Students w/ undiagnosed learning disabilities
I have a range of student ages, and have noticed that some of the non-traditional students have some reading/writing/comprehension issues and wonder if they have potential undiagnosed learning disabilities. Is there a diplomatic way to bring this up with them?
Helen,
This is a good example of how we need to work with students and provide them with support as needed. The problem often times is just what you indicate--lack of knowledge and the inability to be able to get such information. Hopefully this student will be able to complete the course successfully now that everyone knows what the learning needs are.
I make a point of announcing to my classes that Student Services is available to them and that if they will register with the office then they can receive accommodations, if they don't then help is not going to be forth coming. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, which always makes me sad to see a student fail due to them not being willing to self disclose their disability.
Gary
I was unaware of this rule. I have a student who started out doing well but as the course material got harder she began failing. I worked and worked with this student and we were both very frustrated. It seemed that she could answer any question I asked verbally but could not answer the same ? if asked in written form. I finally asked her if she was dyslexic and she said that she was and that she also had ADHD. It would have been so less time consuming and less frustrating if I knew this info in the beginning. I had no idea that asking her was illegal!! I know that we sent her to our campus director and we are now in the process of accomodating her needs. I hope it's not too late.
Hi Stephanie,
This focused attention on how your students are processing information is a great way to identify how you can be of help to them. This also lets them know you care about their success and are there to help them as needed.
Gary
Just closely observing my students, I can pick upon a student that may have learning disabilities. Sometimes they just come out and tell me if they have a problem. I try to be sensitive to their needs and then I will repeat important parts of the lessons they need to retain and get understanding over and over.
Hi Heather,
Good point. According to the contents of the ADA act a person that is recognized as having adult status without guardianship must personally declare the disability. Without self reporting there is nothing we educators can do except offer general support until they do self disclose or don't succeed in the course. This is always a sad thing for me because I know we can help them if they will just self disclose but they won't so they fail as a result.
Gary
You must be extremely careful about asking students about learning disabilities. According to federal law, an institution is not allowed to inquire if a student has a learning disability. You can certainly make a general announcement in class advising students to see you if they require special accomodations, however, under law you cannot specifically ask a student if they have a learning disability or an IEP.
I think you have to be careful on how you ask these questions. There are legal ramifications for asking such questions.
What I is mention that if students have a documented disability, they should speak to me privately. However, if I do sense that a student has an undocumented disability, I do speak with them and talk about how the approach studying and learning. I make suggestions that will help them with the material. That way, you are not singling them out or asking anything inappropriate.
This is a really helpful suggestion as I have come across this issue a few times now. I teach a GE Written Communication course and find that many students have below average reading comprehension and writing skills. Part of my job is to figure out (quickly) if those problems are a result of never having learned the material, a learning disability (diagnosed or undiagnosed), or a language barrier issue, etc. in order to provide the necessary support.
Hi Karen,
What I do is to make a general announcement at the beginning of a new class that "I understand many of you learn in different ways and as a result need different kinds of supports to help you be successful. As you instructor I would greatly appreciate you letting me know how I can be of help to you." This opens the door for students to come and see me privately where we can talk in detail about the kind of support they need. At this meeting I ask them if they can tell me or show me a copy of their IEP so I can see on it what kind of support they had. This helps me to target in on their needs.
Many students will not declare themselves as having a disability. One of the major reasons for not declaring the disability is that as adults they don't want to set themselves apart. Many think that once they leave high school they are "cured" of any disability they had in high school. It is about half way through the course when they are failing that they recognize the fact that a learning disability is for life so they are going to need some assistance as they develop ways to be successful in college. This makes it a bit harder because it is at this point they are digging themselves our of a hole in the course.
