Accommodations
Learning Disability and
Supports
Tanya LyonsBelt, M.Ed.
Registered
Psychologist
If life hands you melons….
………you might have dyslexia
Our time today……
 Reading Disorder= Dyslexia
 Dysphonetic
 Dyseidetic
 Mixed
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 Mathematics Disorder= Dyscalculia
 Disorder of Written Language=
Dysgraphia
 The “Soft Signs” of LDs
2 Main Reading Disorders
(Dyslexia)
Dysphonetic Dyslexia: Also called Auditory Dyslexia
because the disability is caused by the way the person
processes auditory information. Individuals with this type
of dyslexia are often diagnosed with an Auditory
Processing Disorder as well.
 Problems pairing letters and sounds (phonemic
awareness issues). These people learn to read by
memorizing words as a whole instead of sounding out
letters individually. They may make mistakes like:
 Lemon for Melon
 Brain for Brian
 Mixing up “b” and “d”
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What is going on?
 Student often is seeing words as Gestalt wholes- pictures
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essentially. May be three-dimensional in their head and
move around.
They usually are good at: Block Design, Map reading,
building things, puzzles.
Good at design, engineering, architecture, mechanics.
Often “think outside of the box”.
May be memorizing words because they cannot clearly
see every letter. Do they have visual processing issues?
Remediation Techniques
 This is often a teacher, SLP, curriculum consultants area of
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expertise, but:
Try Earobics
Writing with Symbols
More phonics skills practice
Play dough letters or Writing Without Tears
Use large muscles to create letters first on a big slant board
or white board- muscle memory.
Accommodations
 Visual cues in spelling tests
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dog
Use sight word memorization (Dolch Words);
flash cards for learning.
Writing might be easier than printing because
the letters become “one”.
Break down a new word, look it up, try
“Google Images” to pair it with a visual.
Extra time for exams.
 Spell checker – Franklin Word Master, Apps, Kurzweil
3000; Read and Write Gold, Wynn.
 Reader/Scribe if needed
 Coloured overlays/paper
 Word Art
bed
 Dyseidetic Dyslexia: Completely opposite issue. Trouble
remembering words as a whole (trouble with the rules of
language such as silent letters and different sounds that one
vowel can make- they sound everything out). They may make
mistakes like:
 Spelling hole for whole
 Gurl for girl
What is going on?
 The completely opposite issues with reading. Seeing parts,
but not the whole.
 Don’t remember words from one page to the next or sight
words as well.
 Sounding out everything they see.
 Often don’t remember the rules of the English language
(silent letters).
Remediation
 Extra help with Dolch Word recognition- memorize in more
than one physical area.
 Work on Working Memory Skills- is this the cause of the
difficulty?
 Focus on the rules of the English language and
rhymes/memory techniques to go with the rules (When 2
vowels go walking, the first one does the talking).
 Writing with Symbols or draw a picture to go with a
word/Google Image.
Accommodations
 Do not penalize for spelling mistakes unless it is the focus of
the test/assignment
 Have the student read their work aloud or into a digital
recorder. Audacity, Dragon Naturally Speaking.
 Type rather than write so mistakes are highlighted.
 Reader/Scribe for exams if needed
Accommodations
 Accommodations used with EAL learners may also work
with these students.
 Allow student to hand in a rough draft, gather
feedback/editing and then hand in a final copy.
 NOTE:
 Individuals can also have a Reading Comprehension
Disorder and/or Mixed Dyslexia
Individuals with Reading Disorders
often…
 Have trouble with left and right orientation. It does not
come natural to them to read from left to right and top to
bottom. One indication of this is that they create letters
from bottom to top and circles counter-clockwise.
 The extra energy remembering to do this can exhaust them
quickly.
Accommodations
 Have the student practice “left and right” with a mini-car
giving them directions, blind fold, etc.
 Give students less to read independently and less
homework. Homework can often take more than double the
amount of time it takes the average student.
Students with Reading Disorders
 Often think in pictures, which is more efficient than words
(a picture is worth a 1000 of them!). So they often leave out
specific words when reading and writing. These are words
that are difficult to create a visual image for and therefore
are easily forgotten.
Accommodations
 Get the student to draw, create, think about,
google or look on “Writing with Symbols” so that
they can have a visual attached.
More Ideas
 Forget about learning letter names and focus on
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their sounds.
Develop rhyme awareness.
Segment and blend (pull apart and put together
words)
Separate syllables into phonemes.
Learn letters in several different fonts. There are
specific ones for students with dyslexia.
Allow students to enjoy stories by hearing e-books
and following along.
FM System utilized in the classroom
Make use of your Speech Language Pathologist.
Math Disorder
 Often these individuals have a negative reaction
to numbers (math anxiety). Better their relationship
with numbers by making them fun again.
 Sudoku
 Playing cards (cribbage)
 Workbooks in area of interest
 Logic puzzles
Math Accommodations
 Calculator
 Apps
 Multiplication table
 Formula sheets
 Provide manipulatives
 Math done on graph paper to keep numbers lined up (can
get graph paper with various sized squares). Fold paper
into four or six and have one problem per box.
