LE1-7 - Identification Placement Review Committee

What evidence will you need in order to illustrate a student’s strengths and needs?

-informal and formal assessment results (reading assessment, CCAT, EQAO, WFAS, Key Math, psych ed assessment) c
-work samples: writing sample, math test 
-previous report card information: comments, grades, learning skills
-existing IEP
-academic and behavioural observations including social interactions
-report on strategies that have worked or not worked
-logs from conversations with parents/guardians regarding concerns and their observations
-medical reports, if needed, such as hearing, vision, other diagnoses
-if the student is an English Language Learner, details of any ESL support provided

What evidence of student achievement might you report that suggests a LD profile?

-student is not achieving to their potential, as illustrated by the evidence gathered and listed above
-anecdotal evidence describing the student's struggles
-what their strengths and struggles look like
-working below grade level in language (poor phonological awareness, low reading, avoids reading and writing) and/or math (certain concepts are difficult)
-struggles with social interactions
-poor self-advocacy
-executive functioning difficulties

How would you measure student progress?

-document achievement and observations over time
-school team or SRT discussions about the student's profile (with classroom teacher, SERT, ESL teacher, rotary/coverage teachers, administrators, psych ed consultant, CYC, etc.)

How might the student’s social/emotional state present itself in class given a LD profile?

-if the student is feeling frustrated or down on themselves, behaviours could arise: participation in classroom activities might be minimal,  task avoidance, class clown
-the child could be struggling with social cues or social connections in the classroom
-distracted easily

What placement option might you support for a student with a LD? Why? 

In my board, Halton District School Board, there are several placement options that come into play for kids with exceptionalities, with the following placements being suitable for a Communication - LD identification depending on the severity of needs:

Resource Support - a regular class with consultative support. The student is placed in a regular class for the entire day, and the teacher receives specialized consultative services.

Resource Support - a regular class with resource assistance. The student is placed in the regular class for the entire day and receives specialized instruction, individually or in a small group, from a qualified special education teacher. ***This seems to be the most common.

Resource Support - a regular class with withdrawal assistance. The student is placed in a regular class and receives instruction outside of the classroom, for less than 50% of the instructional time, from a qualified special education teacher.

Self-contained: a special education class with Partial Integration The student is placed by the IPRC in a special education class where the student-teacher ratio conforms to Regulation 298, Section 31, for at least 50% of the school Day. ***This is what my class will look like this year.

LE1-6 - Early Identification of LDs

On the discussion board, Early Identification of LDs,  post five key practices, along with their respective implications, that assist in determining the early intervention and screening for students that may present with Learning Disabilities.    

According to the NNDSB: 

5 Key Practices	Implications for LDs
Pre-registration in January prior to starting JK.	Parent/guardian communication with the school regarding needs/concerns is important as a first step.
Welcome to Kindergarten literacy and numeracy activities.	Parents provide early identification checklist regarding speech, language, hearing, vision.
Visit in September for JK students.	Opportunity to review registration forms and arrangements can be made for new or continued support from community agencies.
Speech-language screening in JK	Screening for all students by the teacher to determine needs.
First Step screening tool during JK year to identify skill deficits (fine and gross motor, expressive and receptive language, speech/articulation, cognitive development, social-emotional development.	Where difficulties are noticed, assistance can be provided to make referrals and get help from community agencies. The skill deficits that are assessed can point to LDs, so early screening and intervention is essential.

LE1-5 - Characteristics of LDs

 

	What do I already know….	What do I want to know…	What did I learn…..
Pre-School
Elementary	-different for everyone -become apparent by Junior division -can present with other difficulties (e.g., ADHD, anxiety, etc.) -can impact executive functioning -LDs can impact reading, writing, math, or all of the above -average to high intelligence -significant gaps in skills that make learning difficult -IPRC: communication exceptionality -slow to meet developmental milestones in literacy and numeracy -slow to learn/recall facts -impulsivity -difficulty with certain math concepts: time, word problems -trouble with social cues and reading body language/facial expressions -avoids reading aloud and writing	-how do I assess their needs in September so I don't miss anything -how do I help them feel good about themselves when they are feeling down about their abilities?	-Interesting/simple way to describe it: discrepancy between performance and potential -diagnosed psychological condition -fine motor difficulties or coordination issues (e.g., poor handwriting, prone to accidents)
Secondary

LE1-4 - Psychological Processes Involved with LDs

 

