What works? You've been there

Hello Trying Teacher,

I’d like to help you but I don’t exactly know what specifically are you asking for? Do you want tactics to use? What have you tried? If you could give me more specifics then I would be more than happy to help you since I have all of the above.

I am LD and ADHD adult. I would like to give an idea that I have found very helpful for myself and adolescents I work with. Direction instruction. Teaching like they don’t have a clue. Start with the simplist form of instruction. Example; instructing someone on how to stand up from sitting in a chair. We assume most people will know how to do that. OK but direct instruction does not assume that. I would say; “put your feet flat on the floor, spread your feet out just slightly. Flex the muscles in your legs and push down with your feet. At the same time place your hands on the arms of the chair and also apply presure down so as to raise yourself up etc.

I would like to suggest that you help get the school to have trained speakers come in and show the other teachers what it is like to be LD or ADHD…. Then they can help more students and also teach other people. The greatest need is to be UNDERSTOOD and to UNDERSTAND. I teach middle school, so it may not be appropriate, but I thouroughly explain LD to my students, Bell Curve and all. They grew up thinking they were “slow”, and believe it or not most of the teachers think they are as well.
Georgia

Work for me now on when I was in second grade?

In second grade, a caring teacher worked well - no matter what the curriculum was. If a teacher didn’t scream or blame, I had a better day at school that day.

Trying Teacher,

One of the worst things for me was being told that I just didn’t pay enough attention to my work, what I read, etc. I’m dyslexic. As a student I was far above grade level in many areas and far below in others, espacially below in spelling. I was told so many times and continue to be told even as an adult that if I just payed better attention, I would be a better speller, or that if I would just read more often I would be a faster reader, or if I payed more attention to where I was, I wouldn’t get lost.

As a teacher, I hear comments often about students who “could do” such and such if they would just try harder, or care more, or pay more attention, or focus, or what ever. I hear this being said about students I do see trying.

I start with the assumption that students ARE doing these things. IF I find myself thinking that a particular student is not, I look harder. If I still find that, I’ll ask the student if s/he feels that s/he has been trying, or paying attention or what ever, and then go from there. I think that from the outside, it must look as though some students with learning disibilities just don’t try hard enough, etc. Since I know better, I would be so very, very weary about ever making such an assumption, and even less likely to ever say this to a child.

Trying Teacher,

After reading other’s comments on this thread, I have a better understanding on your question. I agree with Sara … I think a caring, understanding teacher is the best for any elementary grade, actually for any grade period. I also liked teachers who always encouraged me because they believed in me and they helped me as much as they could (their actions backed up their words). I also think a big quality in a teacher, or anyone in general, is respect. All of the characteristics/personal qualities a person possessess, You can’t go wrong if you care, spend time to help students, and treat them with respect. To this day I think fondly of all the teachers I had who possessed these qualities but they were also hard in a sense that they expected a lot out of me even though I had, and still have, LD & ADHD. They didn’t treat me any different than any other student and they didn’t “dummy” the course work for me just because of my disabilities, they gave me extra time to complete my tests, and worked with me one on one either after school or during my study halls (in H.S.), In elementary the teachers knew the value of recess so that the students could burn off some energy, get healthy physical exercise and then be ready to go back inside the classroom to learn more information.

I think highly of teachers who go the extra mile to help all students regardless of problems encountered.

Keep up the good work,

Maria

Hi Trying Teacher,

We need a whole lot more of you. As a mom of a 9 yr. old ld son I am just weary of some people going on the assumption that an ld kid can’t do something prior to giving them a chance to try.

My son excels in math but is being dragged down with unchallenging work. He loves science and history but isn’t getting any since he is in sped class. They won’t bend and let him go to reg. ed for science or history they say he can’t read well enough. There is much that can be learned hands on too.

Keep trying.

Teach. Don’t make “self-esteem” more important than learning. A big problem is well-meaning primary teachers who think that keeping a smart kid happy who is smart enough to coast is good enough. Then they hit fourth grade, can’t read, and nobody thinks they are smart any more, or else everybody tells them they are smart but not trying. Teach them to read and write and do math.

