1. Scenarios
• Manpreet (4 years old) has trouble settling
in at nursery because he gets very upset
and angry when the other children don’t
understand him
• Tariq (8 years old) is having real difficulty
with reading but he seems very bright. His
teacher has just found out that he had
difficulty learning to talk.

2. • Manisha (6 years old) got into trouble at
school today with a new teacher because
she didn’t do what the teacher wanted but
Manisha didn’t understand what the
teacher meant.
• Harish (12) doesn’t want to go to school,
he doesn’t seem to have any friends and
his parents think he is being bullied
because of his speech

3. ADDRESSING NEEDS OF
CHILDREN WITH LANGUAGE
DIFFICULTIES
PRESENTED BY:
Ms. GURKIRAT KAUR
ASST. PROF.
CHITKARA UNIVERSITY

4. Who is a Student with a Learning Disability?
A student with a Learning Disability
is a student with learning
abilities who:
• falls within the range of
intellectual ability from average
to superior intelligence;
• is able to learn;
• has disabilities in one or more of
the academic skills of reading,
writing, spelling or mathematics.

5. Definition of Learning Disability
LD Association of Ontario -
Learning disabilities refers to a variety of disorders
that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding,
organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal
information.
The impairments are generally life-long.
Some impairments may be noted during the pre-school
years by low academic achievement, while others
may not become evident until much later.

6. Definition of Learning Disability cont .
Learning disabilities range in severity and invariably
interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more
of the following important skills:
• oral language (listening, speaking and
understanding)
• reading (decoding and comprehension)
• written language (spelling and written expression)
• mathematics (computation and problem solving)
Learning disabilities may also cause difficulties with
organizational skills, and social interaction.

7. Types of Learning Disabilities
 Dyslexia  Central Auditory Processing
A language and reading disability Disorder
Difficulty processing and
 Dyscalculia remembering language-related
Problems with arithmetic and math tasks
concepts  Non-Verbal Learning Disorders
Trouble with nonverbal cues, e.g.,
 Dysgraphia body language; poor coordination,
A writing disorder resulting in clumsy
illegibility  Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor
 Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Deficit
Reverses letters; cannot copy
Disorder) accurately;
Problems with motor coordination  Language Disorders
(Aphasia/Dysphasia)
Trouble understanding spoken
language; poor reading
comprehension

8. Celebrities with dyslexia
• Tom Cruise • Abhishek Bachchan
• Walt Disney • Albert Einstein

9. • Dyslexia involves difficulty with
LANGUAGE
• Intelligence is not the problem
• There is an expected GAP between
their potential for learning and their
school achievement

10. • Individuals with dyslexia have a wide
range of talents e.g. art, drama,
entrepreneurial work etc.
• They often have difficulty organizing
themselves
• Each dyslexic individual has
different strengths and weaknesses
• Often other members of the family
have dyslexia or similar difficulties

11. Identifying symptoms
delay in talking
difficulty with rhymes and rhythm
difficulty with remembering rote
information, e.g. telephone no., names
difficulty in remembering and following
directions

12. Identifying symptoms
difficulty in learning letter /character
symbols and their sounds
unusual reading and writing errors
difficulty in remembering words over
time
difficulty in comprehension from text
difficulty in organizing ideas in text
writing

14. • Other common
features
accompanying
dyslexia:
– poor pencil grip and
handwriting
– poor sense of time
– poor organization and
ability to keep
belongings
– poor study habits

16. What is Dyscalculia?
• Developmental Dyscalculia was first
recognised by Dept for education and Skills
2001 and defined as
‘a condition that affects the ability to
acquire arithmetical skills. Dyscalculic
learners may have difficulty understanding
simple number concepts, lack an intuitive
grasp of numbers and have problems
learning number facts and procedures.
Even if they produce a correct answer or
use a correct method they may do so
mechanically and without confidence.’

