What is a Learning Disability, Really?

By Carol Murphy, MA, CCC-SLP from Special Education Advisor

When a parent attends an IEP meeting and the educational experts tell them their child has a learning disability, most times there is confusion. The reason is because the term can seem so broad that it can render itself almost meaningless. Several years ago a study was undertaken with professionals, teachers and parents asked to define the term “learning disabilities”. The results listed nearly 100 different definitions, almost as varied as the people who tried to define the term. Although some parents feel comfortable with finally having a name for their child’s problem, or a teacher might find a diagnosis helpful to at last getting a student help, it might be more useful to fully describe the issues and development, or lack thereof, that most students experience before finally being labeledlearning disabled.

Read more HERE.

U.S. Lawmakers Create Caucus Devoted to Dyslexia

By Nirvi Shah from Education Week

Two members of Congress with children who have dyslexia recently created a new caucus devoted to the learning disability.

In a letter to fellow members of Congress, Rep. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, and Rep. Pete Stark, a Democrat from California, note that dyslexia is the most common disability.

"All too often dyslexics are either misdiagnosed or misunderstood, and as a result their true skills and abilities go ignored," the pair wrote, noting a Government Accountability Office reportreleased late last year that explored accommodations on standardized tests such as those required for college.

Read more HERE.

Artist Chuck Close writes note to younger self

From CBSNEWS

In the latest installment of "Note to Self," famed portrait artist Chuck Close writes a letter to himself at age 14, offering himself advice on how to overcome his learning disabilities and his problem with face blindness.

Watch video clip HERE.

Ricky Gervais defends comedy show Derek

From BBC News - Entertainment & Arts

Ricky Gervais has defended his new Channel 4 programme, Derek, following suggestions he was mocking people with learning difficulties.

The one-off comedy is billed as the story of "a simple, vulnerable man working in an old people's home".

Some, including fellow comedian Stewart Lee, have said the character makes light of the "mentally handicapped".

But Gervais, who plays the title role, said Derek was not intended to have a "specific and defined disablity".

Read more HERE.

Getting organized when you are learning disabled

By Peter Flom Special Education Articles

An alternate title for this piece might be “Getting minimally organized to avoid total chaos”. I am disorganized.

I am disorganized in two ways: I am disorganized in space, and I am disorganized in time.

I am disorganized in space

Everything in its place? HAH. I’d never remember where everything goes! I’ve got thousands of items in my home. Heck, I’ve got thousands of BOOKS. Then there’s all that stuff in my kitchen! Plates! Pots! Pans! Knives! Oy vey!

That’s organizing in space. It’s hard.

My space is just not organized. I don’t remember where things are. I don’t remember how things look. I don’t remember where I put things. We had our apartment painted. After a week, I wondered: What color did the walls used to be? I don’t know. What color are they now? I’m not sure. When I was a teenager, living in a room I had lived in for 10 years or so, there was a blackout. My parents found me, 30 minutes later, crawling around on the floor, trying to find my way out.

The other day I came into the kitchen (where our washer-dryer is) to get pajamas for my son. I put them down to do something else. Then I forgot where they were and spent 5 minutes looking. Yesterday, my wife was out, and called me to ask if her glasses were on the bookcase. I went and looked and came back to tell her there was a pair of glasses there, but I didn’t know if they were hers or our son’s. “Well” she asked, “what color are they? I have a green pair and a purple pair”. “I don’t know, I’ll go look”….. “I can’t really tell”. “Well, are they half frames or full frames?” “Huh?” Half frames? Full frames? They’re glasses! She explained and I went back to look again.

I am disorganized in time

Then there is organizing in time. When to do what. How long do things take? When did things happen? During my adolescence, I got hit by a car and had surgery on my eyes. Which happened first? I have no idea. People ask me if my son was born before or after I got my PhD, and I have to think “Let’s see, he was born in 1996, I got my degree in 1999″.

Some solutions for getting organized in space 


Every thing in its place” is a joke. But there are a certain few things that I have to know how to find. Each of those things has one of a few places to be. For example, my glasses are either a) On my face b) On my
nightstand or c) On the sink. NO WHERE ELSE. EVER. My keys are in my pants pocket or on my dresser. My PDA is either on my belt or on my nightstand. That’s about all. I don’t try to overload myself.

In the morning, when I do my morning routine, I work top down. Hair, face, underarms. So I can remember what I’ve done.

My books are organized by category. I’m never quite sure which category is where, but I can at least search for the right category, and then find the right book. And I’ve got them sorted by author within category. The reason that works is I only had to do it once.

Some solutions for getting organized in time

I always allow too long to do things. I’ve recognized now that that won’t change. So, I always carry a book (or two). And I resign myself to waiting.

I also try to calculate how long things will take – I’m not usually right, but at least it shrinks the error.