Thank you all for your responses. Sorry it has taken so long to get back to the site. I think you all make many valid points. I am quite blessed to work in a school that provides a great deal of support for students in the special ed program in the sense that we have ample materials, administrators that don’t fight to deny students what they need, and reg. ed. teachers that are willing to follow the IEP accommodations and accept all the students.

For those of you who have children in schools that aren’t as supportive, I’d encourage you to continue being an advocate for your child.

I agree with Brenda that academics have to be of the highest importance, but caring and respect are also important. Fortunately, it is possible to develop both at the same time.

Katy’s point about starting at the beginning and being explicit is relevant too. I have been guilty of assuming one of my students knew something that seemed so basic, only to learn that I had assumed too much.

I guess I am sort of looking to understand what you see or experience and find out what specific thought processes and strategies help you. For example:
I have difficulty remembering left and right. I have to visualize or “feel” a pencil in my hand. Since I know I’m left handed, I know which way is left. I thought for a long time that everybody had to do that because it was the only thing I’d experienced. Then I found out one of my principals had to slip her hands behind her back to feel her wedding ring to tell which was left.

A student couldn’t remember how to make a p that wasn’t backwards. I told him (privately, of course) that is was like going to the bathroom to pee. Stand (the stick part) in front of the bowl (the round part). He though it was so funny he remembered it. It is a little tacky, but it fits the humor of 8 year old boys.
Here are some things I’ve wondered about.

If you see words with letters reversed (or whole words or numbers) what helps you to see them in a way that you can recognize the words correctly?

When you go to write a word, what helps you to spell it correctly?

If you cannot hear the phonetic sounds, what helps you remember how to write the word?

Most of my students make good, steady progress and some make great progress. However, I have one boy, age 8, smart, great vocabulary, and working on 2nd grade math, reading, and history. He can build a circuit and discuss the throttle on a speedboat. But he can barely read (He recognizes maybe 50 words). I have been working with him for two years and tried everything I can think of, but he has no memory for words and has to work to figure out almost every single sight word every time he sees it. He can write words he cannot read. The only thing I have found that seems to help him is flashcards. Everything I’ve been taught says don’t use flashcards- and I think they are incredibly boring. Since he has very severe ADHD as well, he doesn’t think much of flashcards either. He tries so hard to read, but his progress is painfully slow. I’m frustrated with my inability to figure out what will help and he’s frustrated because he knows his reading is so far behind. Any ideas?

trained speakers come in and show the other teachers what it is like to be LD or ADHD….

Where would I find organizations to get involved as one of these speakers? I’m the auther of the LD Project Heroe’s question.

Greetings Trying Teacher,

I commend you for caring. A child needs that more than anything. I am now 46 years old, and I remember my school days, being lost, because I needed way more one on one instruction, than I got. I needed teachers who just didn’t assume I knew something. I needed a picture drawn for me. I needed to be taken through a process step by step. I needed to be able to actually work through a problem myself, while being able to explain what I was doing, at the same time, and have the teacher ready to help me, if I didn’t understand. This seemed to help me organize the process in my brain. I know I always seemed dense, but I wasn’t dense. I have an above average IQ.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Debbie

