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There are about 16,000 adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) in England. This definition is taken from the Raising Our Sights report (2010) by Professor Jim Mansell. Severe – People with a severe learning disability often use basic words and gestures to communicate their needs.
Dyslexia is the term that is usually used to cover a very broad range of learning disabilities which involve language processing deficits. In brief, Levine describes these dysfunctions in terms of problems relating to 1) attention, the most common kind of learning disability; 2) language, difficulty in interpreting and/or remembering verbal messages and instructions; 3) spatial orientation ...
According to the federal Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities, learning disabilities are disorders that “create difficulty in acquiring and using skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, and reasoning. These disorders can also inhibit mathematical abilities and social interactions” (Brown & Ganzglass, 1998, p. 2).
- The basics. (opens in a new window) The Landmark School Outreach Program’s(opens in a new window) mission is to empower students with language-based learning disabilities by offering their teachers an exemplary program of applied research and professional development.
- Academic proficiency. Academic proficiency develops in relation to students’ increasing skills and abilities. Its three interrelated elements, shown in the figure below, are coordinated by the individual’s executive function.
- Emergence and signs of language-based difficulties. Children naturally develop skills at their own pace, and most students have difficulty learning from time to time.
- Language difficulty or disability? Language difficulties are not always language disabilities. In order for a student to be eligible for special education services guided by an individualized education plan (IEP), he or she must be diagnosed with a disability.
- Why Do We Need to Get It Right?
- What Information Do We Need?
- Who Should Be Involved?
- What Happens If Special Education Assessment Is needed?
- Concluding Thoughts
As indicated in the introduction, there are two troubling trends when it comes to identifying the services that ELLs need to succeed:over-identification for special education, which results from assigning students to special education programs who do not actually need those services, and under-identification, which is what happens when students who...
When the cause of difficulty is not so obvious, where do educators begin to look for answers? Here are some questions to ask about the student.
Creating a team
In examining a student's needs, a collaborative team approach is best. Background information on why coordinating support services for ELLs is provided in this tip sheet from the Michigan Department of Education. Someone who speaks the child's native language must be involved in the process along with colleagues with expertise in ELL and/or bilingual education, special education, speech-language therapy, and parent outreach. Even if your school doesn't formally use a team when assessing or ev...
Working with families
Families are a valuable source of information about their children and an important part of a student's support team. It's essential that ELL families are kept informed about their student's progress so that they understand each step of the way, just as would be done for monolingual English students. Keeping families informed also builds trust so that if evaluation or referral are needed, the family understands what is happening and why. This is another reason why getting to know ELL families...
If your team determines that special education assessment is needed, the next question is to ask which evaluation methods will be used to determine what kinds of services the student might need and to learn more about the language used in those tools. According to expert Kathy Escamilla, who Lesli and Nirvi interviewed for their article, "When most...
As educators begin to collaborate more and look more deeply into students' experiences and needs, there is a better chance that students will get the support they need to succeed. Building a more culturally and linguistically responsive RtI / MTSS process will help to address the needs of ELLs who are having significant challenges in a more timely ...
Program description. Featuring bilingual speech-language pathologist Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan. This webcast discusses effective assessment and instruction strategies for English language learners with learning disabilities, as well as ways to help encourage the active involvement of parents of ELLs with LD in their children’s schools.
Under the broad umbrella of underachievement, Burr, Haas, and Ferriere (2015, 3) specifically define learning disability as “a neurological condition that interferes with an individual’s ability to store, process, or produce information. Learning disabilities can affect a student’s ability to read, write, speak, spell, compute math, or ...
