The study of causes and characteristics of learning disabilities is very vital for anybody aspiring to be a special educator. Statistical studies reveal that there are approximately 2.7 million students who are classified as learning disabled. There is also another group of students that is usually unnoticed; this is the group of the gifted students. These are students who have extra ordinary talents or gifts. This paper will focus on the students with communication disorders, learning disabilities, giftedness and those with dual diagnosis and their respective causes and characteristics.
Introduction
The main objective of this paper is to define, expound on the characteristics and the root causes of communication disorders, learning disabilities and giftedness. Further emphasis will be put on the appropriate curriculum for these kinds of students. The special educators need to understand how to deal with students who are gifted, those with dual diagnosis and those with communication disorders. They should be capable of designing a curriculum that will suit these students.
There are many kinds of learning disabilities that any special educator should have full knowledge about. The educator should be in a position to identify every kind of disability, define it and tell its characteristics. This is important because on many occasions, students are wrongly diagnosed to have learning disabilities. They should be able to incorporate the appropriate curriculum for these students to accommodate the needs of these students. The objective of all these is to provide these students with a conducive learning environment.
A learning disability is any kind of specific learning problem or difficulty. Usually, an individual with a learning disability has difficulties using some skills and learning in general. They do differ from one individual to another. A disability is a defect in the basic psychological procedure of using and understanding oral or written language which manifests itself in the anomalies of the capability to think, read, listen, write, spell or undertake a given academic problem like solving a mathematical sum.
Students with learning disabilities have certain distinct characteristics that make them quite conspicuous. These students show a notable difference in success in certain areas in comparison with their general level of intelligence. A student with learning disability exhibits wide range of traits. Such students experience difficulties when reading comprehensions, writing and speaking languages as well as reasoning ability. Learning disability in students is also associated with inattentiveness, hyperactivity and perceptual coordination. Symptoms associated with learning disabilities include; unpredictable and uneven performance in tests, perceptual impairments, motor defects, difficulties in dealing with daily interactions with other people and situations, intolerance for frustration and behaviors like impulsiveness.
Causes of learning disabilities are not specifically defined; they are a set of assumptions that are believed to lead to learning disabilities. One such assumption is the theory that suggests that learning disabilities are passed on genetically. This is the most popular assumption. Another belief is that learning disabilities result from neurological malfunctions. However, there has been no scientific proof for this belief. The learning disability causes are still a mystery to date, what is distinct is that brains are affected.
Students with learning disabilities should have a specified curriculum that will cater for and accommodate all their needs. The teaching fraternity and guardians should note that a uniform curriculum does not suit every student because students differ. The teachers and guardians should select carefully the material for these students. Teachers should modify the learning procedures to accommodate the learning requirements and styles of individual students. The presentation of the material to the student should be suited to him. For example, provision of reading materials with larger fonts to those students who have visual defects or giving oral tests rather than written ones.
Communication disorders are speech related difficulties that also affect language mastering and auditory processing. They do vary from simple repetition of sounds like stuttering to miss articulation of words. The extreme cases of communication disorders include total inability to use language and speech for communication. The communication problems have a very adverse effect on the education system and student performance.
Communication disorders are characterized by certain symptoms. First, the students may have problems adhering to instructions, problems paying attention to conversations or understanding. Other characteristics include inability to express oneself, pronunciation difficulties and language and speech problems. Such people do not express their ideas correctly, memory problems, reading inability, grasping new vocabulary, pronunciation spelling and perceiving correct letters in words.
Learning disorders are caused by many things, the most common being mental retardation. Some other potential origins include impairment in hearing, learning disabilities, Autism, cerebral Palsy and Schizophrenia. Communication disorders could also result from physical disabilities. Disabilities like palate, cleft lips and oral malfunctions or in the nose can all lead to communication disorders. Children with emotional difficulties and social skill deficit will also suffer from communication disorders. Vocal cord injuries, head trauma, alcohol intoxication, stroke, ill fitting dentures and transient ischemic attachment are also possible causes of communication disorders. Communication disorders could also be as a result of syndromes and diseases. Such syndromes include cri du chat syndrome. The diseases include Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases. Therefore, communication disorders are as result of so many causes, some of which are preventable and others not preventable.
The students with communication disorders require a special curriculum. This is because communication is one of the major factors in academic success. For any student to succeed, they need to master their communication skills and be proficient people in their respective languages. The curriculum should therefore be morphed and sited to favor these types of students. They should be able to link their communication capabilities to the styles of learning and teaching in the classes. The students with communication disorders can only succeed if they master their language, social and learning patterns. Therefore, a curriculum with comprehensive communication and language planning in the classrooms is required to make their education a success.
Giftedness can be defined as the displaying of high quality and high standard competence and mastering of something. A gifted person is one who shows exceptional aptitude and competence in terms of understanding and performance in a given field, say academics or sports.
Gifted people exhibit a given set of characteristics. These individuals do not act like their peers. They show their ability to read at a very early stage, learn to comprehend and have high nuance of their language. Gifted students can know how to write and read before starting school. They are very quick learners and will master thee basic skills easily. They do have adequate vocabulary, with the ability the exceptionally handle and construct abstractions. Such people will easily draw inferences as well as nonverbal cues. Gifted students can concentrate for a long time and will comfortably work independently even when they are younger than their peers. Such people have highly focused and eclectic interests. Some of the gifted students will be diagnosed with hyperactivity because of their high energy; they will also seem to have company of people older than them maybe because of their high thinking capacity. Gifted students are known to have healthy relationships with teachers and parents and have the tendency to inquire a lot because they like to learn. Another characteristic is that they are well organized, objective driven, efficient at work and usually examine closely what is unusual. Lastly, they have an intrinsic motivation and urge to learn, research, explore, positive attitude of self belief and are persistent in nature.
Giftedness is thought to be genetically and environmentally induced. However, there is no clear or scientific proof of this. However, genetic passing on of giftedness could be true if there is proper nourishment. However, it is open to debate whether giftedness results from inborn abilities or goal oriented positive attitude or deliberate practice.
Gifted students should be given a different curriculum from normal students. This is because they have higher potential, ability and intelligence than their peers. The curriculum should be made to include some modifications where gifted students can be given extra tasks, be given more challenging tasks and giving them more complex material and concepts to master. Pacing should be student friendly where the student has time to master his units.
Dual diagnosis is where one is diagnosed with two conditions simultaneously. Children with learning disabilities will experience behavior problems or class attendance issues. Such conditions could lead to emotional defects or Attention Deficit Disorders. Research shows that young students who are on speech therapy for communication disorders experience dual conditions that include intellectual defects, emotional disorder and Autism spectrum.
References
Brown, E. K. (2009). Learning Disabilities: Understanding the Problem and Managing the Challenges. London: Hillcrest Publishing Group.
Ghesquière, P., & Ruijssenaars, J. M. (2005). Learning Disabilities: A Challenge to Teaching and Instruction (illustrated ed.). Leuven: Leuven University Press.
