when finding a student that has a disabilitie. remembering not to cross that line of ADA. but also having the compasion to understand what they are going through. sometimes pushes us harder to ensure they get the most from the course. it is completly up to the student to let you know that they have a learning disabilitie.
My daughter has dyslexia but with a tutor she made it successfully through high school and college and now functions as a sales manager for a large retail chain. I know what help can do - and I make sure that is available to all my students before class during class and after class
My biggest challenge is to not slow the other students down while helping the students whih have learning disabilities.
Yolanda,
exactly right as this helps open those lines of communication. And when the student sees that we want to help & are willing to help he/she is much more likely to seek our help as the course progresses.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This is a challenge, but also very rewarding. When I notice a student is having difficultlyin my class. I approach the student in a couple of ways: first,that I am concern about their grade. Second, if their any way I can help them, improve their grades. The more you communicate with your student, the better your student will be able succeed in your class.
Tracey,
definitely a significant challenge that hopefully we can demonstrate to our students that we care & want to help them & then they will seek our help when they need it & not wait so long.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
At this point, I would say that just being able to know about the disability in the beginning of class not being told halfway through course when grades are affected.
One of the greatest challenges is working with a student who has an undiagnosed learning disability. I had an older student (late-forties??) last term who believed that she had ADD/ADHD, but it had never been formally diagnosed. For this reason, I did give her more time to complete tests. As a veteran, she was told by the VA that perhaps she could benefit by having a free diagnosis. She was afraid that a diagnosis and record of disability would be a disadvantage to her in the future (e.g., getting a job). Although ADD/ADHD is a legally protected area of disability, I still wonder to what extent a formal record of a learning disability or ADD/ADHD might hinder a student in the job market.
Brandon,
this is such a challenge, but if I can show them I truly want to help, often they will be more open with me.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Deborah,
and I've found that showing I'm open & really want to help is a great way to get them to open up & share with me.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Getting a student to come forth with information on what has worked or what I can do to help them.
Knowing first they have a disability and then figuring out how to help
James,
excellent point. We must take each student as an individual & even their success in each class on an individual basis.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
James,
excellent point. We must take each student as an individual & even their success in each class on an individual basis.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Trisha,
this is definitely a challenge & unless the student walks in with the information & is willing to share, we really can't tell. One of the best courses is for us to be open & supportive & help however we can.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think that the greatest challange is making them beleive that they can acheive success. Many times students are labeled as the trouble maker because they are upset that they can not understand the material like the other student and they start to rebel, it is sometimes the only method they know to bring attention to themselves, but what they are really saying is that "I NEED HELP PLEASE" I endured this for the majority of my high school career until I found the method that I understood and helped me acheive success.
I would agree that the lack of information from the student themselves is prime. It is also easy to be assumptive that based on success in other classes that all is even. Even if the skills needed for success are different (math vs english).
The greatest challenge for me working with a student with learning disabilities is perhaps determining those with true learning disabilities and the students who have self diagnosed their "disability" such as dyslexia.
Trisha
I have noticed that they are one of the last few students to finish a test. The student I have now is not embarrassed by the fact that it takes her longer.
It is so much better to have school work with these students it is so much helpfull gor them.
