TC 004
Specific Learning Disability
● Disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes in understanding language
(Comprehension). Spoken or Written.
● IQ is measurable but disability is not diagnosed immediately.
● Manifestations with imperfect ability to speak, read, write, spell, and even do math
calculations.
● They have trouble processing the information even while possessing average IQ.
Exceptions:
1. Sensory Impairment: Visual or Auditory.
2. Motor Disability
3. Low IQ or those with Intellectual Disability: They may perform poorly but they can still
process the information.
4. Emotional Disturbance: It has another diagnosis.
5. Economic/Cultural Disadvantage: Access to different materials, information or supports.
Some are deprived/No resources.
Risk Factors: There’s no specific reason or cause for someone to acquire.
● Ecological Model: There is no improvement in form of instruction (Example: Entering
school at age 10)
● Brain Damage: Maldevelopment or injury.
● Organic/Biological Model: Lack of nutrients.
● Genetic Model: Hereditary (Not 100%) There’s a high chance that the child might
acquire it if the parents have one.
Classifications:
● Dyslexia: Disability in reading (despite having average IQ, the child may have difficulty
in reading, especially in native language.)
Main symptom:
1. Letters are jumbled or flipped.
Fluency: accurately recognizing the word without sounding each letter. (Example: “Dog”)
At Risk:
1. Delayed Speech
2. Problems with pronunciation
3. Difficulty in learning shapes and colors
4. Writing their names is difficult (especially with longer names)
5. Difficulty in retelling story in correct order
6. Phonetic sounds are difficult for them.
7. They can’t recognize rhymes (Letters are flipping for them - it doesn’t make
sense)
8. Copying from the board is a problem for them. (They may have their own
interpretation of their own writings so look at their notebooks, activities, and
sheets.)
9. They avoid reading out loud.
10. In Highschool, writing a summary is difficult as well as learning a second
language.
● Dyscalculia: Mathematical DIsability (Difficulty in solving arithmetic and grasping
concepts). There’s a high chance that you’ll have Dyscalculia if you have Dyslexia. (It
varies depending on the severity of Dyslexia.)
At Risk:
1. Problems counting backwards.
2. Poor sense of numbers (Lessons in comparing numbers, estimation, problems in
numbering, basic mathematical facts, and the role of “0” as a place value order.)
Their default mathematical operation is Addition and Counting. (They have
difficulty in using Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division.)
3. No sense of right or wrong in validating their answers. “It is what it is.”
4. Slow in math calculations and ten to forget steps.
5. Reading maps is difficult (Left and Right)
6. Problems understanding layouts.
● Dysgraphia: Writing disability. (Muscle movements when writing letters.) Their
handwriting is not stable. There’s also a chance of having Dysgraphia if you have
Dyslexia. (It varies depending on the severity of Dyslexia.)
Redflags:
● Their “strokes” in writing changes, this is very observable in their notebooks when
letters often change in looks. (Example: When writing letter “A”, it is not very
consistent, their A might look a little wobbly at first, then their next A will look too
different from the other.)
● They have poor handwriting, you can see it in their notebooks if it is intelligible.
● Difficulty in remembering muscle movements when writing. (The position of
holding a pen or pencil.)
Symptoms:
1. Tight grip with pen or pencil; They want to be in control.
2. Illegible handwriting, ugly handwriting, or differences in maintaining same letter
styles.
3. Say the letters out loud while writing.
4. Large gap between written ideas and spoken thoughts. (They may be better in
vocalizing their thoughts than writing)
5. They avoid writing tasks.
● Information and Sensory Processing Disorder: No Sensory impairment but cannot
recognize. Problems with processing the information.
1. Auditory Processing Disorder: Miss out what they hear and have problems
processing it. (Typical example of “Pumasok sa isang tenga, labas sa kabila.”)
2. Visual Processing Disorder: Difficulty in processing vision/pictures.
Both Auditory and Visual Processing Disorder can happen at the same time, ask
the student on what they prefer or they are more comfortable.
3. Dyspraxia: (5; wanted to label as a new classification) Developmental
coordination problems. Problems with mobility, body coordination/organization of
movements. They are clumsy, have problems with balance, and trips on thin air.
They may also keep on bumping in a particular place.
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Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
2 Domains
1. Intellectual Functioning - person’s IQ
2. Adaptive Behavior - daily activities / living skills
● Conceptual Skills - Language and LIteracy (Money, Time, Self-Concept, etc.)
● Social Skills - Interpersonal Skills and Self-esteem.
● Practical Skills - Self help, managing health, and routinary activities for
everyday living.
Characteristics:
● Mild Intellectual Capacity: (70-50) Educable but still need to cope up inside the
classroom. Usually, they are in inclusion schools.
● Moderate Intellectual Capacity: (49-35) Trainable. Children practice until they can do it.
Education focuses on Adaptive Behavior rather than Intellectual Functioning.
● Severe Intellectual Capacity: (34-20) Dependent. Not all Adaptive Behaviors are taught
or trained to the child.
● Profound Intellectual Capacity: (20 and below) Highly Dependent.
At Risk/Characteristics; These are the following that we need to observe:
1. Academic Characteristics: They have limitations with grammar, vocabulary, and
receptiveness is better than their expressive skills. (They can understand basic
instructions.)
2. Cognitive Characteristics:transfer of skills is difficult especially when integrated to other
subjects.
3. Social and Behavioral Characteristics: Self-esteem is low, socialization is a challenge for
them. Stereotype behaviors, like aggression (as a form of communication. “Inappropriate
Behaviors” (IAB) because they have difficulty in expressing. Leads to frustration.
Examples of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
1. Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21): Genetics; There is an extra in the 21st
chromosome.
2. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): Happens when mother consumes alcohol while
pregnant.
3. Dwarfism/Gigantism: Abnormal skeletal growth.
4. Spina Bifida - Open spine. (Development of Spinal Column is affected.)
5. Global Developmental Delay (GBD): All domains are delayed.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): (21 years old and up); challenge with intellectual and
adaptive skills. This is acquired through an open or close brain injury. (P.S. This is not
congenital, only acquired.
At Risk:
1. Soldiers
2. Athletes
