How To Teach Learning Disabled Children

Learning disabilities are related to neurological disorders, which can affect a student's ability to recall information and remember facts as well as the ability to express thoughts in a concise and organized manner. These difficulties influence cognitive processes that then can have an affect on a person's ability to read, write and comprehend material. Some learning disabilities cause a student to transpose numbers, making math difficult, or to reverse letters, affecting reading and writing abilities. However, teachers can use a variety of strategies to effectively minimize a student's anxiety and increase comprehension of the material introduced in a classroom.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Provide chapter outlines and study guides to students before beginning each lesson. This gives a student a preview of what to expect. Encourage students with learning disabilities to underline key words, and then go over the material with them again. Activity sheets and practice exercises are another way to clarify the narrative relating to a lesson so that a student understands.

2. Repeat oral instructions. Reinforce by writing them on the blackboard. It may help to give homework instructions both orally and by writing them out. Reword or paraphrase complex instructions in several different ways. Complicated or lengthy instructions should be presented one step at a time to make them easier for a student to follow.

3. Allow a student with a learning disability two or three days to submit a difficult homework assignment rather than expect her to turn it in the next day. You do not want to overwhelm her so that she can't keep up with the rest of the class. Reducing the course load can make all the difference by helping the student to keep lessons manageable, along with giving her more time to prepare.

4. Teach lessons, which are more technical, in small segments or steps. Outline new material on the blackboard, pointing out what you are talking about while writing. Use large, legible print when you write. Do not have anything else written on the blackboard that is not related so that a student can focus attention on the lesson at hand. Repeat complicated facts or ideas verbally referring back to what is written on the board. Avoid using vague or difficult terms. You do not want a student to be uncertain about chief points that you are making.

5. Use other visual aids and lots of real life examples related to the topic to make a new idea more clear. Frequently summarize key points of the lesson to help establish the main idea. Charts and graphs can help a student have a better understanding of abstract concepts. Rely less on the use of textbooks in class, and include more hands-on exercises instead. All the students in a class can benefit from this method of learning.

Tips & Warnings

• Computers aid students with learning disabilities, particularly by giving them access to spell-checking programs to assist with written assignments. Frequently meet after class with students who have learning disabilities to make certain that they understand any assignments, as well as what was discussed in class that day. This one-on-one interaction can help you to monitor a student's progress. Try to eliminate as many distractions as possible when a student is taking a test. A proctor may have to read the test to a student who has difficulty with reading, or you may have to have someone write answers for a student who has problems with writing. Allow students with reading and writing difficulties more time to complete the exam. Do not include material recently presented in class on an exam, as students with learning disabilities generally need additional time to process new information.

Resources

• Learning Disabilities--website for educators, students and parents
• Learning Disabilities Association of America---for teachers

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