September 1, 2010
Ways To Help With Learning Disabilities
There are many different kinds of learning disabilities. Learning disabilities are not generally acquired, but are present at birth. While learning disabilities have no cure, things can be done to help these people cope and be successful.
Of course, educating yourself about the disability is a big help in itself because you can understand the problems, how these people must feel and how to help them. You can’t help someone if you don’t have all of the facts. Knowledge is power, so get as much knowledge as you can and you will be a great asset to those with learning disabilities.
Next, keep in mind the fact that he or she did not ask to be born with a learning disability. Therefore, try to be as understanding and patient as possible. Last, but not least, it has been proven that people with learning disabilities usually have low self esteem. Unfortunately, they are often looked down upon by others.
Also, remember that they have probably been put down alot because of their learning problems. Therefore, it’s going to take a lot of positive words to turn that around for them. With your help, they can begin to have some confidence and feel more accepted by people.
Learning disabilities can also cause problems with grammar and spelling. An online spelling and grammar checker online program can be most helpful to both teach the correct way that things should be written and also to help avoid errors. A text to speech online program can also be beneficial because everything that is typed is read aloud and thus, errors are caught more often. These two tools are especially valuable for those who need help with dyslexia, due to their tendency to turn letters around in words.
Some students with learning disabilities have difficulty with penmanship. They could easily use word processing software to make their words legible. Another thing that can help is to leave extra spaces between words, sentences, and paragraphs to keep things simple. Also, providing large places for them to fill in the blanks can make things less confusing. Rather than having tests where the answers must be written, allow the students to be able to take a multiple choice or matching test. This will help cut down on the anxiety and thus give them a greater chance to be successful.
Of course, tests in themselves are challenging for those with learning disabilities. By considering some other options, this can be a more positive event for both student and teacher. One simple way to help is to let them take oral tests, rather than written ones. Why should a student have to miss answers just because he or she cannot spell correctly or use good grammar? Another option is to allow the student to take a test home and fill in the answers by using their textbook. Although it may be unconventional, there is much merit for these students to be able to find things in a textbook, be able to comprehend the words and write the correct answers in the blanks.
Writing papers, reports and book reports are another area where students with learning disabilities often suffer. They often hate to write due to their problems with grammar, reading, spelling, handwriting and comprehension. Teachers need to remember that this requires an excessive amount of energy on the part of their students with disabilities. In fact, it can truly be overwhelming to the point of causing anger, depression and meltdowns. There are ways that a teacher can help with this.
First of all, the student with a learning disability will be most likely to ignore the paper or report, even if it means a failing grade. So the teacher can let the parents know exactly what is required and the due dates. An outline would be most helpful, to keep the student on track, along with a sheet of the references that will be used. Although it will be helpful for you to shorten the length of these reports, the most important thing is for the paper to be completed as soon as possible. Doing a rough draft first, so that you can check it over and make corrections, will also help them turn in a better paper and teach them some important things as well. Instructors cannot expect perfection from these students, as there will certainly be errors. The whole process was a learning experience and they will continue to build upon such experiences.
Working with learning disabled people can be most rewarding. As you spend time helping them learn, they will gain more confidence and thus, continue to do better. Using as many teaching aids and ideas as possible will help make your job easier and help your students to learn more quickly and with greater ease.
Filed under Uncategorized by Charles Duran
