Learning Disabilities and options for those that struggle with learning

As a parent of two children with learning disabilities (one diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and one diagnosed with Reading Comprehension Deficit), I can attest from experience that not all educators are created equal. My husband and I struggled for 8 years to find a solution that worked for our family, starting with the local public school, then local private school, both schools refusing to modify any type of learning for our children, to what they are currently using, online public school. Due to the denial of assistance from the first two schools, my children fell behind in school by two years. I take the ultimate responsibility for this however, as I mistakenly trusted the system, and did not further explore alternatives due to my mistaken confidence.

Learning disabilities are a real and prevalent situation in today’s educational environment. This is true for not only the traditional classroom, but also training classes and the workplace environment. While this TEDx talk is specific to a younger learner (age 9), I feel that it can be extended to adults as well. Just because a child with a learning disability grows up, it does not mean that they have grown out of their learning disability. Going back to my own children, as an example to go along with the speakers experience with her daughter Zoe and the picture of the child getting on the bus and Zoe focused on the cat in the picture. Some children, specifically those with ASD, see things differently. My ASD child was learning about coins and the book that they were using stated that you can tell a quarter because it has George Washington on the front and an eagle on the back. My daughter looked at her teacher and said “No, that’s not true.” Her teacher and her then were in a dead lock for hours, until the end of the school day when my husband and I got there and were told what was going on. My husband stopped the conversation and said to the teacher, “You aren’t asking her the right question.” He then turned to our daughter and asked her “Why do you say that it is not true?” Our daughter’s simple response was “State quarters.” The teacher flushed with embarrassment that she had not thought of that, turned to our daughter and apologized immediately. It was a huge step for our daughter and our daughter, 10 years later, still loves that teacher.

According to Alvernia University in Pennsylvania, learning disabilities has risen 30% over the last decade. They added to that observation that three of the four students with learning disabilities spends part or all of their school day in a general education classroom. (Https://online.alvernia.edu/articles/5-assistive-technology-tools-that-are-making-a-difference/)

What can we do as educators to help these students, or learners? Thankfully, technology has stepped up and provided some options and alternatives to help the learners and thereby, helps the educators work with the learners more effectively. Here are just some of the technology pieces that are out there, according to Alvernia University.

1. Text to Speech – This is a common piece of software that is used to help students that are blind, have dyslexia, or Reading Comprehension Deficit (the learner can read with no problems, but cannot understand what they just read). Other versions include: Intel Reader – This is the same as the Text to Speech, but is specific to mobile devices, and Kurzweil 3000 – This is Text to Speech taken to a whole new level. It gives additional options, including supporting 18 languages and dialects, a picture dictionary for more than 40,000 words, and tools for test taking, essay writing, note taking, and more.
2. Graphic Organizers – This is used to help students that struggle with dysgraphia (one that struggles with handwriting ability and fine motor skills. Some effective ways to address this form of disability include low-tech handouts, such as those found at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company (See the Sandwich link), and Draft:Builder (also known as Snap&Read, which is a writing tool that integrates outlining, note taking and draft writing functions into three steps.
3. Assistive Listening Systems – This is geared towards students that are Deaf, hard of hearing, or other auditory and learning concerns. It is recommended that FM Systems be used for sensorineural hearing loss, and Sound-Field Systems with hearing loss.
4. Sip-and-Puff Systems – These are systems used for those who have mobility challenges, such as paralysis and fine motor skill disabilities. This allows the learner to use a switch device to replace computer keyboard or the mouse with various parts of their body, such as their mouth, a kick of their foot, etc. Different popular programs include Jouse3 and Sip-and-Puff from Origin Instruments.
5. Proofreading Software – This software is geared to helping those with dyslexia, but can help with any learning disability that makes writing and reading challenging. Some of the software that is more well known for proofreading is Ginger, which offers a grammar checker, word prediction, text to speech and practice sessions, and Ghotit, which learns how best to help the user based on past mistakes, offering personalized suggestions.
6. Math Tools – These focus on learners that struggle with math, more commonly known as dyscalculia. Two of the tools to assist with this struggle are Math Talk, which works with speech to text technology and has an integrated braille translator for those that are blind or vision impaired, and Math simulations, which allow learners to walk through the math concepts via video to animated simulations.

As you can tell, this subject is near and dear to my heart, due to my children and their struggles. But I also think back through my career and remember certain areas that alternative learning was needed. For example, 25 years ago, when I worked as a dispatcher for a cable company, all employees had to go through a Customer Training course. It was a written course, through a three-ring binder that we had to read and answer the questions. We had 3 months to complete the course, or risk losing our jobs. Most of us got through the binder in a week to 2 weeks, however, one of my technicians refused to open the binder. His manager finally had to pull him aside and ask him why. It turns out he had severe dyslexia and he couldn’t read the course. His manager then scheduled for him to not do a route for a few days, and cleared his own schedule, to sit down with him and take the quizzes. He passed with flying colors. This is what thinking outside the box can do, for those with learning disabilities. Do not be afraid to modify your curriculum or your thinking process, as it could help one that is struggling, and help them thrive in the environment.