When I was ten, my family moved to California, where I had to attend a school with a new experimental program. All students were grouped by I.Q. for academic classes. After my I.Q. test placed me in the highest class of the grade above mine, I lived in fear that someone would finally find out what I had struggled all these years to hide.
This article addresses issues associated with common pedagogical practices that impede effective development of adolescents with learning disabilities. It also outlines goals, principles, and techniques for “watering up” curriculum and instruction so that intrinsic motivation, internal locus of control, academic and social self-concept, self-esteem, a sense of competence and confidence, an “attack” attitude about challenging tasks, willingness to take risks, and sense of personal potency are fostered.
Loretta Cozza is a special education administrator in New York State. She has extensive experience working in middle and high school settings and came out of retirement to continue supporting schools in need of guidance. She is currently serving a combined middle and high school setting in a rural district. In this interview, she talks about some of her lessons learned around supporting students with LD, partnering with families, and mentoring other administrators within the special education setting.
Management of APD should incorporate three primary principles: (1) environmental modifications, (2) remediation (direct therapy) techniques, and (3) compensatory strategies. All three of these components are necessary for APD intervention to be effective. Learn more about what can be done in the classroom to help students with auditory processing disorder.