Peter Flom is a learning disabled adult. In 1965, his mother started the Gateway School, and he was the first student. He is very involved with learning disabilities, is working on a book on the subject, and has spoken about LD to several groups. He also has a PhD in psychometrics, works as a statistician, and is a husband and a father. His website is www.IAmLearningDisabled.com

Article HERE.

Developing Recreation Skills in Persons with Learning Disabilities

Perhaps nothing reveals so much about individuals as how they choose to play - how they invest their time and energy for leisure time. Leisure is that time free from demands of school, work, or required activities of daily living. Everyone needs regular recreation that develops skills, promotes good health, relieves stress, facilitates social interactions, and provides a general joy for living.

For recreation, we choose activities at which we can be successful. Good readers read. Athletes seek sports' activities. Musicians lose themselves in music. Visual artists paint or draw. Craftspeople create. Social individuals engage in group activities. Observers appreciate the efforts of others - whether a basketball game, painting, fine meal, or concert.

Children, adolescents, and adults with learning disabilities may find themselves with limited opportunities to fully enjoy leisure time. A lack of perceptual, motor, memory, linguistic, or organizational skills may cause them as much difficulty for leisure as they have at school or work. Fear of failure may limit their reaching out to access recreational activities. Just as we teach children with dyslexia to read, those with math disabilities to understand math, those with linguistic problems to better comprehend and use language, we must teach skills and provide practice so individuals with learning disabilities can achieve some recreational proficiencies. When skills are not as well developed as necessary and compensations are not made, agencies, institutions, instructors, and coaches can be helped to make necessary accommodations. Satisfying leisure time for persons with learning and other disabilities is as important as accomplishments at home, school, and work.

Read Lorraine C. Peniston 1998 article posted at LD online HERE.

A Parent Guide to Response-to-Intervention

Millions of school-age children experience difficulties with learning.
 Their struggles in school may be due to factors such as cultural or language
differences, poor attendance or a lack of appropriate instruction. In some cases, a disability such as a learning disability can make learning difficult for a child.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities’ RTI Action Network has developed this guide for parents and schools involved in implementing response to intervention (RTI) in the elementary grades. As schools work to implement this new approach, some confusion may arise, so parents should feel free to ask questions and raise concerns along the way.


Read more HERE.

Can Students with Learning Disabilities Learn How to Learn?

Many middle school and high school students with reading disabilities have difficulty understanding their textbooks and succeeding on assignments. Reasons for their difficulties include:

Their inability to understand the demands of the task

Instruction devoted solely to the mastery of subject materials, such as a social studies chapter.

The last reason is certainly not the fault of subject matter teachers; often, they lack the time needed to cover the reams of material for which they’re responsible. Many of them think they have no time to teach children how to read for understanding. Certainly, they have no time to teach students with learning disabilities the higher order thinking skills needed for reading comprehension, such as identifying, explaining, and supporting their interpretations of what they’ve read. Sadly, this focus on content alone often condemns students with reading and other learning disabilities to ongoing failure.

Read By Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis Special Education Advisor article HERE.

An Interview with Carol Murphy: The impact of speech-language disorders on learning

Carol, the field of “learning disabilities” has been with us for many years. What do you feel are the current issues in identification?

For Carol's answers click here.

What to do if your student has a learning disability and is headed to college

Heading to college can be intimidating enough. Heading to college with a learning disability can cause a lot of anxiety. Fortunately most universities have programs available for students who are struggling with a learning disability. There are steps to take if you have a learning disability.

See Megan Pringle's, ABC 2 news:

Assistive Technologies Are Becoming More Prevalent For Learning Disabled

YOU might say it all started with spell-check. In the 1980s, with the introduction of word processing programs like WordPerfect, it became apparent that computerized proofreaders could come to the rescue of struggling spellers and bad typists. Thirty years later, an ever-growing array of assistive technology is available to help students read, write term papers and take tests. From pens that can remember to text that can talk, such technologies are now being held up as important tools for students with learning disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia (trouble writing) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

See Lisa Guernsey's New York Times Article HERE

Homework nightmares, helping a child with a learning disability Part 2

Read part 2 of Homework nightmares, helping a child with a learning disability

Special Education Examiner: Annual event welcomes all who learn differently April 17 at AT&T Park

Annual Event: Annual event welcomes all who learn differently

Homework nightmares, helping a child with a learning disability

To view article: click examiner.com

Help your child with ADD or Learning Difficulties

WHAT: Workshop on Strategies on Working with Students with ADD, ADHD and Learning Disabilities

WHERE: Loma Vista Adult Center

WHEN: Monday, November 9 and 16

TIME: 4pm - 6pm

COST: Free

More information HERE
REGISTER: HERE

Remember to check our calendar link in the right hand sidebar for an extensive list of upcoming district and community events!