How Do You Help Students with Specific Learning Disabilities?
Let students know that a Learning Disability isn't the end of their learning career! The first step to helping students with learning disabilities is letting students know they are not alone in the learning process.
Many famous scholars and professionals have had learning disabilities. People such as Woodrow Wilson, Albert Einstein, Rockefeller, Charles Schwab, and Thomas Edison. Make sure the students know they can achieve everything (and more) that a student without a learning disability can.
Many famous scholars and professionals have had learning disabilities. People such as Woodrow Wilson, Albert Einstein, Rockefeller, Charles Schwab, and Thomas Edison. Make sure the students know they can achieve everything (and more) that a student without a learning disability can.
Dye, 2014
How to Help in the Classroom?
Organizational skills
- Graphic Organizers
- Advanced Organizers
- Any form of organizational guide will help students with SLD. The higher the complexity of a task, the better it is for students with SLD to have the tasks broken down into steps. The more organized the better. Using the tools listed above or other tools will enhance the SLD student's control and therefore their learning.
- Mnemonics--a tool for students to use where the first letter of each part (or term) is represented by a story or word. The tool helps the student remember the details.
- Study Aids--flip cards, repetition, multiple styles of teaching, and other tools can influence learning and provide the students with extra support to better understand the material.
- Visual clutter--while some students thrive with art on the walls, or hanging from the ceiling, some students with SLD will be too distracted or can lose focus due to trying to understand the material. Keeping the room simple can prevent the loss of focus caused by extraneous stimuli.
- Student chatter or noises right outside the classroom--Keeping the door closed and the chatter to a minimum in the classroom can help keep students with SLD.