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3
Characteristics ofLearning disability
• Difficulty in:– Focusing attention – Remembering information– Regulating one’s own behavior– Mastering academic tasks – Making friends
• Difficulty in:– Performing life skills
• Appears unmotivated• Below average intelligence
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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities
Difficulty in: Using language and symbols Perceiving Managing emotions and behavior Talking: limited vocabulary; difficulty in
formulating coherent, grammatical sentences Math: computation and reasoning/ problem
solving Reading: basic skills & comprehension Writing: penmanship and expressing ideas clearly Listening: hearing, but not understanding Difficulty in using language and symbols
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Characteristics ofSpecific Learning Disabilities (continued)
Difficulty in perceiving:Differences in voice tonesDifferences in facial expressions
Body languagePassage of timeVerbal humorPersonal space
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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities (continued)
Difficulty in managing emotions and behavior:Controlling anger Making hasty decisions Interrupting (impulsive)Responding to rapid transitions (rigid)Organizing tasks
Managing time and resources
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Characteristics of
Specific Learning Disabilities (continued)
• Students often may:– Appear frustrated, shy, or act out in reading activities
(because of reading problems)
– Panic, resist, or act out in writing activities (because of writing problems)
– Resist, refuse, act out at math time (because of math problems)
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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities
Summary
• All students have some academic problems• The most common academic problem is reading• No oneNo one with SLD will evidence all typesall types of
problems.
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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities Summary
(continued)
• AllAll students will evidence somesome types of problems• Persons with SLD exhibit these problems:– To a greater extent than do “normal” individuals
– With greater adverse educational effects
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• Learning problems may include:– Poor academic survival skills – Academic achievement below grade
placement– School demands attribute to at-risk
behaviors
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance
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• Aggressive/non-compliant behavior:– Openly defies authority– Verbally attacks or engages in inappropriate
verbal exchange– Physically threatens peers and authority figures– Easily loses temper– May have excessive absences or repeated
suspensions
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)
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• Withdrawn:– Lacks social skills to make friends– Uses retreat behavior– Exhibits thought disorders– Exhibits pervasive mood of unhappiness
and/or depression
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)
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Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)
• Hyperactive:– Feet/hands often moving– Out of seat often without permission– Runs or climbs when walking or reaching would be better– Trouble maintaining self in quiet activities– Appears tense, anxious, and nervous
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• Immature:– Preoccupation with things not presently
required– Short attention span for chronological age– Difficulty starting and completing tasks– Prefers to socialize with younger-age peers– Difficulty following multi-step directions– Engages in behavior of younger children
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)
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• Learning Problems
• Aggressive/non-compliant behavior
• Withdrawn
• Hyperactive
• Immature
Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance Summary
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IRRESPONSIBLE
IRRESPONSIBLE Disability Disability CharacteristicsCharacteristics
SLOWSLOWLEARNER
LEARNER
AGGRESSIVE
AGGRESSIVE
HYPERACTIVE
HYPERACTIVE
UNMOTIVATED
UNMOTIVATED
IMPULSIVE
IMPULSIVE DEFIANT
DEFIANT
WITHDRAWN
WITHDRAWN
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StudentStudentCharacteristicsCharacteristics
IRRESPONSIBLE
IRRESPONSIBLE
SLOWSLOWLEARNER
LEARNER
AGGRESSIVE
AGGRESSIVE
HYPERACTIVE
HYPERACTIVE
UNMOTIVATED
UNMOTIVATED
IMPULSIVE
IMPULSIVEDEFIANT
DEFIANT
WITHDRAWN
WITHDRAWN
So What Does All This Mean?
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What Can Be Done To Reduce Overrepresentation/
Underrepresentation
• General education classroom
• Family involvement
• Referrals
• Evaluations
• Services
• Monitor