Learning Disabilities and Learning

¶ … curriculum models used in early childhood education programs.

The main curriculum models utilized in ECD programs for children with disabilities include behavioral, cognitive and combination models.

Developmental Model:

This model has an enrichment curriculum that focuses on developing all areas of a child's development -- emotional, social, language, cognitive and physical development. The model is informed by the belief that under the right conditions, a child's inner motivation to learn will rekindle and develop.

Cognitive Model:

Piaget's works influence most of the available cognitive-leaning models. A big area of focus is children's development of thinking and cognitive abilities. The various stages a child goes through during cognitive development are the basis for the design of instructional procedures and activities. The thinking skills to be developed include problem solving, language, concept formation, comprehension, discrimination, and memory.

Behavioral Model:

The basis of the model is concepts drawn from direct instruction and reinforcement theory. The approach utilizes mastery learning, direct teaching, data-based teaching, reinforcement, measurable goals and observable behavior. The behavioral aspects the teacher targets are nurtured in a supportive instructional environment to help them find expression.

Combination Model:

A majority of programs design their systems using techniques from various models. This model combines thinking from the other models. Given the broad range of curriculum objectives an institution might want to achieve, it makes sense to borrow from various models that support the range of goals they want to achieve.

2. Describe the characteristics of adolescents with learning disabilities in the areas of academic deficits, cognitive and metacognitive deficits, social interaction deficits, and motivation deficits.

Academic Deficits:

Adolescent students with disabilities often record lower academic achievements than their fully able counterparts. A number of disabled adolescent students do not pass minimum competency tests, even in cases where they take tests that are modified to suit their situation. This reality leads to academic deficits between students who do not have disabilities and students who do.

Cognitive and Metacognitive Deficits:

Executive strategies refer to the ability of an individual to reflect on their own cognitive strategies or thinking process and thereby make a decision on how to best use them to bring a task to fruition both efficiently and effectively. Research shows that students with disabilities tend to be more passive when handling a task than their fully able counterparts.

Social Interaction Deficits:

Disabled students report weak social skills and this reality has led some professionals to insist on inclusion of 'social disabilities' as a criterion to identify learning disabilities among children. A study of adolescent children with disabilities revealed that most disabled adolescent students are not popular among their peers. A certain subgroup of the sampled students was however found to be quite popular.

Motivation Deficits

Adolescents with learning disabilities appear to have low intrinsic motivation to learn and are therefore very inactive in the learning process. Their previous troubles and failures in learning other activities inside and outside the classroom might lead to them developing an unhealthy attitude to learning.

3. Discuss what we know about predicting learning disabilities in young children.

Most of the research been done to identify learning issues among children focused mainly on predicting underachievement instead of predicting the specific condition that might trigger the underachievement. Such conditions include slow learning, learning disability or emotional disability. Lately, a number of identification processes and practices have been developed that help predict underachievement and consequently, learning disabilities. The focus has been mainly the characteristics of the learners.

Prediction Techniques and Expert Opinion:

Prediction techniques can be categorized into teacher perception, singles instrument, or an assorted array of tests. Battery of tests utilizes various tests and subtests. The effectiveness of screening measures varies and practitioners are able to identify the best procedure for a given situation based on knowledge already gleaned from previous research in the area. When properly done, screening measures typically yield 80% to 90% success ratio. This level of accuracy helps professionals to predict possibility of learning disabilities in children at a later stage, quite early while the children are still in kindergarten. It is important to note that extent of learning disabilities is a key determinant of whether a child will experience problems with learning later on. The disabilities can range from mild/moderate to severe and it is important that the screening takes this into account.

4. Discuss the factors that affect the postsecondary adjustments of adults with learning disabilities.

A review of various studies reveals that adults with learning disabilities experience the following difficulties:

i. Underemployment.

Numerous adults with learning disabilities only secure part-time work and the jobs in most cases are at the semiskilled or unskilled level. The wages for such jobs are relatively low. They also find it hard to advance in their jobs and so stay at low paying jobs for relatively longer periods of time.

ii. Job dissatisfaction

Numerous adults with learning disabilities report having lower job satisfaction levels than their counterparts who do not have any disabilities.

iii. Dependent living

Due to their conditions, many adults with learning disabilities have to continue living with their loved ones years after completing secondary education.

iv. Social skills problems

Due to weak social skills, problems like poor communication, poor appearance, misunderstandings and disagreements may manifest themselves in the work place for people with learning disabilities. Inability to form deep and meaningful relationships at the work place might also affect self-esteem which can in turn lead to a downward spiral of negative interactions at the work place.

v. Inability to develop good work habits

People with learning disabilities may not be able to work at an acceptable speed or cope with the pressures of a normal work environment leading to them falling behind. It is difficult to adjust to a new job when one finds it difficult to adopt a productive routine at the new job station.

vi. Poor job selection skills

Jobs are easier done when the skills of an individual complement their role on the job. People with learning disabilities may not be well equipped to evaluate jobs that best suit their skills. If they choose the wrong job, coping and adjusting becomes difficult.

5. What is assistive technology? What types of learning problems can assistive technology address? Identify several assistive technology devices that can address these problems.

Assistive technology (AT) help people with disabilities cope with their disabilities and improve the ease with which they interact with their external environment. Assistive technology can be very helpful in helping people with learning disabilities develop and improve their capacity for learning. Some of the learning areas assistive technology can help a person with learning disabilities include: