helping LD students

One could write volumes here. What is the nature of the learning difference as the answer can vary according to that? Students with reading issues and/or writing issues require the most accomodations.

I’d suggest the book Educational Care by Mel Levine as a source for specific strategies. Other than that, memorization-based tests and timed tests usually do not serve a student with learning differences well.

And how do you grade? Do you compare students’ performances to each other? That usually is unfair to the student with learning differences as their performance cannot always be the same as a student without learning differences.

The same strategies that work well for all students. Clearly outlined expectations, assignments listed on the board, have students write the assignments in an agenda book are just a few. The University of Kansas has a research center for Learning Disabilities and their strategies are the best things I have used in 23 years of teaching LD. The “guru” of these is Don Deschler and you can contact them to find out if they will be doing training in your area. The kids have “lights on” experiences when utilizing these strategies. Your curriculum remains the same, the delivery is altered. Wow, it’s great to have a reg. ed. teacher ask this question!!!

… make expectations clear and well-defined, and then work with the sped folks to make any adaptations necessary. Being consistent is the biggest favor — having a consistent structure for assignments, etc.

… have patience, patience, and more patience — always *assume* that the student is trying. Even if you are essentially POSITIVE that s/he’s not, when the teacher patiently works with the student then the student can’t just get mad back… if assignments are “forgotten” you provide ‘em in seventeen different ways — but if possible, arrange for it so that if it’s not done on the stusdents term/time, then it gets done on your terms. For example, my school had after school study hall — you miss homework, doesn’t matter why, you stay after and do it and stay caught up. (But yes… there were some “why’s” that occasionally were listened to :-))

… communicate w/ parents & sped folks — don’t wait ‘til mid-term to send out the notice that Johnny has low test grades and incomplete assignmnets.

Also, consider “Universal Curriculum Design” strategies which allow for multiiple representations of input and output. Universal design begins with the assumption that what benefits students with disabilities, benefits all students. For example, build technology into your regular education teaching. Have text to speech output available for internet research or for editing written work for all students. (There are a variety of software programs available with different features. Some are available for free download or free trials). Have AlphaSmarts available for all students. Allow the use of the classroom computers for word processing for ALL students. Read Richard Wanderman’s article about How Computers Change the Writing Process for Students with Learning Issues at his website www.ldresources.org. The benefits he mention often times benefit all types of learners. Use your multimedia software to create extension activities for your curriculum.
This is just the tip of the iceberg but hopefully gets you thinking about some other options.