Get Your Students Hired
The current class has one student with dyslexia. I asked him what support was needed in the past that worked. Of these, I allow extra time which is within institutional policy and allow him to circle the correct aswers on exams to avoid making reversal errors. The student is currently among the top in class.
I have not yet had to teach students with disabilities. I have a son with a learning disability and teach to him nightly. He suffers from numerous reading challenges and ADD. The combination of the two are challenging to all of us. Cannot overcome the reading because he cannot focus long enough. Time is the most valuable resource which we use a lot of it.
Phil,
unfortunately in today's environment it is somewhat challenging to distinguish which students truly have an LD & which are taking advantage of certain situations.
Dr. Ryan Meers
What is the most common form of learning disability that you encounter in your classes? What are the characteristics?
Of the common forms of Learning Disabilities encountered in classroom settings, probably my most commonly encountered disability seems to be Dyslexia, but is it really such, or is it only “paying the piper†for all the years of never being taught or never having been required to actually learn to read and to write?
Next in order of Learning Disabilities is possibly Dyscalculia, about which much has been written, but about which I am merely and frankly frustrated. I teach a course high in mathematical processing, and invariably a few students seem to require more than double the amount of presentation, practice and review to be able to translate from a word problem to a mathematical solution.
I recently had the chance to have a student in my class that suffers from dyslexia. I thought it was going to be a tough road ahead for both of us but in reality it ended being fairly easy and I appreciate the experience.
Two types of disabilities I have found in my short time as a full-time instructor is someone that reverses numbers, so the medical coding can be a challenge for them and a couple of people that have had trouble with word comprehension, so that medical terminology was aa challenge. I tried to give them extra time so they could read at their own pace. Mindy Smith
Amanda,
you probably have, but unfortunately many of these students are too embarrassed to ask for help. The best thing we can do is demonstrate that we are here to help & hopefully they will open up to us.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I run into a lot of students who struggle with reading comprehension. They struggle with understanding the material by reading it. They really need to discuss it for comprehension.
If I have had a student with a learning disability in my class I have been unaware of it. However, I would suspect that because dyslexia is the most common learning disability that that may be a type of learning disability that I will encounter at some point. I would hope that a student who was struggling with this disability would come and discuss it with me so we could work together to come up with some strategies that may help them suceed.
Ivan,
this is definitely an LD that can really hamper many of our students as they realize how much math is involved in many of their career paths.
Dr. Ryan Meers
There are two that are most common in my classes. The first is ADD and the second is ADHD. Although very similar, not quite. One has the hyperactivity and the other does not.
Dyscalculia
This LD affects students learning mathematics. They may be unable to memorize multiplication tables, or even master basic adding and subtracting. As math work relies on these foundations, dyscalculia can become progressively worse as the student progresses through the course.
Melissa,
this is a great way to help address these learning difficulties while also helping all learners in the classroom to be engaged.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Comprehension of reading and writing (dyslexia). I've found that these students are usually above average in intelligence and when they know what the issue is, are quick to tell the instructor what had helped them in the past.
I have found that dividing class into two different rooms during written exams works really well. In one room, the exam is given on paper. In the other room, the exam is given verbally. The students themselves choose which way they would like to test. This has shown an increase in scores in the past three months.
I have not been made known formally of any learning disabilities from previous students. However, in the upcoming semester, I have been made aware of two students; 1 with PTSD and the other ADHD. I have encountered both students during skills labs and other conversations and recognize the challenges for my course. One of them cannot stand or sit still during a conversation and the other I found difficulty in explaining a concept to her. With the population of patients we are going to be working with, I am going to find an effective strategy to help them get through the clinical portion of the course.
ADD/ADHD, ESL are the most common.
I do my best to keep lectures in 10 minute intervals with some short activity to cement in the concept being talked about.
I let students stand if needed, have a stress ball to play with, etc.
I always provide written instructions that are handed out to each student as well as spoken and viewed on a screen. The written directions are usually in very basic terms. Each requirement is spelled out. The desired outcome/task is in bold.
Lisa,
it really is best to wait for them to come to you. This can be hard to do, but you do not want to cross any ethical or legal lines.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I agree that dyslexia is probably the most common learning disability. The accommodations that can help these students will also benefit students that are second language learners since it can often take them longer to read and comprehend material as well. Is it appropriate to approach a student that you sense may have a learning disability, or do you have to wait for them to come to you to discuss it?
THE MOST COMMON FORM OF DISABILITY IS UNDERSTANDING NEW WORDS AND THEIR DEFINITIONS . aLSO THOSE WHO HAVE ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Selma,
this definitely seems to be a very prevalent learning challenge for many of our students.
Dr. Ryan Meers