RUNNING HEADER:Specific Learning Disabilities
1
Specific Learning Disabilities
Kristi Heckman and TaMeira Woods
March 28, 2018
SPD 608
Professor Jacobs
Specific Learning Disabilities
Introduction
Specific Learning disabilities are often called the invisible disability. There is no
outward indication of a problem and often it is overlooked by parents thinking they are just lazy
or unmotivated. Learning disabilities are not an indication that there is any cognitive impairment
either. Quite often a person with this disability has an average to higher intelligence (Berninger
& O'Malley, 2011, p. 3). It is also a disability that can be overcome with the right models,
teaching and learning strategies. But first the disability needs to be diagnosed and a plan put into
action.
Possible Service Delivery Models
There are two service delivery models that are effective for learning disabilities, they are
both inclusive, the student is in general education classes for most of their day.
Differentiated instruction
In differentiated instruction modifications are made to the content, process, products,
affect, and learning environment. (Smith, Polloway, Doughty, Patton, & Dowdy, 2016, p. 106).
In content the curriculum is modified for the ability of the student. The process, how the lesson
Specific Learning Disabilities
will be taught, along with the product, how the student will demonstrate what they learned, is
based on the learning style of the student, the affect of the lesson is based on increasing the
students feeling of self-worth. Finally, the environment must be inducive to the learning style of
the students as well as the teaching style of the teacher.
Differentiated instruction will include activities that are based on something the student is
familiar with and usually real world based. It also may reduce classwork and homework loads
and increase the time the student has to finish the assignment.
Direct instruction
It has also been found that direct, structured instruction is beneficial to learning
challenged students. With reading, using the tier three instruction with intense, direct
instruction, students with reading disabilities can become sufficient readers. Students with SLD
benefit from step by step instruction. Clear and direct steps along with modeling are an effective
way to learn. (Smith, Polloway, Doughty, Patton, & Dowdy, 2016, p. 107)
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Specific Learning Disabilities do not mean a person also has cognitive disabilities. Most
have average to above average intelligence. It is the way memory and coding work, or do not
work, that causes the disability.
The forms these disabilities take are as follows:

Dysgraphia – Automatic legible letter writing, Orthographic coding, Finger
succession
Specific Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia – Pseudo word reading, Spelling, Phonological coding, Orthographic
coding, Rapid automatic naming, Inhibition, Rapid automatic switching

OWL LD – Oral and Written Language Learning Disability – Morphological
coding, Syntax coding (Berninger & O'Malley, 2011, p. 168)
Students can overcome their disabilities but with out ongoing monitoring and instruction,
the deficits can repeat later in life, especially as the type of curriculum changes (Kumar & Raja,
2009, p. 5). To help keep this from happenings, the disability needs to be found early and
intervention started (Kumar & Raja, 2009, p. 5). There are tools that can be used to help
students’ memory, which is also affected by this disability. Mnemonic strategies have been
proven to substantially increase learning. It is not only helpful for LD, but it has been proving to
help all students in all subjects (Kumar & Raja, 2009, p. 6).
In Teaching Literacy, Miller shows her process in developing a lesson plan that will work
for all levels of learners in her classroom. She uses GFDI and has found it affective in her
previous classes. The instructional strategies she uses are; contextual redefinition chart, guided
fluency development instruction, survey strategy, main idea/detail graphic organizer, scaffolded
reading experience, repeat reading, comprehension monitoring guide, summary writing,
scaffolded reading experience. This is for a two-day lesson plan for reading on the topic of
Ancient China (Miller & Veatch, 2010, p. 169)
Another strategy that has research backing is SQ3R (Berninger & O'Malley, 2011, p.
160) (Kumar & Raja, 2009) (Roberts, Takahashi, Park, & Stodden, 2012) (Smith, Polloway,
Doughty, Patton, & Dowdy, 2016). As students enter fourth grade and up, both Teaching
Specific Learning Disabilities
Literacy and Supporting Struggling Readers found that students are not ready for expository
reading or writing. In the paper Supporting Struggling Readers in Secondary School Science
Classes, the SQ3R strategy was used along with Text to Speech technology.
TTS was used in a middle school science class with students with dyslexia. It was found
that their comprehension increased as they used it. When they used it in high school, the
struggling students progressed further in comprehension that those who were not having
difficulties. The use of the Text to Speech software also falls into what is helpful for all students
with SLD. It offers the ability to hear the pronunciation, to see the word as it is spoken and to
organize words and phrases as in a graphic organizer. For more detail on all the software can do,
please see Roberts et. al. paper (Roberts, Takahashi, Park, & Stodden, 2012, p. 3)
TTS encompasses several areas that have been proven to help students with SLD.
Conversation and pronunciation through audible devices has been affective, which is the basis of
TTS. Also, it allows for structured practice and immediate corrective feedback (Miller &
Veatch, 2010).
Suggested Adaptations and Modifications
There are several ways to adapt and modify instruction for SLD and for English
Language Learners. Using graphic organizers and pictures to associate with words and
definitions. Allowing more time to complete assignments as well as simplifying the word. Also,
assessments can be done orally or by multiple choice or fill in the blank questions. Allowing for
extra practice in reading and writing will also benefit students.
Specific Learning Disabilities
Conclusion
Although great strides have been made in understanding the genetic and cognitive
areas of Specific Learning Disabilities, as well as strategies that can help most overcome this and
learn as non-affected students do, there is very little research and evidence available to create a
strategy that can fit into the IDEA (Berninger & O'Malley, 2011, p. 171) (Kumar & Raja, 2009,
p. 4) (Miller & Veatch, 2010, p. 174). It is imperative that SLD be diagnosed as early as possible
so that intervention can be started. But with this being known as the hidden disability, which is
all too often thought of as someone being lazy or uninterested, it is not always caught early,
almost never before early years of schooling. But it is a disability that can be treated, and many
great thinkers have overcome it to go on and deliver amazing insight and advances to our world.
References
Berninger, V. W., & O'Malley, M. M. (2011). Evidence-Based Diagnosis and Treatment of Specific Learning
Disabilities Involving Impairments in Written and/or Oral Language. Journal of Learning Disabilities,
44(2). doi:10.1177/0022219410391189
Kumar, s. P., & Raja, W. D. (2009). Treating Dyslexic and Dyscalculic Students. I-manager's Journal on
Educational Psychology.
Miller, M., & Veatch, N. (2010). Teaching Literacy in Context: Choosing and Using Instructional Strategies. The
Reading Teacher, 64(3).
Roberts, K. D., Takahashi, K., Park, H.-J., & Stodden, R. A. (2012). Supporting Struggling Readers in Secondary
School Science Classes. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44(6).
Smith, T. E., Polloway, E. A., Doughty, T. T., Patton, J. R., & Dowdy, C. A. (2016). Teaching Students with Special
Needs in Inclusive Settings (7th ed.). Birmingham: Pearson.
Specific Learning Disabilities