Learning Disabilities
What is a Learning
Disability?
A person who has cerebral palsy may also have a learning disability depending
on what part of the brain has been damaged. Not everyone with cerebral
palsy has a learning disability. A learning disabled person has average
or above average intelligence. In most cases the person with a learning
disability learn differently from the established methods of teaching
because their brains process and store information in a different way.
The person’s learning disability affects his or her ability to either
interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different
parts of the brain.
Some Characteristics of persons
with a Learning Disability are as follows:
- Difficulty completing tasks, giving up easily because of frustration.
- Difficulty remembering facts or a list of items.
- Can seem disorganized and/or sloppy in appearance.
- Difficulty following oral and/or written directions.
- Confussion trying to follow more than one direction at a time.
- Difficulty staying on task, being easily distracted.
- Trouble making decisions.
- Can be impulsive, not think things through things.
- Can have a poor sense of time.
- Guessing answers to a questions that requirer recalling information
from memory.
- Possible moodswings.
- Can have a poor self-esteem because of repeated failure.
Myths about the Learning Disabled
- They are lazy. (NOT TRUE).
- Are retarded. (NOT TRUE – some have above average intelligence and
are even geniuses).
- Are dumb or stupid (NOT TRUE).
- Could learn if they would try harder. (NOT TRUE – the brain processes
information differently for the learning disabled and if information
is not presented properly they can not learn.).
- Could do certain things if they just practice more. (NOT TRUE).
- Do not pay attention (NOT TRUE).
- Have no self-discipline (NOT TRUE).
- Are bad people (NOT TRUE).
- Should be excused from participating in an activity because they
have difficulty doing it. (NOT TRUE—remember the tortes and the heir
sometimes people with learning disabilities take longer to do some
things but they do them better then anyone else).
- Should be allowed to disobey rules because they do not know how
to follow the rules. (NOT TRUE-the rules should be followed by everyone
regardless of a disability).
Some Common Learning Disabilities
Include:
- Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Dyslexia Visual Processing Disorders (This is something
a lot of people with CP have)
- Audio Processing Disorders Communication Disorders
(Another one common in CP) Links for Learning Disabilities
Links for Learning Disabilities
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