Working with Students with
Learning Disabilities
Definition of LD
Characteristics of students with LD
Five Stages of Learning
Recommendations for Gen. Ed. teachers
Class Objectives
Today
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Learn the Federal Definition of Specific Learning
Disabilities (IDEA definition)
IDEA criteria for specific learning disabilities
Understand difficulties students with LD experience
Describe differences between constructivism and
objectivism
Describe characteristics of Direct Instruction
Name the 5 Stages of Learning
Apply 5 Stages of Learning to working with students
with LD in your classrooms
Short Brainstorm
Minute 1:
• Individually
brainstorm and list 3
primary skills a
student must poses
in order to gain
access to academic
learning in school.
Minute 2:
• Turn to a person
close to you, share
your lists and try to
rate which is the
most important skills
a student needs to
have to access
academic learning in
school.
Federal Definition under IDEA
Specific Learning Disability means:
A disorder in one or more of the
basic psychological processes
involved in understanding or in
using language, spoken or
written, which may manifest
itself in an imperfect ability to
listen, think, speak, read,
write, spell or do mathematical
calculations.
IDEA Identification Criteria for
LD
A team may determine that a child has a
specific learning disability if:
The child does not achieve commensurate with
his or her age and ability levels in one or more
of the areas listed, when provided with
learning experiences appropriate for the
child’s age and ability levels; and the learning
problems are NOT primarily the result of
visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of
mental retardation, of emotional distrubance,
or of environmental, or economic
disadvantage, or cultural or linguistic
difference.
IDEA Identification Criteria for LD
A team may determine that a child has a
specific learning disability if there is a severe
discrepancy between achievement and
intellectual ability in:
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oral expression
listening comprehension
written expression
basic reading skills
reading comprehension
mathematics calculation
mathematics reasoning
Learning Disabilities
 Identification Criteria
 Discrepancy between potential and achievement,
IQ is average or above average
 Failure to profit from typical instruction
 Pronounced Strengths and Weaknesses
 Variable performance
 Inconsistent performance
 Academic Skills
 Reading, Writing, Math
 Affective Domain
 Self-Esteem
 Motivation
Difficulties in the following areas may by
symptomatic of a learning disability:
Attention
Processing Time
Reasoning
Memory
Oral Communication
Reading
Writing & Spelling
Mathematics
 Motor Skills
 Social Skills and Abilities
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Common Secondary Characteristics of
Individual’s with Learning Disabilities
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Low motivation
Poor Self-Esteem
Behavioral Concerns
Physical Affects
Self-Critical &
Critical of Others
High School Students with LD might
experience difficulties with:
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Taking lecture notes
Copying notes from the board
Listening comprehension
Vocabulary Development
Multiple meanings
Memorization
Pronouncing & spelling multisyllabic or irregular words
Applying capitalization & punctuation rules
Slow reading speed
Slow rate of comprehension
Organization of ideas
Determining informational hierarchies
Common Themes for working with
students with learning disabilities:
The most important thing to remember is
that these strategies are good for all
students!!
The key to success for teaching
students who have trouble learning is
STRUCTURE, structure, structure!!!
& then determining the amount and kind of
practice that each individual student
needs & how to maintain their skills.
Understanding Your Student
Population
• It is essential to take the time to get to
know your “audience.”
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Students’ learning styles
Students’ learning needs
Students’ perceptions about learning
Clarifies where you may need to start with
instruction
– Establishes credibility with students
• This class is about them, not just the content you
are teaching
• Helps us, as teachers better frame model of
information delivery
Some Differences between Regular &
Special Education (In theory)
 Regular education and special education
are based on different learning theories.
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Regular Education  Constructivism
Special Education  Objectivism
Under objectivism is behaviorism
Behaviorism  Direct Instruction & 5 Stages
of Learning
Direct Instruction (DI)
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Explicit objectives
Present the new information
Present examples and non-examples
Guided Practice
Error correction/clear instructional feedback
Promote high rates of accuracy
Quick paced and interactive
Evaluation of instruction/collection of data
Constructivism
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Learners are active participants
Learners create knowledge
Learning should be authentic
Materials should be authentic
Assessment of learning should be
authentic
• Teachers are moderators
What works for students with
learning disabilities?
