Learning disability
-
Reading disability is the most common type of
learning disability, but a learning disability may manifest in other
academic skills, such as math and writing.
- most common
times of diagnosis are during third grade and during junior high school.
- In third grade, there is a dramatic
increase in the complexity of academic material. In junior high, children are
expected to apply basic reading and writing skills, which require that these
skills have become automatic.
- 5% of school age children
- Weschler IQ tests
- Mean 100
- S.D. 15
- <70 or >130 “abnormal”
- 3 scores: verbal IQ, performance IQ, combined IQ
- Children who have learning disabilities
often demonstrate a discrepancy
between
- performance in academic skills or
- verbal IQ and performance IQ scores
- Verbal IQ measures verbal learning,
reasoning, and language processing (stuff learned at school ie math, vocab)
- Performance IQ measures nonverbal
learning and memory, planning and organization, and visual processing (less
dependent on schooling)
- PIQ > VIQ very suggestive of learning disability
- The amount of
subtest discrepancy needed for
diagnosis varies between states, but it ranges between 15 and 20 points.
- For example, a child who has a verbal IQ
of 100 and performance IQ of 120 likely has a language-based learning
disability.
- The diagnosis also may be based on a
discrepancy between achievement and assessed cognitive ability. For example, a
child who has normal intelligence but math skills several grades below
expected may have a learning disability.
- Attention may be given to remediate
academic skills, but excessive
attention to weaknesses is likely to be demoralizing for the child.
- For many children who have learning
disabilities, the availability of
technological assistance allows
them to continue to progress academically and promotes educational success.
Types of assistance include texts on
tape, oral testing, and the use of spell check programs.
- there is little evidence that grade
retention is helpful for children who have learning disabilities.
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