Specific+Learning+Disabilities-Reading

** Learning Characteristics/Behavioral Traits **
Learning Disabilities are a group of disabilities that affect individuals (adults and childrens) abilitiy to learn ceratin types of information. Learning disabilities often create unexplained difficulties for people of average intelligence

Students eligible for services under this category generally demonstrate a marked discrepancy (of at least 2 standard deviations) between their ability (IQ score) and their demonstrated reading performance (SRI score, Running Record, etc..), or a lack of response to approriate intervention aimed at increasing reading proficencies. Students can demonstrate a learning disability in decoding, comprehension, and/or fluency to qualify for servies under this category. Some common behavioral traits of learners with this type of learning exceptionality include:
 * Frustration/Anxiety during reading tasks
 * Off task behaviors during reading tasks
 * Difficulty accessing instructional content through reading
 * Non-compliance or problem behaviors during reading tasks
 * Academic and achievement difficulties across content areas
 * Low motivation
 * Distractibility or impulse control




 * Strategies and Clasroom Interventions for Students with a Learning Disability in Reading **

While not comprehensive the following Instructional Strategies and Classroom Interventions may be effective to increase the appropriate behavior and academic achievement of these students.

A group of training procedures that are designed to change thoughts or thought patterns. Three common components make up Cognitive Traning Interventions: a.) changing thought processes, b.) providing strategies for learning, and c.) teaching self-initiative. Here are some examples of specific Cognitive Training Techniques:
 * Cognitive Training: **


 * ** Self Instruction ** : Requires individuals to talk aloud and then to themselves as they solve problems. This can make students aware of the problem solving steps as they are perfomring them. One way that this could be used in reading instruction is for a student who is demonstrating difficulty with reading comprehension. Common questions used in Self Instruction could be "What do I have to do" (read passage and get information), "How can I solve this problem" (read the passage assigned) "What Strategies can I use" (a host of reading comprehension strategies that the studens are familiar with: KWL, Key Word Strategies, Mnemonics, etc..) "How am I doing" (as the students progress through the passage they need to evaluate their progress and self-advocate if they need help), and finally "Did I get the information that was needed" (after reading the passage and using the strategies, the student will determine if they have gained the necessary information). To Implement this strategy students should be made aware of the problem solving steps, strategies that will help them along the way, and how to self-check for assignment completion.


 * **Self Monitoring:** Can be used for both academic acheivement, and behavioral management. This involves a student completing two montioring components: self-evaluation and self-recording. Self-Evaluation involves students determining whether or not they produced a product (academic or behavioral) that aligns with pre-determined criteria. Self recording involves the students noting on a data sheet, notebook, or classroom journal whether they met the criteria or not. As students become more proficient in self-monitoring they begin to internalize more of the process, becoming more responsible for their own learning. Implementing this strategy requires CLEAR criteria for success and a simple way for students to record success or failure based on this criteria. (See Self Monitoring Sheet for Reading Fluency)
 * **Homework Self-Monitoring**: This strategy was used for a secondary student who needed additional support in assignment completion. The way that this intervention would work most effectively would be to have the student track percentage of completion across several weeks. Forms like this are simple to design and can be an effective way to help students take responsibility for their actions. (see example)
 * ** On Task Self Monitoring: ** This strategy was used to increase time spent on task for a secondary student. the student was required to evaluate and record his on-task behavior after a given time period. Gradually the amount of time was increased so that the student was forced to evaluate behavior over larger and larger percentages of the class period (see example).
 * ** Scaffolded Instruction: ﻿ ** Teacher provides temporary structure to reading tasks that can be dis-assembled as students become more proficient. For example a good (yet fairly simple) scaffolding activity for struggling readers could be teacher read aloud, group read aloud, and individual silent reading. The idea of providing support for students until they demonstrate the ability to complete tasks on their own is the main component of scaffolded instruction.


 * ** Reciprocal Teaching: ﻿ ** An interactive dialouge between teacher and students, similar to the relationship of an expert and an apprentice. The teacher slowly relinguishes responsibility for instruction to students as they become more proficient. For example a struggling reader could lead the class in a questioning actvity about prior knowledge. During this time the teacher could support the struggling reader by modeling the appropriate student behaviors of question asking, attending to details, particiaption in group discussion, etc..

As students with a Learning disability in reading are often not motivated to complete tasks involving reading it is important to have a group of strategies that can be used to increase motivation.
 * Motivational Supports: **


 * ** Positive Praise Statements: ** While often considered to be elementary, research firmly supports the use of specific positive praise statements. The more specific a praise statement can be, the more effective it can be. For example "Great job reading the text Johnny, I know reading is tough but you are really working at it today" is often more effective than "Good Job, everyone". The whole concept here is noticing that students are working and engaging in something that is difficult for them and recognizing them for that. You should be giving more postivie praise statements in your classroom than redirections and disciplinary statements.
 * ** Specific Reinforcement Schedule **: A reinforcement schedule chooses a criteria that the student must meet and chooses a postive stimulus to apply once the student has demonstrated that criteria. In a context of reading it could be as simple as waiting for the student to begin a reading assignment and then applying a positive stimulus (positive praise statement, token to redeem tangible, preferred tangible item, break card, etc...) to increase the likelihood that the student will begin reading without protest on subsequent occasions. Reinforcement schedules are meant to be changed over time so that the student has to perform greater amounts of the deisred behavior to recieve the same positive stimulus. Click HEREto find additional information about reinforcement, different schedules of reinforcement, and operant conditioning.
 * ** Access to Preferred Topics **: This strategy is possibly the one on the list that may be easiest to implement, but is rarely attempted by instructors. In order to increase motivation to attempt reading activities (and thus provide opportunities to improve reading skills) students should be given access to read materials dealing with preferred items, activites, and topics. This can be difficult if a curriculum calls for the reading of a specific text. However instructor flexibility should allow for students to access texts that they would choose or deem preferred/tolerable.
 * **High Interest Low-Readability** : High interest/low readability text allows students to acces books that are interesting to them or deal directly with issues they relate to, while still being at a relatively low reading level. Many of the "classic" novels have been converted into Hi-Lo books as well as books on a variety of topics. The following links lead to examples of Hi-Lo books (Link 1, Link 2).


 * Assitive Technology: ** this continuum looks at assitive technology devices that may be effective for the struggling reader. Technology on the left indicates "low-tech" devices that progress towards "high-tech" devices on the right.

MULTIMEDIA

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//Multimedia 1: Success story/technoogy and Learning Disabilities//
//(National Council on Learning Disabilities)//

Podcasts from the National Center on Learning Disabilities Universal Design Podcast [|Parent's Perspective]