https://www.testingforchildren.

com/services/learning-disabilities-2/

Learning Disabilities
By: Eunice Ho
What are Learning Disabilities?

 Refer to a number of disorders that may affect the “acquisition, organization, retention,
understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information” (B.C. Ministry of Education, 2016).
 Common learning disabilities include: arithmetic disorder, writing disorder, reading disorder,
spelling disorder, auditory processing disorder, visual processing disorder, sensory integration (or
processing) disorder, organization learning disorder, and social cue disorder.
 Students with learning disabilities show:
 Persistent difficulty learning and
 Average or above average cognitive ability and
 Weaknesses in cognitive processing

(The three that are presented in red font will be examined in greater detail in this presentation.)
Auditory Processing Disorder

 affects the way the brain processes or interprets what it hears even though there are no
issues with hearing.
 may have difficulty with listening, processing information, understanding verbal
instructions, recalling what they’ve heard, following a sequence of directions, recognizing
distinct sounds, applying phonics, encoding and decoding words, reading
comprehension, vocabulary and basic literacy.
Teaching Students with
Auditory Processing Disorder

 Use phonemic games to teach decoding:

 Move a token for each sound segment in a word
 Reverse-a-Word (Say “mat”, then say it with reversed beginning and end sounds –e.g. “tam”).
 Remove-a-part (Say “pan”, then say it without the beginning sound -e.g. “an”).
 Repeat or rephrase key information throughout the lesson.
 Seat the student near the teacher and away from distractions.
 Use visual tools like a white board or computer to support spoken lessons.
 Provide a list of key vocabulary and concepts for upcoming lessons.
 Don’t penalize the student for spelling errors.
 Speak clearly and slowly when presenting information.
 Break down test or classwork instructions into short, written steps.
Visual Processing Disorder

 affects the ability to make sense of visual information even though there are no issues with
vision.
 may have difficulty with recalling and using visual information, recognizing objects,
differentiating colours, letters, or numbers, accurately identifying information from books,
pictures, charts, graphs and maps, fine motor tasks, perceiving distances, depth or
movement.
Teaching Students with
Visual Processing Disorder

 Include simple diagrams or images to help clarify long written directions.

 Give oral directions as well as written instructions.
 Describe out loud any visual presentations.
 Provide the student with a peer note-taker or a copy of class notes.
 Write directions in a different colour.
 Draw bold, black borders around math problems to help the student focus on one item at a time.
 Ask for oral reports instead of written responses.
 Allow the student to submit answers on a separate sheet of paper so they can focus on writing thoughtful
responses rather than fitting them into small spaces.
 To support receptive language processing, use graphic organizers to assist in organizing information, making
connections between concepts and providing different ways of looking at information.
Sensory Integration (or Processing)
Disorder

 affects ability to integrate information from body’s sensory systems (visual input, auditory
input, olfactory input, taste, tactile input, vestibular input, and proprioceptive input.
 may have difficulty with calming onself, regulating movement, social emotional problems,
making smooth transitions, putting ideas into words, understanding where one’s body is in
space, and extremely over- or under-reactive to senses.
Teaching Students with Sensory
Integration (or Processing) Disorder

 Build in sensory breaks throughout the day

 Establish consistent routines and let the student know ahead of time if there will be changes.
 Create visuals with pictures for sensory input choice (e.g. modeling clay, squeeze ball, fidget tool) for
younger students to follow if they’re overstimulated.
 Reduce the need for handwriting (e.g. use fill-in-the-blank questions instead of short answer questions) and
allow extra time for writing (to accommodate motor skills fatigue and issues with proprioception).
 Provide a quiet space so the student isn’t overwhelmed by the noise of others.
 Let the student use alternative seating (e.g. wiggle chair, exercise ball, stand-up desk).
 Divide long assignments into chunks that can be shared for feedback frequently.
 Model problem solving and discuss productive and unproductive strategies.
 Structure opportunities for students to relate subsequent learning tasks to what they know about their
strengths and needs.
 Helpful Resources

 Child Mind https://childmind.org

 Lexia Reading https://www.lexialearning.com
 LD Online www.ldonline.org/ldresources
 Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-
12/inclusive/special_ed_policy_manual.pdf
 Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities. A Guide for Teachers
https://onq.queensu.ca/content/enforced/310332-
SUM2019CONT904002/Readings/learning_disabilities_guide.pdf?ou=310332
 Teaching Student with Learning and Behavioural Differences
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-
tools/inclusive/learning-behavioural-differences.pdf
 Understood https://www.understood.org/en
References

 B.C. Ministry of Education (2016). Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures, and
Guidelines.
 B.C. Ministry of Education (2011). Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities. A Guide for Teachers.
 Morin, A. (n.d.). At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Visual Processing Issues. Understood. Retrieved
from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-
strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-visual-processing-issues
 Morin, A. (n.d.). At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Sensory Processing Issues. Understood.
Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-
strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-sensory-processing-issues
 Rosen, P. (n.d.). At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Auditory Processing Disorder. Understood.
Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-
strategies/classroom-accommodations-for-auditory-processing-disorder