It does not matter how you learn… You have greatness in you. Your job is to figure out what your gift is and give it to the world.
Henry Winkler, also known as "The Fonz", on having a learning disability
What are learning disabilities?A learning disability is a diagnosis given to a person who has average (and sometimes above average) thinking and reasoning skills but has an impairment in an area (or areas) that affects the way they take in, use, or output information. Learning disabilities can range in severity (mild, moderate, severe). A learning disability is diagnosed thought a Psycho Education Assessment. The assessment is administered by psychologist who uses a range of norm-referenced activities to determine whether a learning disability is present or not.
People who have learning disabilities are smart and often very creative thinkers and need to get information or show their learning in different ways. For example, a person who has a learning disability that affects reading may benefit from hearing the text. The person is still comprehending the material in their heard, but they are bypassing the visual input. I often tell my students that they read through their ears! Tom Cruise is a great example of a person who has a learning disability that affects his ability to read print text. He learns all of this scripts through listening. A person who has a learning disability has nothing wrong with them or their brain. A learning disability is the result of who the brain is wired. Learning disabilities often run in families so it is not uncommon to discover that a parent or grandparent had similar struggles in school. What does a learning disability look like?Some signs commonly associated with a learning disability are:
Although some of these problems can be found in all children at certain stages of development, when a child has a cluster of these symptoms which do not disappear as the child get older, you might suspect a learning disability. My child has been diagnosed with a learning disability. What happens now?
“If you have kids who are struggling with dyslexia [a term often used to describe a reading disability], the greatest gift you can give them is the sense that nothing is unattainable. With dyslexia comes a very great gift, which is the way that your mind can think creatively. If your kids can be given the opportunity to find that way of thinking, what works for them, they will be very happy and successful in whatever field they choose to go into. That I think is what my life has been.” -- Orlando Bloom at the 2010 Adam Katz Memorial Lecture Learning that you child has a learning disability can cause a variety of emotions - fear, sadness, relief. However, the good news is, now you know why your child has been having problems in school. The next part involves working with your child's teachers and resource teacher to implement the supports that have been recommended by the diagnosing psychologist. A referral is also made to LD services and they join your child's school team and work with their teachers to provide support.
It is important to remember that your child is smart (you can't have a LD diagnosis without this criteria) and that your child may have a lot of doubts about their ability. It is important to encourage their efforts and build their confidence. No one likes to have to do activities that they find overly challenging or boring...or both. It make take a few years of hard work to see a real change in your child. It is also important to be realistic about the grades you and your child expect to see on a report card. Some subjects will be naturally more difficult than others and putting a lot of pressure on your child to get As may not encourage growth. If your child is working hard and is happy, that is half the battle. Students with learning disabilities have a lot of potential, they just need to support to achieve their dreams. |
What are Learning Disabilities?This short video explains what learning disabilities are.
The Learning BrainThis short video explains how the brain works.
Famous People with Learning DisabilitiesDid you know that Tom Cruise has an LD? Muhammad Ali? Thomas Edison? Watch this short video to learn more about some famous people who learn differently.
LinksSSRSB LD Services - The South Shore Regional School Board LD Services site offers a ton of useful information for Parents, Students, and Teachers.
Learning Disability Association of Canada - Since 1963, LDAC has provided support for parents, teachers and people with learning disabilities.
LD Online - A comprehensive website that contains a wealth of information about learning disabilities.
Misunderstood Minds - What's it like to have an LD? This website provides users with the opportunity to see what it is like to learn differently. It also provides great information about learning differently.
Youth2Youth.ca - This website is maintained by youth who have learning disabilities for youth who have learning disabilities. Best of all, it's Canadian!
Putting a Face on Canadian Learning Disabilities (PAFCLD) - This website is an applied research study into what life is like for Canadian's who have learning disabilities.
A Great Resouce!A great resource for teachers is a publication from the Province of British Columbia called Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities: A Guide for Teachers. In this free download, LDs are broken down into are of challenge and suggested supports of provided. Download this great resource here.
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Technology is an essential component for supporting students with a learning disability in the classroom. Mobile devices enhance learning with access to the regular curriculum through digitized text, supporting the writing process, aiding working memory and organization, as well as providing varied opportunities for demonstration of knowledge through alternative assessment using creativity apps.
