Learning Difficulties

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My MA is in mild/moderate learning disabilities. Just as there are many different ways to understand, there are many different ways to teach. But the best teaching incorporates a variety of approaches and is meant to reach a variety of students. Whether a student has dyslexia, autism, auditory processing delays, or just doesn't get the material, I make sure to meet the student at their level of understanding and work closely with them to get them where they need to be.

Student has difficulties processing visual details, making visual memories, finding differences between similar figures, remembering shapes or sequences of shapes, visualizing missing pieces, and finding a target shape out of a field of shapes. This has obvious consequences in reading, but can also affect note-taking, understanding diagrams, and other tasks.

The three main types of memory are Short-Term, Long-Term, and Active Working Memory (AWM). AWM can be thought of as the “workspace of thinking”, like RAM in a computer or the usable space on one’s desk. AWM is involved in holding, juggling, or manipulating pieces of information while the mind makes sense of it all. Short-Term holds incoming information so the subject can decide what to do with that information. Short-Term memory problems can overlap with attention issues. Long-Term involves storage of facts as well as their retrieval. Storage issues include categorization, association, procedures/rules, experiences, and access.

Student has trouble putting things in linear order, such as sequences of events or steps in a procedure. Student may have trouble organizing objects in space, judging distances, or visualizing sizes and distances. This can lead to problems in math, reading, organization, and following sequential directions

Student can hear well, but has trouble processing what is heard. She may have trouble forming auditory memories or making sense out of auditory input. This can lead to issues with basic or complex language skills, and comprehension.

Dyslexia is a neurologically-based reading disorder characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, spelling and decoding abilities. Phonemic and phonic difficulties are not the same as seeing letters backwards or out of order. When visual processing issues create difficulty with reading it is called visual dyslexia.

Any of these processing problems can cause difficulties with doing mathematics. Math integrates spatial/temporal ordering, detailed visual processing, mental imagery, estimation, computation, reading, understanding math language, attention to detail, attention in general, logic and reasoning, remembering facts and complex processes, careful organization of numbers and symbols on paper, overall problem analysis and solving skills, and grasping new or difficult concepts. Dyscalculia is a difficulty with mental arithmetic.

Poor or weak coordination and control in small muscle movements, such as in handwriting or drawing. All conscious physical actions have memory, conceptual, attentional, planning, sequential, mental imagery, and organizational components.

Similar muscle control issues are responsible for Gross-Motor dysfunctions (‘clumsiness’) and some speech disorders (oral-muscle control dysfunctions).

ADHD is a behavior disorder, not a learning disability, but it can certainly affect learning. Student has troubles with: paying attention, concentrating for lengths of time, filtering out unimportant stimuli, and overall organization. Student may also be hyperactive, comfortable in chaos/intense situations, and full of energy. Persons with ADHD are also known for becoming very focused-on and successful at things that truly interest them. An M.D., psychologist, or other health care provider (hopefully someone experienced in ADHD) should be making the ADHD diagnosis. Exact definitions & criteria for ADHD are under constant revision as researchers learn more.

"Autism Spectrum Disorder" covers a range of developmental delays that result in difficulties connecting with or understanding other people - impaired social communication. Babies with autism often don't pick up on facial expressions and other social cues, and this leads to difficulties with communication, social, and emotional skills. Symptoms include: inflexibility with routines, repetitive behaviors, heightened sensitivity, stronger emotional reactions, unusual interest in objects, and unusual focus on a particular topic. The definition of autism has expanded to include people with the full range of abilities and impairment, not just those with more severe difficulties.