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Characteristics ofLearning disability

• Difficulty in:– Focusing attention – Remembering information– Regulating one’s own behavior– Mastering academic tasks – Making friends

• Difficulty in:– Performing life skills

• Appears unmotivated• Below average intelligence

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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities

Difficulty in: Using language and symbols Perceiving Managing emotions and behavior Talking: limited vocabulary; difficulty in

formulating coherent, grammatical sentences Math: computation and reasoning/ problem

solving Reading: basic skills & comprehension Writing: penmanship and expressing ideas clearly Listening: hearing, but not understanding Difficulty in using language and symbols

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Characteristics ofSpecific Learning Disabilities (continued)

Difficulty in perceiving:Differences in voice tonesDifferences in facial expressions

Body languagePassage of timeVerbal humorPersonal space

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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities (continued)

Difficulty in managing emotions and behavior:Controlling anger Making hasty decisions Interrupting (impulsive)Responding to rapid transitions (rigid)Organizing tasks

Managing time and resources

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Characteristics of

Specific Learning Disabilities (continued)

• Students often may:– Appear frustrated, shy, or act out in reading activities

(because of reading problems)

– Panic, resist, or act out in writing activities (because of writing problems)

– Resist, refuse, act out at math time (because of math problems)

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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities

Summary

• All students have some academic problems• The most common academic problem is reading• No oneNo one with SLD will evidence all typesall types of

problems.

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Characteristics of Specific Learning Disabilities Summary

(continued)

• AllAll students will evidence somesome types of problems• Persons with SLD exhibit these problems:– To a greater extent than do “normal” individuals

– With greater adverse educational effects

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• Learning problems may include:– Poor academic survival skills – Academic achievement below grade

placement– School demands attribute to at-risk

behaviors

Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance

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• Aggressive/non-compliant behavior:– Openly defies authority– Verbally attacks or engages in inappropriate

verbal exchange– Physically threatens peers and authority figures– Easily loses temper– May have excessive absences or repeated

suspensions

Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)

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• Withdrawn:– Lacks social skills to make friends– Uses retreat behavior– Exhibits thought disorders– Exhibits pervasive mood of unhappiness

and/or depression

Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)

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Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)

• Hyperactive:– Feet/hands often moving– Out of seat often without permission– Runs or climbs when walking or reaching would be better– Trouble maintaining self in quiet activities– Appears tense, anxious, and nervous

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• Immature:– Preoccupation with things not presently

required– Short attention span for chronological age– Difficulty starting and completing tasks– Prefers to socialize with younger-age peers– Difficulty following multi-step directions– Engages in behavior of younger children

Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance (continued)

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• Learning Problems

• Aggressive/non-compliant behavior

• Withdrawn

• Hyperactive

• Immature

Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance Summary

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What Is The Connection Between Disability Characteristics And

Student Characteristics?

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IRRESPONSIBLE

IRRESPONSIBLE Disability Disability CharacteristicsCharacteristics

SLOWSLOWLEARNER

LEARNER

AGGRESSIVE

AGGRESSIVE

HYPERACTIVE

HYPERACTIVE

UNMOTIVATED

UNMOTIVATED

IMPULSIVE

IMPULSIVE DEFIANT

DEFIANT

WITHDRAWN

WITHDRAWN

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StudentStudentCharacteristicsCharacteristics

IRRESPONSIBLE

IRRESPONSIBLE

SLOWSLOWLEARNER

LEARNER

AGGRESSIVE

AGGRESSIVE

HYPERACTIVE

HYPERACTIVE

UNMOTIVATED

UNMOTIVATED

IMPULSIVE

IMPULSIVEDEFIANT

DEFIANT

WITHDRAWN

WITHDRAWN

So What Does All This Mean?

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What Can Be Done To Reduce Overrepresentation/

Underrepresentation

• General education classroom

• Family involvement

• Referrals

• Evaluations

• Services

• Monitor

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