Asking questions - Part 2

In yesterday's post, Dr. Erica Baker answered my questions on what learning disabilities are  and what the signs of learning disabilities might be.  Today, questions about diagnosis and learning. 

Rhonda


4) How are learning disabilities diagnosed?

If there is reason to think a person might have learning disabilities, observations from parents, teachers, doctors and others who are regularly in contact with that person should be gathered. If there appears to be a pattern of trouble, the next step is to seek help from the school administration or to consult a learning specialist for an evaluation.

A diagnosis of LD is usually made by a Psychologist or other learning specialist using a variety of diagnostic tools, including taking a history, performing an interview, and conducting a formal assessment of cognitive processing and academic skills. Areas of cognitive processing that may be assessed include intelligence, phonological processing, language, memory, visual-spatial skills, and executive functioning. Areas of academic functioning that are typically assessed include reading, writing, and arithmetic.

According to the LDAC criteria, a Learning Disability is diagnosed when an individual 1) has at least average thinking and reasoning abilities; 2) has one or more deficits in cognitive processing; and 3) is significantly underachieving in one or more academic areas as a result of cognitive processing deficits.


5) What does a diagnosis mean for a child's ability to learn?

By understanding how a child learns, and identifying his/her strengths and areas of need, there may be better appreciation of why the child may be struggling and how to effectively manage challenges. Teachers, parents and children themselves need to be able to observe, talk about, and work with learning profiles. All children are capable of learning, if they are taught the way that they learn. Learning disabilities affect every person differently, therefore the child’s cognitive processing profile must be considered and a process of trying different ideas and open communication among the child’s support team may be necessary to find the most beneficial ways to help a child learn. Strengths should be valued and recognized. Individuals need to find things to praise in a struggling child and make sure that the child doesn’t give up on himself/herself. Once identified, areas of need should be addressed through remediation, accommodations and/or modifications. The strategies that are used should be tailored to the child.


6) How do children with learning disabilities learn?

Once the problems with learning have been identified, learning can be tailored to the individual’s profile. When we discover that a skill is lagging we can work towards determining the best way to care for that skill. Cognitive and academic skills become stronger the more they are used. It will be important to scaffold new knowledge and skills, and to ensure that the focus of intervention is allowing the child to reach his or her potential. There must be a match between the child and the instructor as positive, constructive relationships are essential to realize potential. Effective instruction for students with learning disabilities should explicit, intensive and direct. This means that instruction for the child with LD should be systematic and clearly described, longer periods of instruction and opportunities for individual and/or small group instruction should be provided, and the child should be taught in specific small steps with feedback and practice. Students with LD also should be taught learning strategies - they need to know how to approach task and use knowledge to solve problems.

Come back tomorrow for my three final questions on how we can support students with LDs.