY.ORG

THANKYOU!!!(bow)