Overview of Learning Disabilities
Prior to the term Learning Disability (LD) involving literacy, there were multiple labels: dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dysphasia.
Dyslexia (reading disability):
difficulty with phonological processing, which leads to problems with decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension (Integra, 2009; Kemp, Smith, & Segal, 2015).
Dysphasia:
language processing problem that interferes with oral language and reading comprehension (Integra, 2009; Kemp, et al., 2015).
Dysgraphia (writing disability):
difficulty with written expression either do to motor control organization problems, which interferes with spelling and writing- both neatness and coherence (Kemp, et al., 2015).
A LD is a neurological problem which can affect a person’s ability to (Integra, 2009):
· Process information (Input)
· Make sense of this information (Organization)
· Store information (Memory)
· Retrieve information (Output)
Children with LDs typically have language processing and visual-spatial difficulties. These difficulties can interfere with a child’s ability to make sense of what what they hear and see, as they are unable to organize information accordingly. There are three types of memory problems a child with an LD might experience: verbal, visual, and/or working memory problems (Integra, 2009).
Our student population has area one or area two problems, or a combination of both. Most children with a LD, including our children, have area one problems, which consist of written language complications involving decoding and encoding skills. Area two consists of oral language concerns involving receptive and expressive language. Figure 1 shows the relationship between area one and two problems (Willows, 2015).
LDs affect
5-10% of Canadians
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Visual memory deficits affect children’s ability to take in visual information and store it in their short or long term memory.
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Verbal memory deficits affect children’s ability to retain oral language information and retrieve it.
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Working memory deficits affect children's ability to think about more than one piece of information at a time.
(Integra, 2009)
Figure 1