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Helping Children with Learning Disabilities for Successful Teaching

25th February 2020

With every learning complexity comes different challenges; hence, parents and teachers can get help from getting to know what kind of academic and emotional support is required for the special child. Students of all special abilities and backgrounds wish for classrooms that are comprehensive and convey respect. A learning disability usually consigns to underdeveloped ability in one or more areas which are generally related to neurological disorders to students who are mentally or developmentally hindered. They generally have below-average intelligence level which affects their capability to gain knowledge.

Usually, learning disabilities include different kinds of problems with perception of space or sounds, or of numbers or letters (dyscalculia and dyslexia); or of forming letters, processing recollection; awareness disorders; motor management; following verbal directions; or separating literal from metaphorical thoughts.

The children learn in a variety of ways by using different instructional methods that help in meeting with the needs of the greatest number of learners.

So, what does it mean if a child has a learning disability?

Learning Disabilities Association of Canada describes learning disabilities as follows:

“Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding, or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency.”

You perhaps won’t know that someone has a learning disability except you’re being told, but you may perceive that the person is facing difficulty in the communication process. Some of the scariest disabilities have been overcome by some of the world's most flourishing people. Galileo had visual mutilation. Elton John has epilepsy. James Earl Jones had a speech hindrance. John F. Kennedy had a learning disability. Howard Hughes had OCD, as does David Beckham. Winston Churchill and Teddy Roosevelt suffered from bipolar disorder, as do Buzz Aldrin and Jim Carrey.

What can teachers do in the classroom to help a child with a learning disability?

Before anything, teachers need to know that he or she may have students with a learning disability and this can be caused by a variety of inner as well as outer factors. The teacher must recognize the activities of the student with a learning disability so that he or she can support that student. After discovering, teachers can implement the below-mentioned approaches to support a child’s learning disability:

Identify How the Child Learns Best: Is the child a visual learner, an aural learner, or a kinaesthetic novice? Children have their own unique learning style and as a teacher, you need to identify that. You can help out a child by identifying their principal learning approach. Once you’ve figured out how the child learns greatest, you can then make strides to make sure that style of learning is reinforced in your classroom.

If the child is a visual learner then he or she learns well when the study substance is presented visually, not orally. If the child is an aural learner then he or she learns best by listening. Maybe you can take help from classroom discussions, spoken directions, study groups music, languages, etc.  If the child is a kinaesthetic learner then he or she learns best by doing and moving, the child may love sports, drama, dance, martial arts, and arts and crafts, etc.

Set Better-Quality Goals: Think about life accomplishment, rather than school success. This depends, not on academics only, but on many things like a healthy sense of self, the enthusiasm to ask for and acknowledge help, the strength of mind to keep on trying in spite of challenges, the skill to form healthy associations with others, and other qualities that aren’t as easy to enumerate as grades and exam achieves. Ask the child to list his or her strong points and weaknesses, talk about your own strengths and weaknesses with the child. Work with the child on activities that are within his or her capabilities.

Sandwich the Difficult Tasks: For instance, if the child favours math to reading, start with a few math problems, let the child complete the reading project first, and then complete the preferred math task. This will help to end the homework session on a positive note. Ask over the child if he or she would like help with an everyday task that engages academic skills, before jumping in to help. The child might wish to figure it out by himherself. Find that out. Give breaks while doing school work to allow the child to calm down and re-focus.

Let the Child Express: Treat each kid as an individual and do not compare. Teach the special child to put across the negative emotions in a safe and sound way. Children with a learning disability will experience a lot of disturbance about school work and maybe annoyed with the fact that they have a learning disability while others don’t. Try to acknowledge that it is acceptable to feel this way and give means for expressing these emotions securely.

Praise Effort and Encourage: Remember, children with learning difficulties may not always get high marks but if they’ve put in a lot of attempts, it deserves acknowledgment, isn’t it? It can take a lot of courage and the nerves to try a new teaching approach and it’s significant to keep the child motivated in spite of the outcome in terms of percentages and grades. Focus on your long-term goals by providing inspirational role models that can be spaced out over a phase of time.

Other strategies in a nut shell:

• Use a large-print description of a test or novel
• Incorporate assistive technology
• Repeat written instructions loudly
• Break down parts of a plan into smaller assignments
• Allow your students to take parts of a test independently
• Incorporate teacher notes and outlines of lectures, chronological information, visuals, and substitute exam formats
• Give them time
• Keep them encouraged
• Put things in perception
• Patience, admiration and keenness is required to find a way to talk
• Speak normally, clearly and directly to the child in front of you
• Work with parents and the school team to take suitable action

THINGS TO AVOID IN CLASS:

• Don’t go with your insufficient arrangement in class
• Don’t avoid the aspects of classroom management or lesson development
• Don’t implement the identical teaching techniques
• Don’t keep your expectations high rather set the realistic and possible goals
• Don’t just push for typical opportunities for children with special needs in school

The mark of a really great teacher is that he or she will agree to the accountability for his or her actions, learn from mistakes, and develop in progression with time in which parents can help as well. The learning disability courses online include all the key features and points to manage a child with learning disabilities in a better way. The fact is students with learning disabilities are no less talented than any other students, the only thing which is needed is SUPPORT.