Understanding students with learning disabilities
By Donna Brody
EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
March 4, 2009
I watched the video F.A.T. City with intense interest. Richard LeVoie was discussing how it feels to be like some of the students in my classroom as well as my own son --- a child with learning disabilities. It broke my heart. How difficult it must be every day to try to function and succeed when all around you the words are coming at you way too fast. Processing difficulties are also responsible for children with learning disabilities being easily distracted.
Mr. LeVoie helped me understand that it’s not that students with learning disabilities don’t have a good attention span, but that they are distracted by sights and sounds that surround them due to processing deficits. As a child with learning disabilities, Mr. Lavoie showed examples of how children with learning disabilities have perceptual difficulties in addition to difficulties with reading comprehension. We didn’t even get to finish the video, but from what we learned, it is not easy facing school every day when one has learning disabilities.
This video made me think of one boy in my class who is always two steps behind the rest of the class. When the teacher gives instructions to take out a textbook, all the children will have it out and the lesson will be started and he still will not have the book on his desk. Now I know it is likely due to slower processing abilities. It made me also think of my own sweet boy at home. How frustrated I always am when I ask my son to take his agenda and homework out. I have complained to my husband many times about how it takes him so much time just to get started on his homework.
Now that I understand he’s not just doing it to annoy me, maybe I’ll be more patient. I was also reminded of how he says he never has time to write his homework assignment down completely because before he can finish, the teacher is already beginning the lesson. My son is very social and chatty, so I thought that was the reason for his not getting his homework written down. Now I understand that everything does take a little longer for him. I couldn’t wait to get home from school that evening to hug him tight.
Long Island University, C. W. Post
March 4, 2009
I watched the video F.A.T. City with intense interest. Richard LeVoie was discussing how it feels to be like some of the students in my classroom as well as my own son --- a child with learning disabilities. It broke my heart. How difficult it must be every day to try to function and succeed when all around you the words are coming at you way too fast. Processing difficulties are also responsible for children with learning disabilities being easily distracted.
Mr. LeVoie helped me understand that it’s not that students with learning disabilities don’t have a good attention span, but that they are distracted by sights and sounds that surround them due to processing deficits. As a child with learning disabilities, Mr. Lavoie showed examples of how children with learning disabilities have perceptual difficulties in addition to difficulties with reading comprehension. We didn’t even get to finish the video, but from what we learned, it is not easy facing school every day when one has learning disabilities.
This video made me think of one boy in my class who is always two steps behind the rest of the class. When the teacher gives instructions to take out a textbook, all the children will have it out and the lesson will be started and he still will not have the book on his desk. Now I know it is likely due to slower processing abilities. It made me also think of my own sweet boy at home. How frustrated I always am when I ask my son to take his agenda and homework out. I have complained to my husband many times about how it takes him so much time just to get started on his homework.
Now that I understand he’s not just doing it to annoy me, maybe I’ll be more patient. I was also reminded of how he says he never has time to write his homework assignment down completely because before he can finish, the teacher is already beginning the lesson. My son is very social and chatty, so I thought that was the reason for his not getting his homework written down. Now I understand that everything does take a little longer for him. I couldn’t wait to get home from school that evening to hug him tight.
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