The Social Side of Learning Disabilities

Student Characteristics

Learning Examples

Implications

Strategies

Intelligent and Creative

Learns well in a multisensory environment with support and nurturance of his/her abilities; thinks of atypical solution; often views issues from unusual perspectives

Requires stimulating subject matter

Ask about learning interests

Use literature, poems, humorous anecdotes for listening activities

Take a trip to the local library; follow up by drawing a picture of what you learned

Engage in problem solving by asking guiding questions without providing answers

Highly motivated when s/he understands the specific learning disability

Seeks learning environments; requests homework; discusses what s/he needs for learning to occur; perseveres

Requires on-task focused activities

Get to work quickly without wasting time

Structure activities with several opportunities for reinforcement of skill/knowledge learned

Provide different ways for the skill/knowledge to be learned (multisensory experiences)

Disorganized

Misplaces belongings, homework schedules, often late, doesn't finish tasks

Requires structure

Use organizers, like folders, sectioned notebooks, daily/weekly calendars

Make daily "To Do" lists with sp[ace to check off completed items

Itemize belongings used at a particular time or activity

Unpredictable attention span

Quickly goes "off task" when unsuccessful; complains that activities are "boring"; interrupts group work

Requires brief activities

Present lessons in manageable chunks concluding with an activity signaling the end

Itemize the morning's activities with the time each begins and ends

Limited Retention

Forgets to perform tasks; frequently asks for repetition of comments/directions; repeats words to self while reading "silently" (subvocalizes); forgets sequences of events in conversation/stories

Requires multisensory chunks

Use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactual experiences in all activities ("show, say, do")

Task analyze a skill to be learned, sequencing each step in developmental order

Write or have the student write directions/information to be learned

Ask the student to repeat what s/he has heard

Slow to process

Doesn't answer questions; stares into space; repeats what's just been said; appears confused when another question is asked before first one is answered

Requires time to think

Count silently to "10" before rephrasing the question or asking another student to answer

Tell classmates that everyone has "time to think" of an answer

Poor language on demand

Uses many words and explanations to make a point; offers functional definitions (what an item is used for, not what it is); difficulty remembering names, dates, one word answers, misnames items

Requires training in "main idea"

Give a famous quotation and ask for the meaning in one or two sentences

Display a picture and ask for the main theme in one phrase or sentence

Say a word and ask what it "equals" (synonym) in one or a few words; if the word given is a noun, the answer must be a noun

Verbal and inquisitive

Loves to discuss question and ponder with others; relates interesting, often humorous stories; notices detail and specifics without tying them into an integrated whole

Discusses information to be learned

Use small discussion/cooperative learning groups; have each member "explain" specific information/viewpoint

Provide a "template" (skeleton outline) in which student fills in details of discussion

Discuss and link the literal (concrete) and figurative (abstract) meanings of idioms

Unaware of casual relationships

Doesn't understand links between causes and effects; can't project future consequences of actions; doesn't generalize or make assumptions and inferences from specific situations or actions

Requires "if-then" practice

Describe/show a situation and stop before the end; ask the student to guess what will happen

Ask the student to review what happened when s/he behaved well in school

List and discuss the major category of 5 items; ask the student to add one more item to the category

Unaware of non-verbal clues

Doesn't "read" others' body language; stands too close during one-to-one conversations; doesn't understand congruency between verbal and non-verbal messages

Requires practice in non-verbal communication cues

Show a picture of a person expressing an emotion; ask the student to say something as if s/he were experiencing that emotion

Makes inappropriate comments

Inappropriately comments on others' flaws; doesn't use subtlety in social situations, for example, will ask a person about a scar/disfigurement

Requires feedback

Ask the student how s/he would feel were someone to point out his/her flaws (be specific)

Ask the student why s/he mentioned the flaw; what was his/her goal?

Tell the student how you would feel if your own flaw were highlighted

Low self-confidence

Doubts ability to succeed, especially with academic tasks; doesn't understand how s/he best learns; doesn't ask for what s/he needs to complete tasks

Requires successful experiences

Insure early success at tasks

Provide individualized instruction in which the student offers his/her explanation and examples

Ask the student to tutor a peer/younger child once the skill/knowledge is learned/practiced successfully

Provide opportunities for students with similar difficulties to discuss their experiences