I think that objective observation is one of the most essential ingredients. Since all are different—try to “see” without placing value or without immediately assuming you know what you are seeing. Try to carefully observe the nonverbal. Also, listen with a third ear—try to really hear what your students are saying.
One of the most neglected areas for LD’s may be the impact that severe allergies have on functioning. Dr. Rapp has written many books for parents and teachers looking exactly at this correlation. For years, she had her patients write their names, color or draw, or complete homework during exposure to various allergens, always with a dramatic decline in abilities. I now recognize this as visual-perceptual; my daughter’s scores in that area rose from under the 3rd percentile to over the 80th after treatment for certain foods and environmental allergens.
For those children who are severely allergic, mood and behavior can be altered by exposure to allergens. For example, my daughter, who rarely moved, always became hyperactive in response to corn syrup (common reaction), fatigued and depressed when she ingested wheat. In the fall (ragweed), she became hyperactive; in the spring (grasses), she was often rarely able to move. Of course, attention became issues during both seasons. Dust (winter) can also affect children differently, as can molds. The frustration was clearly evident, both in her and others’ responses. A major giveaway is the presence of allergic shiners—black circles under the eyes. Many assume that the children are either not getting enough sleep or have been mistreated. In addition, children from lower classes are often exposed to food with more additives (fruit drinks instead of juices) and environmental allergens.
As you know, anything that affects the children causes effects in other areas. From the biopsychosocial persepctive, cognitive, affective (emotional), physiological, and social functioning are all interwoven. As a teacher, remaining neutral to positive, consistent, objective, helping the children learn and achieve mastery, ensuring that peers within and without the classroom understand to the extent possible and treat each other with respect are critical. Those are monumental tasks, but as my daughter’s second grade teacher said, “It’s easier to maintain order, to treat students respectfully and honestly, to teach than it is to resort to crisis management.” And he and I learned a great deal together.

Regarding ADHD or attention difficulties, all persons have the right to know that the single classification of meds most closely associated with the temporary reduction of ADHD symptoms is the central nervous system stimulants/alerting agents; however, the ADHD meds do not work for everyone unfortunately. Perhaps the weakest stimulant/alerting agent is coffee/caffeine compounds; perhaps the strongest is Adderall. Classic ADHD is a know neurological challenge as real as epilepsy or Tourette’s. ADHD can eventually be understood; however, only a portion of those with ADHD respond well to the ADHD meds long term (decade after decade). That’s my opinion.

Regarding dyslexia, it’s my understanding that classic dyslexia (unlike ADHD) is not viewed as being easily treatable with a medicine.

I have A.D.D. and L.D. adn one Special Ed. teacher gave me the chance to do something with my life and put her job on the line for it. No they use me as an egzample for it in this school. It opend the door for a few more people. Now I’ve written a short story about what it’s like to grow up with this, now I’m trying to get it published. The bigest problem is, teaches teach what they wont their students to know not what the students wont to learn. Just like anyone, if you dont like it then you don’t care but if you like it then you will do it and remember most of it.
Mike
[email protected]
P.S. Dr’s. don’t know every thing about it! Thats why I wrote a book on it.

I wish all my teachers could have been like you! How fortuante these children are to have someone like you in theier field. Growing up LD in public school was nothing short of a nightmare for me. Cruel teachers and classmates constantly deriding me. However, I somehow managed to make it through and went on to college. I am now planning in the future to become a Special Education teacher that helps children realize their potential. Having said that, I think one of the biggest things educators need to do with the LD population is to help these kids realize they are capable! Do not give them low expecetations…give them homework and responsibilities just like everyone else. That is the way it is going to be in the real work Help them to reconginze their special gifts and ablities while helping remediating the weakness. Another area to work on is social skills. Often times classmates and teachers are so cruel that inferiority complexes develop. I think it is important to help LD children realize that everyone is equal and just because you have a disablity people are not entilted to belittle you. Teaching asservite skills is very important. Also, giving these kids the opportunity to have all the extra stuff , like field trips, ect. that the “normal kids” have an chance to participate in. LD kids are usually denied these other learning opportunities in public school beacause they are considered too dumb or too much trouble. Parent education, teacher education is very important. I am still astounded by the lack of training that regular teachers have when it comes to LD. All teachers should have a course in LD and be required by role playing, to know what it feels like to have to deal with this disability. Maybe they would think twice before they berated a student. Parental involvement is very important too. Emphasizing the importance of learning activities at home should aslo be discussed. Another area I think is extremely important is teaching self-motivation to these kids. As we all know childeren do not always have the most caring parents. If we can somehow help students to become more self-motiviated then maybe they will still find a way to fullfill their potential.

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