"When I use my iPad in class and other students are using it too, I don’t feel like I have an LD. I can just get my own sheets from Moodle and my own books and be part of the class in my own way. It is amazing." - Former student "Without my iPad I can not do my work. If I do not have it this is what I write like. This is why I need my iPad. School was hard with no iPad. I was failing and when I got the iPad I was getting A's and B's.” - Former student |
iPads - A Tool for Learning
iPads are a tool, that when used properly, can help students with LD meet curriculum outcomes. The iPad offers a variety of built-in accessibility tools that provide students with LD the alternate access they need to be successful, confident learners. This website provides an overview of the accessibility features that are built into the iPad. https://www.apple.com/ca/accessibility/ios/ This website provides some tips and tricks for using the accessibility features in iOS8. https://www.apple.com/ca/ios/accessibility-tips/ |
Turn on Speech
(Text-to-Speech) On the iPad (using iOS8): 1.Settings 2.General 3.Accessibility 4.Speech 5.Turn on Speech Selection 6.Turn on Speak Screen 7.Turn on Highlight Content |
Speech Selection
Hold you finger on a piece of text your would like to have read to you. Lift your finger when the bubble appears. Then highlight the entire piece you would like to have read - you are "selecting" the text that you would like to have read. Then hit speak and the text will be read to you. Essentially, any typed text on the internet (with the exception of Flash content) is accessible to be read aloud. Speak Screen In speak screen, the entire screen’s content is read to you. You also can easily control rate of speech and skip sentences with the pop op tool bar. From the top of the screen, swipe down with two fingers. Wait a moment for speak screen to activate. A bar will pop up that will allow you to adjust speech setting. This is great for reading books in iBooks and content on the web. |
Turn on Siri
(Speech-to-Text) On the iPad (using iOS8): 1.Settings 2.General 3.Turn on Siri 4.Adjust settings as desired |
Dictation
In any app that allows typing, you can use dictation. In iOS8, dictation is now in real time, meaning your can see the words as you speak them. Previous to this you had to wait until you hit done to see what Siri captures. Now you can watch the words appear as you say them. The beauty of dictation is, if you can speak it clearly, you can write it! To find Siri, hit the microphone on the keyboard. When you are finished, hit done. For a list of dictation commands, click here. |
iBooks - FREE
iBooks is your access to books! In iBooks, you can read EPUBS and PDF files. Both filed can be accessed with Speech Selection and Speak Screen. Now textbooks, novels, comic books, essentially any book you want can be read through both your eyes and ears at the same time. For more information on how to get your textbooks and novels on your iPad, contact your resource teacher for more information. Find out more about iBooks here: https://www.apple.com/ca/ibooks/ |
ClaroPDF ($3.49)
ClaroPDF is an app where you can read and annotate PDF documents.The nice thing about this app is that the voice sounds more human. Students can email or print their work for their teachers. |
Pages - FREE with new device purchase (or $11.99)
Pages is a word processor, like Microsoft Word. In pages, students can type or dictate text, edit and formate text. Students can also organize files into subject specific groups by simply dragging documents together. When teachers post their work to a Moodle site or personal website in a Word document, students can open this document in Pages and work on it. Students can have the text read to them using speech selection and dictate in their written responses. When finished, either print or email to your teacher. Please note - when emailing work back to your teacher, make sure to use WORD or PDF formats. You know what else is great about Pages, or doing your work in an iPad? If the work gets lost, you always have a back-up copy, read to be printed! |
iMovie - FREE with new device purchase (or $5.79)
iMovie is a great way to exercise your creativity! Students can select form a variety of pre-made movie trailer templates (with drag-and-drop instructions), or create full-length features! iMovie is fun and user-friendly. When text is asked to be typed, students can use dictation. |
Keynote - FREE with new device purchase (or $11.99)
Keynote is Apple's version of PowerPoint. In this app you can take advantage of dictation and speech selection when creating presentations. Presentations made in Microsoft PowerPoint are compatible with this app meaning that students can both open and send PowerPoint compatible files. |
Book Creator ($5.79)
This app creates beautiful iBooks, right on the iPad. Students can easily insert videos, pictures, text, voice, etc. Books that are created can bethen read in iBooks, sent to friends and teachers, and even submitted to the iBooks store! This app is ideal for children’s picture books, photo books, art books, cook books, manuals, textbooks, and the list goes on. This is one of my favourite apps! |
PicCollage - FREE
PicColage makes amazing looking collages! You cna use your own photos, photos from the web, YouTube videos, and tons of cool stickers to make your collages. Also there are tons of cool fonts. Collages can be emailed and saved to your photos. PicCollage is a must-have for anyone who thinks visually. |
Tools4Students ($1.19)
Tools 4 Students offers 25 graphic organizers supporting common comprehension skills like main idea and detail, sequencing, compare and contrast etc. Each organizer can be used again and again and be emailed, drop boxed, or saved as a PDF. |
Tools4Students 2 ($1.19)
Tools4Students 2 featuring 25 NEW Graphic Organizers suitable for grade 4 -12 students. Some of the new organizers include: Chapter Notes, Document Analysis, Writing Organizers, Drawing Conclusions and 7 different blank templates where students and teachers can create their own labels, titles and headings. |
Noteshelf ($6.99)
This is a great way to create an electronic binder! You can organize all your notes for class, insert pages typed in Pages, create notes in the binders, type, handwrite, dictate, import images, this binder has it all! You can even use text to speech, and speak selection to listen to your notes. |
Math Dictionary for Kids ($3.49)
This is a must-have app! Math Dictionary for kids is an essential guide for all those crazy math terms you need to know for math class! |
My Script Calculator - FREE
The calculator is fun and functional! Simply write with your finger the math problem you want to solve and the answer appears! This app is kind of like scrap paper that shows you the answer! And best of all, it's free! |
Calculator 3 in 1 - FREE
This calculator will grow with the student. It's easy to use and includes basic and scientific calculations. The screen also shows the number sentence (the equation) so students can check to make sure that they types in the correct information. |
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking your potential. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, on having a learning disability