Encouraging Your Child to Succeed

1. Encouraging Your Child to Succeed Kathryn Jens Ph.D. Erica Adamiak M.A. Identifying the signs of learning disabilities and creating a plan for success

2. There are all types of disabilities

3. What is a learning disability? • It has had different terms over the years. • Typically 10-15% of the student population have a learning disability. • Typically it’s someone with average to above average intelligence. • Students have difficulties in receiving, processing, storing, responding to, and communicating, information that gets in their way and almost masks their intelligence at times. • Cognitive weaknesses are typically coupled with academic areas of weaknesses.

4. What are the warning signs? • Struggling with friendships • Depression/anxiety • Hours on homework • Disorganization • Afraid of disappointing others • Frustrating others (teachers and parents)

5. Warning signs in the classroom • Organization • Confusion with directions/instructions • Misreading information • Look noncompliant • Struggling to stay on task, attention to details, abstract concepts, and slow work pace

6. What can parents do? • Understand the disability in common language • Support groups SEAC • Promote positive peer relationships for child • Promote role models • Promote open communication with school • Set limits on homework time • Scaffold organization • Know accommodations/modifications • Model advocacy

7. How do students address their disability with their friends? • Know the common language of their disability • Advocate their needs • Share that they just learn “differently”

8. What will the school do to support? IEP Case Manager • Customized to meet the needs of every child. • Reviewed annually/Eligibility every three years • Signature Page • Present levels of Progress • Eligibility? • Determine classroom accommodations • Services • Goals • Manage paperwork • Monitor goals • Advocate • Provide communication

9. Tiers of Intervention Intensive Targeted Universal Level General Education

10. What will the school do to support? *Based on individual needs Accommodations • Alterations in the way that tasks are presented that allow students to complete the same assignments. • Examples: audio tape, preferential seating, small group, extended time, assisted technology, frequent breaks Modifications • Alterations in the curriculum and content that do not require the students to complete the same assignments. • Examples: Modified grading scale, altered multiple choice test, reworded questions, word banks, alternative books/materials for topics

11. Differentiation • Content (teachers differentiate content by what the students learn as well as the materials, could occur through books on tape, readiness verses grade-level) • Process (whole group, small groups, pairing, centers, personal agendas) • Product (informal, formal assessments, rubrics, flexibility) • Learning environment (quiet, set up of materials, structure, guidelines, different ways to ask for help)

12. Advocating Working as a team with parent, student, and teachers.