Ld Level 2 Unit 2 Learning Disabilities

Unit 2-Learning Disabilities (LDs)

Summary and Reflection

The Unit titled “Learning Disabilities (LD)” draws attention to this particular category of special education and goes in depth about the successes and aggravation of educating these children. The unit first gives an overview of the statistics of children with LD and includes the IDEA definition of LD which is “a disorder in the processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.” (P. 30) It includes an article that explains how a tutorial program, implemented by Brookline High School (BHS) in Boston, Massachusetts, has drastically reduced numbers

in special education. It has done this by giving students with mild disabilities the option to get out of special education through joining a tutoring program that takes place during school hours (Mowschenson & Weintraub, 2009). The article “Learning-Disabled Enrollment Dips after Long Climb” discusses why enrollments in the learning disabled category in special education are declining.

It explains that this could be occurring for many reasons. One possible reason discussed is schools pushing enrollment numbers down to avoid academic-accountability penalty and costs. Other potential reasons are a shift in classification and implementation of early-intervention services. Federal officials, however, believe the decline is due mostly to the implementation of educational improvements such as Response to Intervention (RTI) (Samuels, 2010). Another article included in this unit titled “Dyslexia and the Brain: What Does Current Research Tell Us?” digs deep into what dyslexia is and how it looks when compared to a student without the disorder. It also includes some studies that have been done that prove evidenced-based phonologic reading intervention can help better develop neural systems that cause skilled reading (Hudson, High, & Otaiba, 2004). Lastly, the unit includes an article titled “Build Organization Skills in Students with Learning Disabilities”. Organization has long been a frustration of students with a learning disability and their teachers. This article discusses the importance of organizational skills for students with a learning disability and gives many ways that a teacher, parents, and others can encourage students to

gain organizational skills (Finstein, Yang, & Jones, 2007).
From this unit, I gained a better understanding of how the learning disabled category is changing in special education. I had no idea that the LD category makes up 40% of students receiving special education. That seems like a lot! But I also learned enrollment in this category is declining due to various reasons. I was really interested in the article “Beyond Special Education: A New Vision of Academic Support”. I had never given much thought to an alternative to special education until reading about a tutoring program put in place by BHS.
This program has regular classroom teachers tutor students in their specific content area(s) during an hour class in the school day. By doing this, the students are given direct instruction from a content specialist while not having the stigma of being labeled special needs. This program also benefits the teacher by offering a variation in the day, giving teachers a chance to have a more personal relationship with their students, and lowering their course load (Mowschenson & Weintraub, 2009). In my opinion, this is such a great option for students with mild disabilities. According to the article, by taking part in the tutoring program, “These students have greater access to the general curriculum, prepare for the state-mandated standardized test required for graduation, and feel more like an integral part of the mainstream school community.” (Mowschenson & Weintraub, 2009, p. 32). I feel this is a better option for students with mild disabilities than a resource class where the student is being pulled out of their general education content class. In this program, students can participate in the general education classroom and have direct instruction at a different time in the day to get subject-specific support. It is the best of both worlds for these students being able to have that extra support without having to be labeled, something that will stick with them the rest of their educational career. This program was compared to a traditional special education learning center by evaluators from Harvard Graduate School of Education. The article states that the evaluators concluded that “Tutorial students improved their grades, test scores, academic self-confidence, and organizational skills as much or more than students from the traditional special education learning center.” (Mowschenson & Weintraub, 2009, p. 34). This is proof that the program is accomplishing what it intended to do.
This unit has given me an update on what is going on with the LD category of special education. It has also made me think about alternatives to special education. As I said earlier, I never thought there could be a substitute for special education. I was wrong. This unit has shown me that there is a very effective alternative to special education for students with mild disabilities. I also learned a lot more about dyslexia and what the brain of a person with dyslexia looks like when compared to someone without a reading disability. This unit did a great job of revealing the successes of educating children with a learning disability and also in pinpointing some of the frustrations dealing with a learning disability and how to cure these frustrations.