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Questions? Call 1-800-237-0178 or email leellington@vcu.edu
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September 2005
No. 1
www.valrc.org

 

 

 

Welcome to Update on LD!

This is the first issue of our newest, web-based publication, and we are very excited about it. With this publication, we hope to help practitioners more effectively teach the learning disabled and struggling learners. Update on LD will be sent out four times a year in September, December, March, and June. We are also very honored to have an article from Dr. Paul Gerber of Virginia Commonwealth University for our inaugural issue. His article, "Helping Adults with Learning Disabilities To Be Truly Adult," contains valuable advice for the adult literacy educator who is striving to help students (with or without diagnosed disabilities) succeed.

Beginning with this issue, all issues of Update and Update on LD will be provided to you in a web-based format.

Helping Adults with Learning Disabilities To Be Truly Adult

For those who work with adults with learning disabilities, it is increasingly clear that success in adulthood is predicated on treating them as ADULTS. All learning strategies should be focused on what we know about motivating adults, and programs need to be delivered consistent with best practices in adult education. All too often, however, the mindset of learning disabilities is anchored in a childhood deficit model. Nothing could be more counterproductive. If adults with learning disabilities are to navigate the many contexts of adulthood, it is important for them to have insight into the requisite skills needed for their daily routines. Moreover, they need to possess a very good understanding of what the exact challenges are relative to their learning disabilities. We know from the findings of a number of recent research studies that the vast majority of adults with learning disabilities do not understand their condition or know how to think about it. This seems to be an unfortunate omission of curriculum in the latter years of school.

This lack of self understanding provides little opportunity to demystify a learning disability. On the other hand, this finding makes sense. Persons with learning disabilities transition from a culture of school (K-12) where the nature and needs of their learning disabilities are assessed and planned for from year to year, to a culture of beyond school, where learning disability has little specific meaning and even less understanding of its manifestations in the complex tasks of adulthood.

It is not uncommon for adults with learning disabilities not to know what challenges they has to contend with (i.e. reading, processing, organization, attention, etc.), much less what strengths they have, and what compensations make them more effective and efficient. Moreover, they need to be aware that the key to competing on “a level playing field” is to know what accommodations and supports are available in any environment particularly those that are protected by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Consequently, adults with learning disabilities need their own “roadmap” in order to effectively accomplish the tasks of adulthood. Therefore, it is important that they develop a self-inventory about their specific learning disabilities. The greatest gift an adult educator can pass on to an adult with learning disabilities is a profile that can be used in a variety of adult contexts. Answers to the following questions are imperative in the self-inventory:

  • Exactly what kind of learning disability do I have? In layman’s terms what does that mean?
  • What specifically are my strengths? What can I consistently count on?
  • What specifically are my weaknesses? What areas and tasks should I try to avoid?
  • What kinds of accommodations can help me in the various contexts of my adult life? Can assistive technology help me in any way?
  • Where can I find supports through family, friends, and human service agencies? How can I best convey my needs?
  • How could I benefit from the provisions of Section 504 and the ADA? Do I qualify under these laws?
  • What websites and 800 or 877 phone numbers can I access to ask questions and to find answers about my learning disability in adulthood?

The key to dealing effectively with learning disabilities in adulthood is to be able to think about it, speak about it, and act on it in an independent manner. That is the true spirit of being an ADULT. This overriding thought was expressed beautifully in a workshop on this topic not long ago. After a presentation containing many of the thoughts in this article, an adult educator volunteered – “You want to tell them (adults with learning disabilities) not to bring their momma!” In essence, that is an important mind-set for adults with learning disabilities. Self-knowledge, understanding of strengths and weaknesses relative to a learning disability, accommodations, and supports make a great difference in the quality of life of adults who are learning disabled. If adult educators can help fill these gaps by partnering in this important area, they truly will be making a real difference in the lives of adults with learning disabilities.

Paul J. Gerber, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy and the Department of Foundations of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. For the past twenty years he has researched, written, and presented extensively about post-school issues for adults with learning disabilities, particularly in the area of employment.

Websites on Learning Disabilities:

LDOnline
www.ldonline.org

This comprehensive website has a wealth of information and even has articles on adult issues in the LD in Depth section.

 

National Center for Learning Disabilities
www.ld.org

This website is an excellent resource for adults with learning disabilities and the literacy educator working with the adult with learning disabilities. The section on Living with LD is particularly helpful.

 

Learning Disabilities Association of America
www.ldanatl.org

This national organization's website provides resources for staying up to date with learning disabilities law, resources, and events. It also has helpful information geared specifically to the adult with a learning disability.

 

The International Dyslexia Association
http://interdys.org

The IDA is the oldest learning disabilities organization in the United States. The Dyslexia Fact Sheets are extremely helpful resources.

