Learning Disabilities

Learning Strategies

Teach phonemic awareness through segmentation and blending
Direct instruction and review of all phonemes
Decoding practice using decodable books
Drill practice with high-frequency words
Provide interesting controlled-level books
Use repeated reading to develop fluency
Supplement written material with pictures and repetition
Supplement words with symbols or colour coding if classroom organization includes posting schedules or lists
Help children preview reading material
Break written material into small sections- “chunking”
Keep reading material short & simple
Trigger motivation to read by using reading material linked to real-life experiences or specific areas of interest
Have children take turns reading with an adult or read together in unison
Be patient and provide extra time for reading
Offer materials in a different ways

Writing (Integra, 2009; Willows, 2015; Ministry of Education, 2002)

Teach spelling systematically using morpographs
Include daily manageable writing tasks
Provide graphic organizers for schema development
Have children orally express their thoughts before writing
Use a three step “chunking” process: have a child orally say a sentence they want to write, then ask them if they think it is good, finally have them write it down
Use technology to help children remember their thoughts, for example a speech-to-text application
Encourage children to complete written work in stages, offering explicit support in proofreading, editing and revising
Encourage activities at home that support practicing writing
Assist children to write about topics of interest
Show children what is expected of them, more than once

Encourage children to describe the word they are looking for
Give children plenty of time to speak
Be as clear and concrete as possible
Mention one instruction at a time
Check to see what children understand and how they interpret a situation before automatically implementing a consequence
Provide plenty of warning and opportunity for practice before children are required to speak in front of the class
Make cue cards to provide prompts for specific ideas or words
Encourage children to elaborate single word or simple sentence responses
Encourage children to talk about personal experiences and topics that are familiar or of interest to them
Model good listening skills
Explain new/complex vocabulary or concepts ahead of time
Use shorter sentences and simpler words
Use visuals to supplement words
Allow sufficient time for language to be processed