The Bottom LineAT & LD on the WebSara Bolkema Exceptional Child April 9, 2002 CCOOLLLLEECCTTIIOONN OOFF EEXXPPEERRIIEENNCCEESS –– LLEEAARRNNIINNGG DDIISSAABBIILLIITTIIEESS What exactly is a learning disability? According to PA 198 and 451, a learning disability consists of a disorder in one or more of the basic processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written. This disability appears as an imperfect ability to listen, speak, think, read, write, spell, or perform mathematical calculations. LD includes dyslexia (difficulty reading), dysgraphia (difficulty writing), and dyscalculia (difficulty with math). However, LD does not include any learning problems that are the result of another disability or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. In general, a learning disability consists of a severe discrepancy between ability and achievement in one or more of the following areas:  Oral expression  Listening comprehension  Written expression  Basic reading skill  Reading comprehension  Mathematics reasoning The MET for an LD student must include both the student’s regular teacher (or, if the child does not have a regular teacher, a teacher qualified to teach a student of his or her age) and at least one person qualified to conduct diagnostic examinations of children. This person may be, for example, a school psychologist, a teacher of speech and language impaired, or a teacher consultant.What if I were LD? In my exceptional child class, I had the opportunity to experience for a short time what it is like to have a learning disability. Several different simulations were used, each one increasing the amount of frustration I felt. First, we went through an exercise in auditory perception. Each member of the class was given a worksheet with various drawings, shapes, numbers, and letters listed under each question. For each one, a series of instructions was read that pertained to the drawings for that question. These lists became increasingly long and complex; as we approached the final questions, I had extreme difficulty retaining even a portion of the directions that were read. It was amazing to me that for many LD students such auditory perception and retention is the primary means by which knowledge and information are gained. The next exercise brought a frustration of a new sort. In this demonstration, we were asked to first place a strip of paper on our foreheads and then write the numbers from 1 to 10 and our name on the paper. Needless to say, this endeavor involved no small amount of brain strain! It was frustrating for such a simple task to suddenly become so daunting. The Paper-On-Forehead Simulation My efforts… My third LD experience occurred during Disability Awareness Week. In this exercise, I had to follow the outline of a star, staying between the two lines forming the star’s shape. The catch was that my only means ofwatching my work was a mirror. Unfortunately, this exercise actually was not too hard for me, making it a less effective simulation of a learning disability. However, it certainly was more challenging than performing the same task without a mirror. Eachof the LD simulations gave me a neunderstanding and appreciation of the difficulties faced by LD students. It was immensely frustrating for somethin w g that seemed so simple to be so difficult. My star… Technology for LD? While assistive technology is most often thought of as an aid for the visually, physically, or hearing impaired, technology can play an important role in the education of LD students. Any technology utilized can be defined as either remedial or compensatory. Remedial technology seeks to correct or improve areas of deficiency. Educational software is a prime example of ttype. Software can aid in the instruction of “traditional” academic areas, such as math or language. However, it can also be used to tless subject-specific skills, such as cause-and-effect and turn taking.capability is especially beneficial for younger students with severe learnindisabilities. Compensatory technology, on the other hand, is designed to get around the disability. Technologies of this type include books on tape, calculators, electronic date books, word processors with spell-check, his each This gproofreading, and abbreviation expanders, and outlining software programs. All solutions need not be this high-tech, however, and can be as simple as a grip for a pencil or an abacus. Clearly technology, in all its varied forms, can be a beneficial part of the education of an LD studen t. ow I’m the teacher…Yikes!N D student.llow me to find the one opportunity to experience firsthand the nts in ol teacher, e e n ation through different r ny ntial Now that I have had thefrustrations and challenges faced daily by students with learning disabilities, I am somewhat better prepared to instruct these studemy classroom. Since schoolwork was, in general, not an unusually difficult challenge for me during my elementary and secondary schoyears, I know I will need to take extra care to ensure that the necessaryaccommodations are made for LD students. My greatest asset in their instruction will be patience. The simulations taught me that it is frustrating to be the LD student. As amy frustration will not help, and will mostly likely further hinder, thsituation. Creativity is a must; as th simulations showed, LD students ofteabsorb informmeans than a non-L A wide variety of teaching methods will a that best suits a particulaLD student’s means of learning. I will also do my best to remain on top of technology. Both new and old technologies can be very helpful tools for a student with a learning disability. I have yet to discover just how technology can fit into a music classroom; while I am aware of mamusic software programs, I am not yet familiar enough with their potebenefits. I am left wondering precisely what role these programs can play in my classroom. With experience and a bit of research, I am hopeful thatI can find a way to fit into my classroom musical technology that will be of assistance to students with learning disabilities. The Bottom Line lations I experienced through my exceptional child lass r to g, I T & LD on the Web The LD simuc made clear to me the frustrations of learning disabilities. I wondewhat extent these frustrations adversely impact the lives of students who deal with learning disabilities.