Math Accommodations
 Give reminders to, “Watch the Signs” or have student
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colour code the signs with a highlighter before starting.
Give feedback/check after the first three or so questions,
so the student doesn’t complete the whole assignment
incorrectly.
Real-life applications of problems if possible.
Provide a visual summary of each step.
Learn concepts using as many senses as possible (Math
rap, body movements, math keys- Home and School
Connection).
Math Accommodations
 Avoid having the student copy the question from a
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textbook.
Avoid the “only do every second column”
worksheets. Instead, cut out the two columns and
photocopy them (preferably enlarged) onto a
sheet.
Large font and less on a page is better for math
anxiety, visual processing issues and organization.
Encourage playing an instrument.
Touch Math
Math Accommodations
 Teach the “tricks” for multiplication tables.
 Avoid timed math tests (Mad Minutes).
 Student with LD may take longer to learn a
concept. Lots of practice, but once they have itthey usually have it for good. Therefore, more time
on initial learning and less on practicing and
review.
 Write out the steps.
 Allow use of erase-able pen if sensory issues
Disorder of Written Expression
 Dragon Naturally speaking or other Speech to Text
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software and apps.
Digital voice recorder/Audacity
Notetaker; Live Scribe Pen
Pencil weights and grips- encourage tripod grasp
Graph paper, lined paper, ridged lined paper.
Dirt, Grass, Sky- brown, green, blue lines
Allow cursive or printing.
Provide students lecture notes before a lecture
(blanks to fill in).
Provide laptop/netbook for use in class
Accommodations:
 Alternate format assignments (dioramas,
presentations, posters).
 Put agenda notes on a tab sticker and print off for
the students needing it. This ensures accuracy and
timely wrap up of the day.
 Have student work on mazes and connecting the
dots.
 If gross motor skills are problematic, gym
accommodations may be necessary.
Accommodations
 Consult an Occupational Therapist and
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recommend a visual processing assessment.
Extra time to complete written assignments, allow
point form, only focus on one aspect of the written
work at a time rather than all (e.g., punctuation
only).
Multiple choice, short answer, true and false testsallow extra time.
Stress accuracy, not speed.
Allow free writing in journals
People with LDs often have…
 Anxiety
 Lower self esteem
 Social issues
 Slower processing speed
 Sequencing, organizational and conceptual issues
 Attentional issues
 …you may need to accommodate for these as well.
Overall, try to…
 Have student acquire information through as many
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senses as possible. This stores the information in
several “filing cabinets” in the brain.
Give students more time to process information.
Have students paraphrase instructions
Allow alternate format of assignments (choice).
Allow quiet space to work or write exams/study
carrels/ear plugs.
 Reinforce consistent effort.
 Alternate tasks that are easy/difficult
 Incorporate student’s interests
 Encourage communication between teacher,
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students, and parent
Ask the student what they need
Teach organization, colour coding, calendars,
reminders, alarms (iPod)sync with parents.
Break assignments and goal down into segments
Teach acronyms and mneumonics
 Encourage structure, consistency and
predictability.
 Encourage students to fully engage in activities in
which they are successful to maintain self esteem
(e.g., need to quit hockey to focus more on math
tutoring is likely to make student bitter and
unhappy).
 May need social skills practice with typical
students.
 Allow white noise on ear buds during class
(www.simplysound.com)
Dyslexics Untie!
 Remember that students are all unique. Talk to the student
and learn more about their issues and what works for them.
They may need some help to self advocate.
 Talk to teachers, SLPs and OTs to learn from their
perspective… a team is essential! Remember parents are
part of the team.
 Learning disabilities are lifelong. The way in which they are
expressed may vary over an individual’s lifetime, depending
on the interaction between the demands of the
environment and the indivuduals strengths and needs.
Promoting A Sense Of Community
And Social Acceptance
 Teach learning strategies and organizational skills.
 Encourage students to use self-checking methods to
evaluate their work.
 Ensure all children in the classroom to recognized and
understand that all people are different. A safe and caring
environment is important for all children.
 Encourage students to celebrate strengths and challenges
to build resiliency within the entire class.
Big Ideas to share with the
classroom teacher..
 Share positive beliefs about collaboration and inclusion
 Encourage the teacher to plan thoroughly and implement
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their plans with flexibly
Always consider teaching strategies that engage ALL
students
Remember caring and respectful classroom supports
Focus class time on learning
Are positive about including ALL students in their classes
Work collaboratively with parents and other professionals
Further Information
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Understanding Learning Disabilities: How Difficult can this
be? (video) Richard Lavoie
Beyond FAT City (video)Richard Lavoie
When the Chips are Down? (video) Richard Lavoie
It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend (video)by Richard
Lavoie
The Motivation Question (video) Richard Lavoie
Mind Magic by John Laurence
The Gift of Dyslexia by Ron Davis
The Source for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia by R. Richards