Language and Students with Learning Disabilities Learning Disability, a term proposed by Dr.

Samuel Kirk in 1963, describes a group of children who have disorders in develop ment of language, speech, reading, and associated skills needed for social interaction

Definitions
Category Label Learning Disabled Definition Disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written A communication disorder such as stuttering impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a childs educational performance Significant limitations in language functioning that cannot be attributed to deficits in hearing, oral structure and function, or general intelligence Failure to learn to read despite at least average intelligence; intact perceptual abilities; no known neurological, physical, emotional, or social problems; and an adequate opportunity to learn to read Characteristics Difficulties in thinking, listening, speaking, reading, spelling, or math Speech and/or language difficulties, usually apparent early in development, that impact learning

Speech or Language Impairment

Specific Language Impairment

Significant language difficulties, usually first identified at an early age Significant difficulty in developing reading, writing, and/or spelling skills related to language disorders

Reading Disordered

Area of Problem and Instructions

Area Phonology Problem Deficit in phonological awareness especially phonemic awareness which relates to reading failure; identification of sounds, phoneme segmentation, and detecting rhyme Difficulty with word parts in reading; difficulty in spelling and writing Speaking and writing is shorter, less grammatically complex, and filled with errors Word finding and the use of figurative language, idioms; attached to the most concrete meaning of words Their social skills are not developed: Lack the ability to analyze social situations, to plan their responses, and to evaluate the consequences of their actions; they lack less sensitive to the conservational needs of others Lack the ability to reflect consciously on the nature and properties of language; have difficulty in recognizing grammatical and morphological errors and making the appropriate corrections Instruction Phonological Training

Morphology Syntax Semantics

Strategy Training

Technology-based approaches

Pragmatics

Metalinguistic Skills