About Foothills

"Learning Disabilities" refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency.

Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to: language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g. planning and decision-making).

Learning disabilities range in severity and may interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following:

• oral language (e.g. listening, speaking, understanding);
• reading (e.g. decoding, phonetic knowledge, word recognition, comprehension);
• written language (e.g. spelling and written expression); and
• mathematics (e.g. computation, problem solving).

Learning disabilities may also involve difficulties with organizational skills, social perception, social interaction and perspective taking.

Learning disabilities are lifelong. The way in which they are expressed may vary over an individual's lifetime, depending on the interaction between the demands of the environment and the individual's strengths and needs. Learning disabilities are suggested by unexpected academic under-achievement or achievement which is maintained only by unusually high levels of effort and support.

Learning disabilities are due to genetic and/or neurobiological factors or injury that alters brain functioning in a manner which affects one or more processes related to learning. These disorders are not due primarily to hearing and/or vision problems, socio-economic factors, cultural or linguistic differences, lack of motivation or ineffective teaching, although these factors may further complicate the challenges faced by individuals with learning disabilities. Learning disabilities may co-exist with various conditions including attentional, behavioural and emotional disorders, sensory impairments or other medical conditions.

For success, individuals with learning disabilities require early identification and timely specialized assessments and interventions involving home, school, community and workplace settings. The interventions need to be appropriate for each individual's learning disability subtype and, at a minimum, include the provision of:

• specific skill instruction;
• accommodations;
• compensatory strategies; and
• self-advocacy skills.

FOOTHILLS ACADEMY CHECKLIST

Definition

• Seems bright
• Does some things well, others poorly
• Is failing in school in one or more subjects

Auditory Disabilities

• Doesn't listen in class
• Doesn't remember what he is told; e.g. following instructions.
• Has a limited speaking and/or listening vocabulary
• Has a poor sense of rhythm
• Can't discriminate between similar sounds
• Mispronounces words
• Has difficulty learning phonics; e.g. sounding out words
• Reading errors are similar in meaning; e.g. puppy - dog
• Spelling errors resemble correct word in appearance
• Remembers better what he sees

Visual Disabilities

• Reverses letters when reading or writing
• Is a slow reader
• Sounds out words that should be sight words
• Reading substitutions are visually similar but disrupt the meaning; e.g. horse - house
• Loses his place or omits words when reading
• Has difficulty copying correctly from the board
• Spelling errors are phonetic
• Can't remember what he has seen; e.g. pictures, scenes
• Has a superior ability to remember what he has heard

Oral Language Disabilities

• Speaks in incomplete sentences
• Has an immature vocabulary
• Can't seem to find the word(s) to express his thoughts
• Dislikes participating in class discussions
• Has poor reading comprehension
• Uses incorrect verb tenses
• Mispronounces words
• Sentences seem "mixed up"
• Uses gestures rather than words

Written Language Disabilities

• Poor writing posture
• Written work is untidy
• Sequence of movements in forming letters is incorrect
• Beyond grade three, is still reversing letters
• Letters vary in size and wander off the lines
• Has difficulty in copying from the board
• Is slow completing written work
• Can't seem to express ideas in writing in a logical or intelligible manner

Motor Coordination

• Is poor in sports
• Seems clumsy
• Drops things
• Has poor balance
• Has poor eye-hand coordination; e.g. cutting, writing
• Art work is immature

Orientation

• Can't tell time
• Lacks ability to judge time spans; eg. bedtime, birth date
• Performs poorly on timed tests or assignments
• Can't plan ahead
• Gets lost
• Confuses directions; e.g. north, south, left, right
• Has difficulty in making comparisons of size and/or distance

ATTENTIONAL DISABILITIES

Hyperactivity

• Acts impulsively; e.g. acts first, thinks later
• Is moving constantly
• Behavior is inconsistent from day to day
• Is disruptive in class
• Has a short attention span

Distractibility

• Attention seems to wander
• Daydreams
• Comments are off topic
• Starts assignments without having listened to directions