Introduction to Reading & Writing Disabilities

K. Parra, MA

Learning Disabilities - An Introduction

•Learning disabilities or disorders affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, analyze or store information for future use.

•These problems make it difficult for an individual to learn or store information.

•Neurological in nature.

•They result from the differences in the way an individual’s mind works.

•The problems are difficulty in writing, reading, spelling and/or organizing information.

Important Facts About Learning Disorders

•15% of all US population is suffering from a learning disorder of one type or another, according to the National Institutes of Health

•Among all the learning disabilities, difficulty in basic reading and language skills affects almost 80% of students

•These learning disabilities often run in the family which are inherited by  children

•Learning disabilities are not to be confused with other disorders such as mental retardation, autism, deafness, blindness and other behavioral disorders

Common Learning Disabilities Dyslexia – It is a language disability in which a person has problem understanding written words. It is also a reading disability or reading disorder.

Dyscalculia – A mathematical disability in which a persons may have problems solving mathematical problems and grasping mathematical concepts

Dysgraphia – A writing disability in which makes it difficult for a person to form letters or write within a defined space

Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders – Sensory disabilities in which cause difficulty in understanding language despite normal hearing and vision

Nonverbal Learning Disabilities – A neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain. It causes problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions. (Holistic: the whole system).

Attention Disorders

•Attention disorders such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or ADD may also occur at the same time with learning disabilities but they are not same and should be treated accordingly.

Statistics

•In the US, there are approximately 2 million children with learning disabilities between the ages of six and seventeen.

•It is estimated that as many as 15 percent of American students may be dyslexic.

•50 percent of American adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book. 

•Forty-four percent of American 4th grade students cannot read fluently, even when they read grade-level stories aloud under supportive testing conditions. 

Dyslexia – The Reading Disability

•A type of learning disability

•Impairs an individual’s ability to read properly

•Individuals affected by this disability read at levels that are significantly lower than other normal individuals

•Common problems faced by adults and children alike are:

• difficulty in phonological processing, • manipulation of sound • rapid visual and verbal responding

Symptoms of Dyslexia

People suffering from dyslexia often demonstrate symptoms like:

•Confusing letters and words in either reading or writing

•The omission of one or more sounds (vowel, consonant, or syllable) in a word or phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker to pronounce.

•Reading slowly or hesitantly

•Inability to use correct words or using words and syllables in the wrong order such as "left" for "felt"

•Difficulty in processing sound and oral language components finding it difficult to process phonological information.

•Dyslexic children find it difficult to form the sound that make up the language they speak and hence often result in slow or delayed speech or pronunciation.

Symptoms of Dyslexia, Continued

Causes of Dyslexia

•According to experts, neurological abnormalities are the main causes of brain impairment.

•Neurological abnormality can cause impairment of visual and language process, attention and planning activities.

•Abnormalities result from genetic link or medical conditions.

•Children born to parents with learning disabilities are more likely to have dyslexia as compared to parents with no genetic link.

•Dyslexia may also result from some traumatic brain injury or infection such as encephalitis or meningitis.

•Some believe that it may be due to problems during pregnancy and birth; alcohol and drugs used during pregnancy as well as prolonged or premature labor.

•After birth incidents such as low nutrition and exposure to toxic substances like lead could cause dyslexia.

•Dyslexia is not caused by reversing the order of letters in reading, nor is it a visual perception deficiency that involves reading letters or words backwards or upside down.

Causes of Dyslexia, Continued

What is assistive technology for LD?

•AT for kids with LD is defined as any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual's specific learning deficits.

•AT doesn't cure or eliminate learning difficulties, but it can help a child reach their potential because it allows them to capitalize on their strengths and bypass areas of difficulty.

•For example, a student who struggles with reading but who has good listening skills might benefit from listening to audio books.

•AT compensates for a student's skills deficits or area(s) of disability.

•Utilizing AT does not mean that a child can't also receive remedial instruction aimed at alleviating deficits.

•AT can increase a child's self-reliance and sense of independence.

• Kids who struggle in school are often overly dependent on parents, siblings, friends and teachers for help with assignments.

• By using AT, kids can experience success with working independently.

AT for LD, continued

What types of learning problems does assistive technology address?

•AT can address many types of learning difficulties.

•A student who has difficulty writing can compose a school report by dictating it and having it converted to text by special software.

•A child who struggles with math can use a hand-held calculator to keep score while playing a game with a friend.

•And a teenager with dyslexia may benefit from AT that will read aloud his school textbooks.

There are AT tools to help students who struggle with:

• Listening

•Math

•Reading

•Writing

•Organization and Memory

What kinds of assistive technology tools are available?

•The term "assistive technology" has usually been applied to computer hardware and software and electronic devices.

•However, many AT tools are now available on the Internet.

AT tools that support kids with LD include:

Abbreviation Expanders

Used with word processing, these software programs allow a user to create, store, and re-use abbreviations for frequently-used words or phrases. This can save the user keystrokes and ensure proper spelling of words and phrases he has coded as abbreviations.

This type of tool benefits people who struggle with writing.

AT tools that support kids with LD include:

Alternative Keyboards

These programmable keyboards have special overlays that customize the appearance and function of a standard keyboard.  Students who have LD or have trouble typing may benefit from customization that reduces input choices, groups keys by color/location, and adds graphics to aid comprehension.

This type of tool benefits people who struggle with writing.

AT tools that support kids with LD include:

Audio books & publications

Electronic math work sheets

Freeform database software

Graphic organizers

Outlining Information/data managers

Optical character recognition

Personal FM listening systems

AT tools that support kids with LD include:

Portable word processors

Proofreading programs

Speech-recognition programs

Speech synthesizers/screen readers

Talking calculators

Talking spell checkers and electronic

dictionaries

Variable-speed tape recorders

Word-prediction programs

Phonics Skills Chart

Picture Linked

Defining Struggling Readers(From Textbook)

A struggling reader is a student who is experiencing significant difficulty learning to read. Most struggling readers are likely to exhibit difficulties in one or more of these areas (Chall & Curtis, 2003):

• Background experiences• Oral Language• Decoding, including phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge• Fluency• Oral, reading, and writing vocabulary• Comprehension• Maintaining attention• Motivation• Vision, hearing, or other physical ability necessary for processing text.

The Reading – Writing Connection

• Reading & Writing develop together.• Most students who struggle with reading also struggle with writing.

Reading & Writing share many similarities:• They contribute to the improvement of one

another.• They are ways of communicating.• They require the same kind of thinking.• They are necessary literacy skills.• They are connected with meaning: The

purpose of writing it so convey meaning. The purpose of reading is to construct meaning. • There is a strong connection between

phonics and spelling.

Resources:

http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp

http://www.always-health.com/learning_disorders_dyslexia.html

http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/assistive-technology-for-kids-with-learning-disabilities-an-overview.gs?content=702

The Struggling Reader: Interventions that Work