Teaching students with learning disabilities is a challenge. It requires building the confidence and capabilities of the child. However, teachers can achieve this goal by tailoring their classroom environment as well as teaching and testing strategies to incorporate the unique needs of these children.
Thankfully, people are now recognizing the challenges posed by learning disabilities in young children. Earlier, teachers and parents brushed these problems under the carpet but now have become more sensitive to the anguish it causes in children trying to cope with it. Once the problem has been identified and diagnosed, it becomes the mutual responsibility of the parent and the teacher to take steps in providing learning opportunities well-suited to the abilities and requirements of the child. This involves the development of curriculum and instructional material along with the formulation and implementation of effective classroom management, instructional and testing strategies.
A relationship of mutual respect and acceptance is the foundation for teaching a child with learning disabilities. You can show respect for the child by talking to the child in a normal way without highlighting the deficiency or disability. Encourage the child to make friends with other children at school and recognize the learning disability as a challenge and not a personal weakness. Make the child feel valued and accepted by seeking contributions in the classroom and rewarding him or her for it.
In the classroom, make sure the child is seated in a place where you can notice him or her. Do not interpret a lack of response from the child as a lack of attention or concentration. Inspire the child by highlighting examples of people who succeeded in life despite their learning disabilities. Provide a congenial classroom environment by removing physical distractions such as noise or noxious paint fumes.
Dyslexia is the most commonly occurring learning disability in children. It creates challenges to reading and the child is unable to comprehend what is written on the page. Address this issue when presenting information in class. Avoid writing too much on the chalkboard and support the written word with oral explanation. Some children also have problems in organizing and assimilating information. So provide a chapter outline or breakdown of the content in a simple form using graphical cues to aid understanding. Learn to recognize when the child is having difficulty in understanding a particular topic and replace it with a simpler one.
Be attentive to variations in reading ability when assigning reading material for homework. It is better to provide some guidance to the child by reading out in class and have the student follow it in the book. This helps to improve the child’s confidence and he or she is able to comprehend easily what is read out because children with reading difficulties comprehend better when what they read is supported with auditory cues. Also assigning simpler reading material can aid in improving reading comprehension.
Testing is a crucial stage because it evaluates the children. It is important for the tests to be fair to all the students. Avoid incorporating a lot of written questions in the test as this is likely to make children with learning disabilities anxious and apprehensive. Make room for oral responses or you may also include questions that require ticking or circling the correct response as opposed to writing lengthy answers.
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