 

The National Institute for Literacy's Bridges to Practice Special Collection
http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu

The special collection is designed to answer questions for the adult with a suspected or diagnosed learning disability, but it contains information that is helpful for the literacy provider as well.

 

The National Institute for Literacy's Learning Disabilities Discussion List
www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/nifl-ld/learning_disabilities.html

Members of the NIFL-LD list include literacy practitioners, administrators, and researchers, as well as others with a stake or interest in serving adults with learning disabilities.

Discussion topics have included causes and consequences of LD, legal issues related to serving adults with LD, classroom methods and materials, GED testing and accommodations, and training.


Who should I contact if I have questions?

Lauren Ellington is the Learning Disabilities Specialist for the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center.

If you have any questions about learning disabilities, please contact her by email at: leellington@vcu.edu or by phone at 1-804-828-6158 or 1-800-237-0178.

She will be happy to answer your learning disabilities-related questions or find an answer for you.

 

 

What should you expect from Update on LD?

You should expect to receive information about resources appropriate for teaching students with learning disabilities, websites to expand your knowledge of LD-appropriate instruction, assistive technology, studies and books on the topic, current research, and anything else that will help you to better understand your learners who may have learning disabilities.

The Learning Disabilities Toolkit is available now!

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center has developed a toolkit for programs to use as a model for development of their own toolkit of learning disability appropriate instructional materials.

Some of the items included in the toolkit are

  • colored overlays,
  • large sized calculator,
  • highlighters,
  • Spelling Ace Plus with Thesaurus,
  • Reading Helper,
  • the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center's Learning Disabilities Adaptations and Accommodations Guide,
  • and many others!

The toolkits are available for loan to programs. Please email vdesk@vcu.edu or call
1-800-237-1078 to have one sent to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Blurbs

With each issue of Update on LD, books on learning disabilities or related issues that are available in the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center's library will be highlighted.

If any of the books are of interest to you, you may contact the Resource Center to borrow the books. Go to www.aelweb.vcu.edu/library/ to find out more about borrowing from our library.

Facing Learning Disabilities In the Adult Years: Understanding Dyslexia, ADHD, Assessment, Intervention, and Research by Joan Shapiro and Rebecca Rich

Between five and eleven million individuals in this country struggle with learning disabilities throughout adulthood, and it is estimated that 2 to 3 percent of incoming college freshmen are learning disabled. In fact, adults with learning disabilities are the fastest-growing population of university students. Fortunately, we now know a great deal about learning disabilities, and a great deal of help is available from a wide range of well-trained professionals.

Written in a readable and friendly style, Facing Learning Disabilities in the Adult Years is an invaluable resource for not only learning disabled adults, but also high school and college students with learning disabilities, their parents, and professionals across disciplines. Here you will find information on the causes and symptoms of learning disabilities, specific conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, a review of definitions, an update of research and advances in the neurosciences, assessment and intervention, pertinent legal issues, making college and employment plans, the role of professionals, and much more. The authors review metacognitive theory and emphasize the role of strategic approaches to learning both in and out of school. Clinical examples make a compelling case that individuals with learning disabilities can -- and do -- attain significant levels of success.

New research consistently demonstrates that access to information and knowledge about learning disabilities is essential for success and self-fulfillment. Written by educators with extensive educational experience, this book offers a rigorous, comprehensive treatment of the field of learning disabilities.

 

Learning Disability Intervention Manual, Revised Edition by Stephen B. McCarney and Angela Marie Bauer

This manual of learning disability interventions is based on the most common characteristics of learning disabilities identified by educators. The Learning Disability Intervention Manual (LDIM) was designed specifically to be used to develop goals, objectives, and educational intervention strategies for students based on the results of the Learning Disability Evaluation Scale. More generally, the LDIM may be used with any student with learning or behavior problems when an individualized education program is desired to help the student be more successful in the learning environment.

Learning disabilities..

  • ...is a general term for a heterogeneous group of disorders;

  • ...are manifested by significant difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or math;

  • ...are part of a person’s make-up (they will not go away);

     
  • ...are presumed to be a dysfunction of the central nervous system;

     
  • ...may occur across the life span;

     
  • ...may result in problems with behavior, social perceptions, and social interactions (but they are not the disability); and

  • ...are not the result of other disabilities, such as loss of sight or hearing, nor are they the result of a lack of intelligence or deficiencies in education.

Adapted from the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities definition provided in Bridges to Practice Guidebook 1, National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, Washington, D.C. 1999

Bridges to Practice: Learning Disabilities Trainings are now available. Are your teachers at a loss as to how to adapt instruction for the learner with learning disabilities? Do they question which techniques would be the best to use with specific learning problems? If your program needs to learn more about learning disabilities, please contact Lauren Ellington to discuss a training.