Learning Disabilities - Inclusion

Learning Disabilities - Inclusion

There can be many difficulties with  the inclusion of a student with a learning disability into a mainstream classroom. The following chart touches on some of these day-to-day classroom issues. With appropriate accomodations, modifications and teaching techniques, the student's opportunities to succeed are greatly increased.


 

Characteristic	What you might see in the classroom
Inflexible attitude and language	Is reluctant to try anything new. Gets upset when routine is different or the schedule changed. Has difficulty changing from one task to another Does not attempt a new or strange word when reading
Receptive language difficulties	Hears the dog barking or a truck honking, but barely hears mother calling or what teacher says. Cannot understand a riddle or joke. Frequently confuses directions, both oral and written. Needs instructions explained for each assignment. Asks the same thing repeatedly; asks constant questions but does not seem interested in the answers. Loses meaning of a sentence from beginning to end Ignores punctuation and other cues Infers content that is not there
Expressive language problems	Shows many hesitations and repetitions in oral language. Has blurred pronunciations in speech. Uses poor syntax and semantics. Has trouble relating a story or incident. Stops and starts in the middle of a sentence or idea, talks about hospitals, animals, and enemies all at ones. Has difficulty forming concepts. Calls breakfast lunch and is confused by yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Makes up words when reading
Academic problems	Is less task-oriented than peers. Has problems in all areas of the language hierarchy. Has problems reading (skips words, omits them, or adds them when reading aloud) May be able to add and multiply but not subtract or divide; or can do math mentally but cannot write it down. Shows deficiencies in metacognitive (knowledge about own thinking) skills; is weak in learning and problem-solving strategies. Does not complete lengthy assignments or homework. May confuse letters in writing or recitation Awkward, even unnatural movement of the pen or pencil Often mirrors or reverses letters
Memory problems	Forgets assignments, homework, books, coats, and pencils. Forgets names of people, places, things, own address and telephone number (but does remember the ads on television) Cannot remember things seen or heard. Cannot remember the sequence of letters that make up a word. Frequently late or in the wrong place Poor notion of chronological order May confuse instructions especially if there is more than one step May not remember rote matters (multiplication tables) Does not seem to retain a basic stock of spelling words; will use creative phonetic spelling
Impulsive	Has attention problems; is easily distracted. Is disorganized, uncooperative. Says what first comes to mind. Calls out in class. Rushes headlong into work; is the first one finished, but does all the problems wrong. Skips or omits steps in problem solving Careless about columnar structure
Outward locus of control	Says “I don’t care” or “I won’t” but really means “I can’t” Would rather be called bad than dumb. Is passive; lacks motivation. Frustrated under time pressure Works slower than age & grade peers
Coordination	May hug the cat too tightly but cannot hold a pencil. Has difficulty learning left and right, copying from the board. Shows sloppy drawing and writing skills. Reverses letters and numbers: may read on for no, write 41 for  14, p for d, q for b May be a good swimmer but stumbles up the stairs. Has trouble lining up, cannot help bothering a child ahead in the line. May bump, trip or spill more frequently than peers Often confused or anxious over taking turns
Social	Relates poorly to peers, teachers, and other adults. Is less likely than others to be accepted, may be rejected or neglected by peers. May be socially inept and always on the fringe of the group. Shows poor self-esteem and self-concept. Does not seem to understand the affective status of others derived from facial expressions, body movements, and tone of voice. Often repeats social errors Has difficulty making and keeping friends
Copying/Note making	Careless, often reproduces inaccurately Loses place often May have difficulty reproducing a shape from memory.