The idea of being independent as an adult, making their decisions and not wanting to appear to be different in anyway from their peers really set these students up for potential problems. I work very hard when I see such students starting to emerge to create a relationship with them to the point they are willing to talk to me about their class situation. No real clear cut answers to how to approach such students other that be open and supportive and have rapport with them. I had one student that just completed my course after attempting it three times. He finally realized that he could be successful but that he was going to need some help and that I was able to help him without anyone else knowing it.
Gary
thank you for your clarification. I was under the impression, along with many of my my colleaguess at the secondary level, that the IEP went with them as a legal document and was mandated for instructors to follow as in high school. It helps to know that they must ask. Would it be fair to ask the class as a whole in the beginning to have students let you know if the have had an IEP in the past to let you know (confidentially and privately) and make the info available to you so that you can make the accomodations? Or would doing this open up a can of worms for other students to say they have undiagnosed or self-diagnosed disailities since the Educational Privacy Act would not allow us to require copies of high school IEPs.
Hi Karen,
As you know from your public school teaching situation that a student with a diagnosed disability has an IEP. That IEP stays with the student until high school graduation or age 21 which ever occurs first. This is a part of the IDEA (Individuals With Disabilities Act-07).
Once a student leaves high school through either means the IEP is not longer in place. Students with a disability that go onto post secondary training or college are doing so voluntarily. So they are not entitled to any services like they were in high school. They are protected under ADA in terms of discrimination.
What I do with my students that have disabilities is to encourage them to bring their public school IEPs and share with us instructors the supports that were successful in the IEP. I take this information and develop a ILP (Individual Learning Plan) for each student. These are in no way legal documents. They are just guides for faculty to follow.
In other cases I ask the student to advocate for him/herself in terms of talking with the faculty about the supports they need. Most often the supports involve more time to complete tests or assignments.
The hardest thing for these students is understanding that they have moved from entitlement under the IEP to advocacy for themselves and that the only services they are going to receive are those that the faculty will be willing to provide. They can't demand they have to ask.
Any questions on this please let me know.
Gary
I also teach at a public Jr-Sr high school during the day and I am accustomed to dealing with IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) which are legal documents that must be followed. I have heard that they can follow student to a college level. Dr Meers, can you tell me if this is true, and if so, would the Professor/Instructor have to be n otified if it is a legal document that must be followed?
I have experienced the same as far as the policy of directly asking a student if they have a learning disability...most times if it is undiagnosed, they may not know anyhow. I would provide the student with the support and refer them to tutoring if it is available and just suggest that they speak with student services/academics to let them know they are having trouble with their courses and ask them for options for help.
My institution also has this policy. While it can be frustrating, I have learned to try to work with any students that are having trouble. I encourage questions and will explain anything as many times as I need. If they are having a lot of trouble I will suggest they see me after class where I can walk them through the topic one on one.
You could send a personal information card around for names, phone number, any learning issues that they have identified
Jodi,
If there are questions you can ask, that will be helpful in ascertaining whether or not they have a specific problem, then yes. I think a better approach is to refer the student to the guidance department and speak privately with the advisor regarding your concerns.
Jamila
Hi Nicole,
Most institutions have the same policy when it comes to asking about possible disabilities. This is understandable since it is up to the student as an adult to disclose if they have a disability. What I do is to ask them about their issues with the course content if they are starting to fall behind or not doing well on the assessments. I ask them if they need some additional help or tutoring. This is when they most often will let me know they have a cognitive processing problem or learning disability. I refer them to Student Services where they can be assessed if needed or a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) can be developed for them.
Gary
Great question- anyone else have more suggestions? Our institution has a policy that we are not allowed to directly ask the student if they have a learning disability. I would really apperciate any suggestions.
Hi Jodi,
You can approach each student individually and talk with them about their perceived progress in the course. You can ask them about their ability to complete reading assignments. Their responses can help you to determine how you will help them with their academic skills. If they raise issued about how ready is hard for them because they can't understand what they are ready or that the words don't make sense you can suggest that they might want to visit the Students Services office where they could do a learning disabilities assessment.
Gary