Psychological Process	What is it? Describe it.	Impact in the classroom?	Strategy / Support
1.  Phonological Processing (reading disability)	Reading disabilities are characterized by difficulties with understanding spoken words are made of parts and the ability to manipulate these parts (e.g., sounds, word parts).	Possible trouble areas: Blending sounds, sounding out. Rhyming words. Difficulty with syllables. Decoding challenges. Spelling using phonics. Learning the alphabet. Learning a new language. Activities that require reading fluency.	Segmenting sounds. Assistive technology (text-to-voice, books on tape, podcasts.) Use visuals and repetition. Colour coding, symbols. Pre-teach new vocabulary. Highlight important information. Chunking. Short, simple readings. Extra time.
2.  Executive Functioning	This is the the conductor in the brain that provides the ability to carry out different higher order skills, i.e., the ability to attend, plan, organize, shift from one task to another, and self-monitor.	Inattention to task. Difficulty getting started with writing tasks. Difficulty with organizing assignments. Important for my class: critical period for developing executive functioning skills starts in Junior and continues through high school. Directly related to learning skills.	There are accommodations for instruction, environment, and assessment that can support the development of executive functioning skills, i.e.,  Chunk work in small segments. Pre-conference about tasks. Use visuals/organizers and checklists.
3.  Attention	Ability to focus. Sometimes due to ADHD (up to 40% of the time with people who have LDs).	Possible trouble areas:  Executive functioning. Frustration. Completing the steps for assignments.	Chunking activities into steps.  Provide outlines for tasks/projects and help with planning.
4.  Memory	Trouble remembering or retrieving what they know.	Verbal Memory:  Take in oral information and hold it in mind. This can impact literacy -- connection bet ween names of letters and sounds. Can also impact math skills that require holding information in short-term memory (borrowing or carrying). Working Memory: Hold information in mind with reorganizing or manipulating it. Thinking about more than one thing at a time. Trouble with multi-step instructions. Can impact reading comprehension -- hard to keep track of all the elements of a story. Visual Memory: Trouble taking in visual information and holding it in mind. Differences between letters. Mapping, labeling diagrams. Remembering faces.	Working Memory: Repeat instructions, demonstrate tasks more than once. Chunk tasks into steps. Instructions: Short, simple, clear instructions. One instruction at a time. Repeat and review instructions. Chunks of instructions. Memorization strategies. Mnemonics. Make information meaningful. Write things down. Repeat.  Visual or multisensory information. Calculator, math fact grid. Associations. Learn things by rote. Spell check, assistive tech.
5.  Processing Speed	Slower to make sense of what they are learning or to organize their thoughts. May need more time to write than others.	Trouble areas: Difficult to finish tests on time, copy from the board, or volunteer an answer in class. Making a decision.	Extra time to complete tasks.  Resource time in class.  Make instructions specific. Frequently check in. Modify expectations for required amount completed.
6.  Perceptual Motor Processing	Difficulty with coordination of hand-eye movements, or motor planning.	Trouble areas: Printing, copying, tie shoelaces.  Too much pressure on pencil, leading to fatigue. Confuse left and right.  Difficulty learning how to dress.	Minimize handwriting requirements -- provide notes.  Use of word processor. Extra time. Occupational therapy.  Modify amount of writing required.
7.  Visual Spatial Processing	Difficulty making sense of visual information.	Trouble areas: Making sense of what they see. Using visual information. Reading facial expressions. Understanding visuals (maps, charts, graphs). Following visual instructions (sewing pattern, IKEA furniture instructions).	Trace rather than draw freehand. Use graph paper.

LE1-3 - Impact of LD

 Podcast: LDAO - LDs in your classroom 

Note three key challenges students with LD may encounter.

1. "Once you're labeled as the stupid kid you're always the stupid kid." Always feeling "less than." 

2. Struggling to fit in with peers rather than feel excluded (e.g., behaviours like class clown, resistance, sports teams).

3. Anything that brings attention to a kid (tech, an accommodation) can make them feel centered out/different.

Within a classroom, what might be two strategies you would use to overcome these challenges?

1. Behaviour is a symptom of an LD (coping mechanism). To get past the behaviours, have discussions about how there are different types of learners. Let the class, and the LD student, know that you celebrate the difference. Find common ground.

2. Focus on the strengths to give them opportunities to win. Sports is often the answer. For academic wins, aim for interests, provide choice. Access curriculum at grade level.

Focus on universal design -- everyone gets what they need.

Self-advocacy cards to help with getting needs met.

Find opportunities for students with LDs to observe/learn from other people with LDs.

What is one key idea/nugget that you learned?

Aboriginal cultures see disabilities as gifts and parents might reject the calls from school staff to have a child assessed because they don't like to label the child. This is so important to remember as I imagine it would be this way for many cultures. Being mindful of this is crucial.

Teachers have the ability to influence children's lives on a day-to-day basis... the ability to change the way children experience school. 

