History of Learning Disability (L.D.)
Khalilah JamesGrand Canyon University
SPE 557 – Characteristics of LDAugust 26, 2013
Types of Disorders
Perceptual disability Brain injury Minimal brain
dysfunction Dyslexia Developmental aphasia
Facts about L.D.
Brain injuries can cause the brain to process information in an unorthodox way.
Not all cases of L.D are from brain injury. Currently 2.4 million students are diagnosed with
LD. May be mitigated to support learning, living and
earning. Students with LD represent the largest group served
by the IDEA.
History
Legislation
1969 - Congress passes the Children with Specific Learning Disabilities Act. First time federal law mandates support services for students with learning disabilities.
1975 - The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142), which mandates a free, appropriate public education for all students. (This law is renamed IDEA in 1990.)
2004 - Elimination of the requirement for a student to show a "severe discrepancy" between intellectual ability and academic achievement in order to be identified as having an SLD.
Medical History
1887 – First use of the term "dyslexia" to describe a "very great difficulty in interpreting written or printed symbols”.
1963 – First use of the term "learning disability". 1996 – An MRI was conducted to look at the
activity in living brains – to identify the regions of the brain that behave differently in dyslexics.
2005 – Identified a gene that had patterns and variations that were strongly associated with dyslexia.
Learning Through Vision
Visual Processing Weaknesses
Forced responsiveness to stimuli Figure-ground confusion Perseveration Hyperactivity Catastrophic reaction Meticulousness
Research
1930's & 40's – Goldstein linked defective processing & reaction to visual information to brain injury.
Heinz Werner suggests to adjust teaching style to one's learning style.
Kephart – assumed that perception & motor development was the basis for learning.
Frostig – Developed assessment measures & gross-motor and & workbook program.
Learning Through
Language
Research
1800's - Language competency yields academic progress.
Gall – frontal lobe injury can yield loss of speech & ability to remember words.
1860's – Broca believed language ability was located in the left hemisphere of the brain. Good teaching & parenting can stimulate new brain functions.
Research con't
1950's – Eisenson theorized a lag in brain maturation as possible cause of LD.
Osgood – Proposed the theory of decoding & encoding.
Myklebust – Reinforced the need for tailored curriculum.
Misidentification of LD
Poorly motivated, Poorly taught, Little home support learning, Immature, Slow learners in all areas of development, Have English as a second language, Average learners out of place in above-average
schools.
Preventing Misdiagnosis
Elementary
Developmental delay rather than a learning disability
Severity of the delay Teacher observation Consider environment Readiness assessments
Secondary
Setting a percentage Achievement test score
versus IQ score Standard scores Clinical judgment Intellectual ability Achievement tests
Male students
“Although males are far more prevalent than females in our LD numbers, researchers feel
thatthe male-to-female ratio is actually equal—but for
a variety of reasons boys are more likely to come to our attention” (Roth-Smith, 2004).
Why boys?
Medical factors Maturational factors Sociological factors Brain organizational
factors
Definition's
Developmental aphasia – expressive language disorder
Dyscalculia – a math learning disability Dysgraphia – a writing learning disability Dyslexia - involves difficulty in learning to read or
interpret words, letters, and other symbols Dyspraxia – a motor-skill development learning
disability
Resources & Strategies
Home
IDEA implementation: http://www.ideapractices.org
Dunn, L. M. (1968). Special education for the mildly
retarded—Is much of it justifiable? Exce ptio nal Childre n, 35 , 5–22.
Legislative updates: http://www.nasponline.org
Gillespie, P. H., Miller, T. L., & Fielder, V. D. (1975). Legislative
definitions of learning disabilities: Roadblocks to effective service. Jo urnal o f Le arning Disabilitie s, 8 , 660–666.
Special education law: http://www.wrightslaw.com
International Dyslexia Association: http://www.interdys.org
Orton, S. T. (1937). Reading, writing and speech problems in
children. New York: W.W. Norton.
School
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (1999,March 12). Final regulations and comments from the U.S. Dept. of Education. Federal Register, 64(48),12406–12672.
Cruickshank, W. M., Bentzen, F. A., Ratzeburg, F. H., & Tannhauser, M. T. (1961). A teaching method for braininjured and hyperactive children. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
Werner, H., & Strauss, A. A. (1940). Causal factors in low performance. American Journal of Mental Deficiency,45, 213–218.
Legislative updates: http://www.nasponline.org
Kirk, S. A. (1958). Early e ducatio n o f the me ntally re tarde d: An
e xpe rimental study. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
References
NCLD Editorial Team. (n.d.). Learning disability fast facts. Retrieved from http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/what-is-ld/learning-disability-fast-facts
Roth-Smith, C. (2004). Learning disabilities: The interaction of students and their environments. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.