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“Walk a Mile in My Shoes”
LD Simulation Workshop
Linda Barbetta – Executive Director
“Imagine going to work and not being able to do your job. Now imagine that you can't leave your job. Imagine having to do that every day. This is what life is like for children with learning disabilities.“
-- Dr. David UrionDirector, Neurology and Learning Disabilities
Program, Children's Hospital, Boston
The Learning Process
A person with a learning disability has difficulty taking in, remembering, or expressing information.
INFORMATION
Taking in information
MEMORY
Understanding, Processing and
Filing it to Memory
EXPRESSION
Withdrawing information and using it in the outside world
Facts about Learning Disabilities Neurobiological disorder – very misunderstood because of
“invisibility”
Average to above average intellectual ability
Affects all areas of life, not just education
You do not out grow it.
10% of Canadians have an LD
Over 3 million people in Canada have a learning disability – that’s a lot of vulnerable kids!
Impact of Learning Disabilities
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES (LD)
For those with LD who are working, the average income is $14,000/year, whereas, in the general population the average income per year is $23,000.
43% of the LD population live at or below the poverty line; in the general population those who live below the poverty line represent 18%.
48% of the LD population are out of the work force or unemployed, whereas, only 26% of the general population is out of the work force or unemployed.
Up to 60% of adolescents in treatment for substance abuse have identified LD (Source: Hazelden Foundation, Minnesota, 1992).
More Stats…
35% of students with LD drop out of high school -twice the rate of
their non LD peers (Source: National Longitudinal Transition Study, Wagner, 1991 ).
62% of students with LD were unemployed one year after graduating from high school (Source: National Longitudinal Transition Study, Wagner, 1991 ).
50% of females with LD were single mothers within three to five years after leaving school (Source: N. L. T. Study, Wagner, 1991).
10%-12% of adolescents with LD become involved with the criminal justice system compared to 2.5% of the general population (Source: Ontario government, 1986).
“Walk a Mile in My Shoes”
Workshop
Workshop adapted from: The Learning Disabilities Association-Vancouver
3292 E Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5M 1Z8
The following presentation is designed to foster a better understanding of
Learning Disabilities. It is not intended as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment or advice.
Reading Disabilities - Dyslexia
Now class, we’re all going to read a short story. Many of you will be given the opportunity to participate.
DO NOT READ AHEAD! JUST FOLLOW ALONG.
If you’ve done your homework this should be relatively easy. To ensure success, I’ll give you some tips.
POPCORN STORY
Dysgraphia and Far Point Copying
Please turn to the next page in your workbook.
Writing and Printing DifficultiesUse your non-dominant hand to perform the following tasks
Copy the designs you see below with your neatest and quickest skill
Far Point Copying Difficulty
Areas of difficulties: Problems copying notes from
the board, overhead, or other sources
May lose their place after looking away or being distracted
Difficulty in holding a visual image in your head and then reproducing it.
Helpful Strategies: Provide a copy of the lesson/lecture
notes ahead of time
Place horizontal and/or vertical lines across sections of the blackboard, overhead, etc. to help give reference points
Write blackboard information as two columns on the board – ensures you don’t have to erase information as quickly
Have fewer visual distractions on blackboard or on overhead
Provide a highlighter or ruler for student to use while following along
WORD WALL
DYSGRAPHIA
Areas of difficulties: Forming letters/numbers
Copying figures that require a series of hand movements.
Struggles to write on a straight line
Difficulty holding a pencil
Improper spacing of letters within words or words within sentences
Difficulty in with eye-hand associations and so are unable to write efficiently.
Helpful Strategies: Give notes for a lecture or lesson to the
student ahead of time to follow along with
Give students “cloze” activities instead of writing out entire sets of notes
Let student use a laptop to write
Give shorter assignments (quality vs. quantity)
Allow additional time for written work
Be a scribe for the student (let them tell you their answers/ideas for tests or assignments orally)
Example of Dysgraphia
DYSLEXIA
Areas of Difficulty: Breaking words down into
individual sounds or blending sounds together to read quickly and accurately
Reading fluency – reading skills are slow and effortful
Mix up letters and sounds like b,p,q,d, reading “dog” as “god”
Differentiating spaces between words and punctuation
Following a line of type
Reading comprehension – focus of energy is on decoding, not understanding what is being read
Helpful Strategies: Use pictures to supplement
written material
Keep reading material short & simple
Help kids preview material that needs to be read (explain new terms, highlight important concepts)
Be patient and provide extra time for reading
Allow students to listen to books as mp3s or on CD
Give kids time to practice before they will read anything out loud
Avoid singling kids out to read in front of class – use echo or choral reading
Difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, and comprehending material
Written Example
he way I descride a bumby ride is like wothgan mowtsarts mowsek. eshe bumby rowd is like a song. Eshe bumb is the a note eche uncon at the sam time ste is. that was the mewstere to mowts mowsuk it was vare metereus and unperdekdable.So the nex time you drive down a bumby theak of mowtsart.
The way I describe a bumpy ride is like Wolfgang Mozart's music. Each bumpy road is like a song. Each bump in the road is a note. Each bump is uncontrolled at the same time it still is controlled. That was the magic to Mozart's music. It was very mysterious and unpredictable. So the next time you drive down a bumpy road think of Mozart.
Text written by a 13 year old with dyslexia:
Same text, read orally by the 13 year old and scribed:
Math Test
We have been studying adding and subtracting this week, so this should be
easy for you.
Processing Deficits - Auditory
Areas of Difficulty: Following multi-step instructions
Memory for information given orally
Responding quickly to oral questions or directions – participating in class discussions
Attending to a preferred message when there is background noise
Discriminating between different word sounds (e.g bear & pair)
*NOT hard of hearing or deafness- capable of hearing, difficulty processing what they hear
Helpful Strategies: Speak more slowly
Provide instructions and information in small chunks
Simplify verbal directions
Repeat verbal instructions to the student privately after a group lesson
Provide written copies of oral information for student to refer to
Give substantial time for students to answer oral questions
Decrease environmental distractions and background noise
Don’t assume child is unmotivated or lazy – consider they might not have had time to process your instructions or questions!
Assessment & Evaluation
Let’s Reflect!
Questions?
Thank you and Remember
There is no challenge as great as a little boy in school when he doesn’t want to be there…
and no one as courageous as a teacher who wants to change his mind.