Set the bar high and they will achieve it.

www.ldatschool.ca

LE1-2 - Ministry Definition of LD

The Definition of LD According to Memorandum 8 - Identification of and Program Planning for Students with Learning Disabilities

The Ministry of Education defines learning disability as one of a number of neurodevelopmental disorders that persistently and significantly has an impact on the ability to learn and use academic and other skills and that: 

• affects the ability to perceive or process verbal or non-verbal information in an effective and accurate manner in students who have assessed intellectual abilities that are at least in the average range; 

• results in (a) academic underachievement that is inconsistent with the intellectual abilities of the student (which are at least in the average range) and/ or (b) academic achievement that can be maintained by the student only with extremely high levels of effort and/ or with additional support; 

• results in difficulties in the development and use of skills in one or more of the following areas: reading, writing, mathematics, and work habits and learning skills; 

• may typically be associated with difficulties in one or more cognitive processes, such as phonological processing; memory and attention; processing speed; perceptual-motor processing; visual-spatial processing; executive functions (e.g., self-regulation of behaviour and emotions, planning, organizing of thoughts and activities, prioritizing, decision making); 

• may be associated with difficulties in social interaction (e.g., difficulty in understanding social norms or the point of view of others); with various other conditions or disorders, diagnosed or undiagnosed; or with other exceptionalities; 

• is not the result of a lack of acuity in hearing and/ or vision that has not been corrected; intellectual disabilities; socio-economic factors; cultural differences; lack of proficiency in the language of instruction; lack of motivation or effort; gaps in school attendance or inadequate opportunity to benefit from instruction. 

 

My definition:

Learning disability means that a person's brain has difficulty processing information that is received through the senses (hearing, seeing, etc.), and without strategies in place this will impact their ability to achieve or perform to their full potential. A person can have an LD in one area or several, and the LD can present with other disorders, such as ADHD. An LD is not a reflection of economic disadvantage, cultural differences, or environmental factors. For example, a multilingual person with an LD will experience their struggles in all languages. An LD is not a reflection on intelligence, as people with LDs generally have average to above average intelligence.

Which items were the same?

-at least average intellectual range

-presents with other conditions, such as ADHD

-not the result of hearing or vision troubles, socio-economic factors, cultural differences, multiple languages, laziness

Which items were different?

-specific mention of academic and other skills

-specific mention of academic underachievement or grade level achievement that can only be maintained with high levels of support

-specific mention of difficulty developing one or more of the following skills: reading, writing, math, work habits, learning skills

-more in-depth list of cognitive processes that could be involved: phonological processing, memory and attention, processing speed, perceptual-motor processing, visual-spatial processing, executive functions

-possible troubles with social interaction

-presents with other exceptionalities

-other things an LD is not: an intellectual disability, the result of gaps in attendance or lack of opportunity to attend school and benefit from instruction

Resonated for you:

Looking at the ministry definition is key learning in that the definition of learning disability is complex. Meeting the needs of a child with an LD is very complex -- with many bullet points to think about. This is why I'm here. I need to be able to go deep with my little class in the fall.  

LE1-1 - Defining Learning Disability

Resources: 

Learning About Learning Disabilities (video)

A Working Description of Learning Disabilities

Notes from video: 

-Impacts how a person can obtain, remember, recall, understand, organize information received through the senses

-Average to above average intelligence

Types of LDs

Reading disability

-letters or words, reversals, difficulty with comprehension

Expressive language/language-based disability

-problems using language to express one's self by talking, writing

Receptive language

-knowing the meanings of words

-following conversations

Auditory processing

-nothing wrong with physical sense of hearing

-how brain is processing what is heard

-telling differences between sounds of letters or words

-remembering the order of what was heard

-difficulty filtering out background noises

Memory

-difficulty remembering written or auditory information

Visual perceptual

-difficulty understanding what was seen (gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, body language)

-difficulty copying from a board

-difficulty in seeing differences in visual patterns

-difficulty understanding math concepts: time, space, quantity

-trouble picking up on verbal cues

Notes from web site: 

A Working Description of Learning Disabilities

-specific neurological disorders impacting ability to store, understand, retrieve and/or communicate information

-intelligent and can learn despite difficulties 

-display a pattern of uneven abilities

-invisible and lifelong.

-sometimes present with other disorders (ADHD, etc) 

-may run in families

-learning disability is not the same as intellectual disability, autism, deafness, blindness, behavioral disorders, laziness.

-not because of economic disadvantage, environmental factors, cultural differences

-can impact friendships, school, work, self-esteem, daily life

-need to develop strategies

My Working Definition of LD

• What is the intellectual ability?
• How is achievement effected?
• What factors/processes may be involved?
• Are there associated difficulties?
• What are some exclusionary factors that need to be considered?

Learning disability means that a person's brain has difficulty processing information that is received through the senses (hearing, seeing, etc.), and without strategies in place this will impact their ability to achieve or perform to their full potential. A person can have an LD in one area or several, and the LD can present with other disorders, such as ADHD. An LD is not a reflection of economic disadvantage, cultural differences, or environmental factors. For example, a multilingual person with an LD will experience their struggles in all languages. An LD is not a reflection on intelligence, as people with LDs generally have average to above average intelligence.