Analysis Of Specific Subset Of Learning Disability - Essay Example

Analysis Of Specific Subset Of Learning Disability: LEARNING DISABILITY: A GENERAL DEFINITION. It is a common observation that some children learn faster than others. The same phenomenon is observed in college education also. There are some students who learn much faster than the rest. This may just be considered as a mild variation in the personal characteristic of the students. There are some students who cannot learn without there being much emphasis and repeated exposure to the topic. Such students are nowadays considered to be suffering from a medical disorder called learning disability. Though in the past people suffering from learning disabilities were not given respect and care in the society, today with the development of new teaching methods and change in the attitudes of people they are being given much more emphasis. ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: One of the major learning disorders that students suffer from is Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Hyperactivity. It is a disorder that first comes to light in the childhood. It is characterized by the persistent inability to sit still, focus attention on specific tasks and control behavioral impulses. Children suffering from Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity show these symptoms more frequently and severely than other children of the same age group. A person suffering from this disease may have problems in learning at school, work, family and social behavior. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity disorder is one the most commonly found learning disorder. This becomes evident when Woods (2003) quotes in “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”, “Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common mental disorders of childhood, affecting 3 to 5 percent of school-age children. The disorder occurs at least four times more often in boys than in girls.” Attention-Deficit Disorder is also found many of the adults who suffer from learning disabilities. Woods is of the opinion that around 2 adults in every 100 suffer from it, “Although the symptoms sometimes disappear with age, ADHD can persist into adolescence and adulthood. Some estimates show that up to 2 percent of adults have Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.” CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: The persons suffering from this disorder show various levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Inattention means is inability to concentrate on a specific thing. The person may get bored with assignments or other related tasks in a few minutes, makes careless mistakes, has trouble in listening and may hallucinate and daydream. Hyperactivity involves almost constant motion. Woods exemplifies hyperactivity, “Children may squirm and fidget at their desks in school, get up often to roam around the room, constantly touch things, disturb other people, tap pencils, and talk constantly.” It also makes persons unusually impulsive, so that they act without thinking. It makes the persons more prone to accidents. Persons suffering from the disorder have severe learning problems because of their difficulty in concentrating on a particular task, following instructions or comprehending what is being taught. They also receive constant criticism and correction from teachers and parents, who believe the behavior, is intentional. They usually suffer from emotional problems which becomes evident when Woods quotes, “The combination of negative feedback, poor academic achievement, and social problems may contribute to low self-esteem and other emotional problems.” These emotional problems may further hamper development and progress. EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES: Many forms of attention problems interfere with learning. Students with attention deficits have trouble concentrating. It may be hard for them to decide what to focus upon while listening to a teacher, reading a text, or looking over a mathematics problem. They may also demonstrate impulsive behavior, causing them to perform poorly when they need to slow down and plan work before doing it. Education of students with Learning Disabilities is an area in the field of special education which deals with the instruction of students whose achievement in school is substantially below levels expected for their age, amount of schooling, and level of intelligence due to learning disabilities like Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A few decades ago, students suffering from learning disabilities were not given a proper emphasis and thus they had to discontinue their education even before middle or high schooling. This point becomes clear when Repp and Coutinho (2003) say, “…special education programs are relatively new. Historically, people with disabilities were often placed in hospitals, asylums, or other institutions that provided little, if any, education.” This scenario underwent a moderate change when in the early 1960s public schools in some states began to provide special education services for students with learning disabilities. Even then in some schools no proper emphasis was given. This comes to light from Goldstein and Kahn (1974), “Even after being identified as learning disabled (LD), few children are provided substantive assessment and remediation of their difficulties.” However, the field of education to students with learning disabilities did not become extensively accepted as a justifiable constituent of exceptional instruction until the mid-1970s, when the Federal Government passed the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Regarding this law Levine (2003) remarks, “This law required public schools to provide special education services for students with learning disabilities.” Even after this resolution by the Government, educators, doctors, and researchers have had complexity in producing a well-accepted description of the term learning disability. They disagree about what kinds of learning problems compose genuine disabilities requiring special education services and financial support. Today several methods of instruction are being used in schools and colleges, keeping in view the requirements of students with learning disabilities. One of these instruction techniques is the Direct Instruction. Repp and Coutinho say that, “It is a method that is based on a systematic curriculum design and highly structured, fast-paced lessons in which students participate actively and often.” Another method of instruction is known as Learning Strategies Instruction. Repp and Coutinho say that it “…is designed to teach a student specific learning skills, such as strategies to enhance memorization or problem-solving skills. Instructors may also help students to work around individual learning disorders. For example, teachers may allow a student with memory problems to use a tape recorder to dictate notes and record class lectures.” For these instruction methods to be effective it should be ensured that the students with learning disabilities do not become subject to abuse by the fellow students in particular and the whole society in general. Learning is a voluntary process and is most efficient when the environment is stress free without any emotional hindrances. Learning can only be effective when the learner is fully interested in the learning process as Dewar et al (1995) say, “…students who are actively engaged in the learning process will be more likely to achieve success” (Taken from “Learning styles” 1996). Many methods of instructing students with learning disabilities have been developed but the actual process of teaching the students has not yet reached its highest potential. There are many drawbacks in these methods. Direct instruction, though based on systematic curriculum design is not so suitable for students suffering from Attention-Deficit disorder because when the student actually suffers from the inability to concentrate, optimization of the curriculum prove it to be ineffective. Learning Strategies Instruction method is somewhat more useful because it lays more emphasis on specific areas of the disabled student. These areas if developed can correct the student’s disabilities to some extent and induce in the student interest towards knowledge which if too intense may shadow the innate disabilities. Today with the advent of computers and its proliferation in the field of education has made it much easier to impart instruction to the students with learning disabilities. Computers can be used to show in a graphical form the concepts. This would help in a through understanding of the concepts and also induce interest towards not only the subject but also more towards computers themselves and related fields like electronics. Teaching students with learning disabilities is a process that needs to be more humanistic. The instructor should make the actual process of teaching more personal so its effectiveness is the highest. Love and affection towards the students is the most essential factor. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Blackmore J: (1996). Learning styles: Retrieved 20th October 2005 from http://www2.cyg.net/~jblackmo/diglib/styl-a.html#learnbib. Council for Learning Disabilities Home Page-The Council for Learning Disabilities. http://www.cldinternational.org/c/@5NOOD7tVqAIzI/Pages/home.html (10/28/05 17:30:44) Goodstein, M.A., & Kahn, H. (1974). Pattern of achievement among children with learning difficulties. Exceptional Children. 50.47-49. Levine, M. D. (2003). Education of students with learning disorders. Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003. Repp, J. C, Countinho, M. J. (2003). Special education. Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003. Woods, M. (2003). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003. Read More