 A combination: Direct Instruction &
Constructivism
 Goal of Regular & Special Education is to support
students in becoming independent learners…but they
need clear objectives, models and practice just as we do
as teacher-learners…
 5 Stages of Learning
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Acquisition
Fluency
Maintenance
Generalization
Adaptation
Stages of Learning
 Acquisition
 Learning to perform the basic requirements of a
skill
 Goal is to teach correct performance of the skill
 Promoting Acquisition – Guided Practice
 Attention
 Information on how to perform the skill correctly
 Feedback (immediate reinforcement, error
correction, other strategies)
 Frequent measurement
Stages of Learning
 Fluency (Proficiency)
 Learning to perform the skill with ease
 Goal is to perform the skill with the necessary
ease or speed for success in the natural
environment
 Promoting Fluency
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Determine the level of fluency required
Frequent, structured practice
Differential reinforcement
Feedback (immediate reinforcement, error
correction, other strategies)
Stages of Learning
 Maintenance
 Learning to perform the skill after teaching has
ceased
 Goal is to perform the skill when necessary in the
natural environment
 Promoting Maintenance
 Ensure that you are teaching functional or useful
skills
 Over learning
 Thin the reinforcement schedule
 Use natural reinforcers
 Delay the reinforcers
Stages of Learning
 Generalization
 Learning to perform the skill in situations other
than training situation (classroom)
 The goal is to extend the skill to other
environments
 Promoting Generalization
 Extend training to other environments
 Reinforce generalized use of the skill
 Recruit reinforcement in other environments
Stages of Learning
 Adaptation
 Learning to apply the skill to novel problems
 The goal is to extend the skill to new
situations
 Promoting Adaptation
 Provide opportunities to adapt the skill
 Point out the functionality of the skill
 Reinforce adaptations of the skill
Connecting the Stages of Learning to
Student’s Learning Needs
• Students with learning
disabilities have
difficulties with
understanding or in using
language, spoken or
written, which may
manifest itself in an
imperfect ability to listen,
think, speak, read, write,
spell or do mathematical
calculations.
Let’s take a look at Different Kinds
of Learning Disabilities
Reading
• Poor readers have difficulties with…
– Phonological Awareness (Sound-letter
correspondence)
– Orthographic Processing (Visual Memory)
– Effects reading fluency
– Effects reading comprehension
Teaching Guidelines for students
with Reading Disabilities
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Provide students with structure to succeed in
acquiring content &/or skills
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Pre-teach vocabulary
Preview major concepts
State purpose for reading
Provide clear directions & examples/non-examples
2. Develop fluency of skills or content
1. Provide opportunities for repetition of instruction
2. Make time & volume adjustments for those who
need more practice
3. Provide feedback (in class exercises where
students can give and receive frequent, direct &
clear feedback)
Accommodations
 Books on tape
 Partner reading
 Small group work (structured, assign roles)
 Provide alternative assignments (using sources
other than reading for acquiring information,
or use modified texts with pictorial supports,
videos, audio lesssons).
 Oral assessment (quizzes & tests)
Book/End of Chapter Questions:
Text Accommodations
Teach chapter previewing skills
Provide page numbers where the
answers can be found
Simplify vocabulary
Break two part questions down into two
separate questions
Modifications: reducing number of
questions to be answered for HW, tests
How to provide NEEDED
STRUCTURE to all students
• Have students keep an assignment notebook
• Clearly state and post daily objectives – what you
expect the students to learn while in your class.
• Develop and use a simple system for students
to receive, record, and turn in assignments
(Rod’s routine).
• Clearly explain the system (several times) and provide
opportunities for practice and feedback.
• Be consistent!!!!!
• Set clear consequences.
• Follow up when students do not follow the system
• Be consistent!!!!
Taking your structure through the 5
Stages of Learning
• Clearly explain, model and conduct
guided-practice on how you want notes
and assignments set up.
– I do it.
– We do it.
– You do it. (Anita Archer, 2003)
Maintenance and trying to get students to
use these skills across classes should be
encouraged…teaming with other teachers
to do this helps tremendously.
Teach Study Skills to Mastery using
the 5 Stages of Learning
• Note taking (2 column note-taking
system)
• Memorization (note card exercises)
• Social Skills (DI, model, practice, assess
classroom rules)
• Writing
– Writing process  brainstorm, outline,
topic sentence, etc.
– Proof reading check list
In this lesson we covered
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Learn the Federal Definition of Specific Learning
Disabilities (IDEA definition)
IDEA criteria for specific learning disabilities
Understand difficulties students with LD
experience
Describe differences between constructivism and
objectivism
Describe characteristics of Direct Instruction
Name the 5 Stages of Learning
Apply 5 Stages of Learning to working with students
with LD in your classrooms