17. How do I recognise a child who has
Dyscalculia?
• the child will be performing below teacher’s
expectations with no obvious reason such as illness
• This underachievement may manifest itself in
specifics such as knowing the value of numbers,
realising 9 is 1 less that 10
• They may have no understanding of why or what the
result means in a sum
• Do not be surprised that those who have
difficulties in decoding and understanding written
words and learning patterns involving symbols also
experience in learning facts, symbols which are
used in Mathematics

18. Dyscalculic pupils may:
• Have sound technical reading skills but fail
to understand the mathematical language
• Difficulty linking mathematical words to
numerals
• Fails to remember the sequence of
calculations in multi-step word problem
• Forget the formula
• Unable to read the time
• Difficulty with mathematical language of
money

19. Dyscalculic pupils:
• Are worried that they
work more slowly and
incorrectly
• Lack confidence – even
when they produce the
correct answer
• Will adopt avoidance
strategies
• Dislike whole group
interactive sessions

20. Bill Gates
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin Albert Einstein

21. What is dyspraxia?
An impairment or immaturity in the
organisation of movement
Associated difficulties include:
• Language delay
• Perceptual difficulties
• Difficulties in planning and organising thought
• Self-esteem and emotional Difficulties
Daniel Radcliffe

22. How do we diagnose it?
• Usually presented by parents or
teacher
• Often a history of poor motor
development e.g. late walking,
falling over a lot, poor ball
catching skills etc
• Immature or poor drawing
skills
• Difficulty with personal skills
especially dressing, eating,
toileting, shoe laces etc

23. How do we diagnose it?
• Disorganised –
constantly losing
things, forgetting
equipment, can’t follow
timetables, forgets
homework
• Late learning motor
skills such as riding a
bike

24. What is dysgraphia?
• A learning disability that affects writing
abilities. • Illegible handwriting
• Irregular and inconsistent letter formations
• Write legibly but very slowly and/or very small
• Ability to express ideas is interfered

25. Diagnosis of dysgraphia
• Dysgraphia cannot be diagnosed solely by
looking at handwriting samples.
• Not only the finished product is assessed, but
also the process (The International Dyslexia
Association, 1996-2007).

26. Types of error
• letter substitution errors “apple” --> aBBel
• letter omission errors “swing” --> swin
• letter addition errors “across -> acccross
• case substitution errors Queen --> quEEn
• crab --> craB; ladder --> laDDer;
apple --> aBBel

27. What a TEACHER can
do?

28. Accommodations for Dyslexia
• Timing/Scheduling
– more time in
completing written
work / exams
– avoid closely
packed multiple
exam sessions

29. • Presentation Format
– Larger print with less crowding
– Questions and answers on same
page
– Directions in simple wording, child’s
understanding checked
– Test items read to student

30. • Setting
– Testing in a small
separate group
– Limit distractions

31. • Response Format
– answers on large-spaced paper
– students answers verbally
– spelling etc requirements waived
– aids allowed e.g. dictionaries

32. Accommodations for Dyscalculia
• First step must be to identify a
student’s strengths and weaknesses,
understand how a student learns best
• Use tutoring outside the classroom,
with a one-on-one instructor

33. • Use graph paper to organize work and ideas
• Use different approaches to memorizing
math facts, formulas, rules, etc.
• Encourage students to work hard to
“visualize” math problems, draw pictures,
look at diagrams, etc.

34. • Encourage verbalizing while problem solving,
this uses auditory skills which may be a
strength
• Try to relate problems to real life experiences
• Use rhythm or music to help memorize math
facts, etc.
• Monitor student progress on a frequent basis
BE PATIENT

35. Accommodations for
Dyspraxia
• Multi-disciplinary approach to tackle learning, motor
skills and self esteem
Interventions to make life easier and learn
skills which are difficult eg:
– List of equipment on inside of school
bag or pencil case
– Practising ball skills, using cutlery,
drawing, PC instead of handwriting

36. Accommodations for DYSGRAPHIA
•Use paper with raised lines for a sensory guide to
staying within the lines.
•Try different pens and pencils to find one that's most
comfortable.
•Practice writing letters and numbers in the air with big
arm movements to improve motor memory of these
important shapes. Also practice letters and numbers with
smaller hand or finger motions.
•Encourage proper grip, posture and paper positioning
for writing. It's important to reinforce this early as it's
difficult for students to unlearn bad habits later on.
•Be patient and positive, encourage practice and praise
effort - becoming a good writer takes time and practice.

37. A Student with a LANGUAGE DISABILITY
is a Student with SPEACIAL ABILITIES
who can SUCCEED at ACADEMIC STUDY