A learning disability affects how our adult learners process information...or don't, depending on their neurological makeup. In my research on learning disabilities some time ago, I was astonished to find out that learning "disabled" adults were not disabled at all but only specifically abled in ways that often make them gifted in some ways.
The Definitions of Learning Disabilities course listed in the LINCS Learning Portal includes several modules on the topic. The first provides a very helpful definition of Learning Disabilities. Go to https://courses.lincs.ed.gov/1/course/view.php?id=159 .
In my view, all adult educators would do well to become very informed about how to engage LD adults since, very often, they are the ones who populate many of our programs, having become disconnected from our dominant environments.
My challenge to you is to share at least one successful strategy for helping LD adults acquire the reading/writing/literacy skills to succeed in the workplace or in post-secondary education after they pass the GED. What worked? Why did it work?
In addition, if you complete the course listed above, drop in and share your views on what you learned. Thanks. Leecy
Comments
I'm the new kid on the block - both here on the site and as a literacy tutor. I'm attempting to tutor someone with severe dyslexia, and am desperate to find effective strategies in reading for an adult with dyslexia.
This student actually reads well - considering her disability especially, but she needs to speed up somehow in order to pass the TABE. I think she's kind of brilliant, really, because she has not only learned how to decode on her own, but how to shift between reading her own way and "translating" that into standard format for tests, etc. The problem is that this takes too long on a timed test. I approached someone at One Stop about the possibility of her re-taking the test with a disability accommodation waiver of the timer, and he seems to think this can be done. The student sees this as a sort of stop-gap measure, I think, and would like to get at a real solution for her situation, if there is one. Having cast about quite a bit online in search of help, I'm conflicted about just how to go about tutoring someone in her situation. I'm not sure that she even should be tutored. (Her reading skills and comprehension appear to be pretty sophisticated.) It seems that there should be some kind of specialist working with her - as there would have been when she was young, if her disability had been identified in grade school. She is very eager to receive help and very motivated and possibly the most inspirational person I've ever met! I would be thrilled to be able to help her, but I guess I don't feel qualified for this, so I would be very grateful for your input. (I have no LD training.) Thanks!It's tough when you feel stuck. Here's an idea for you.
You might try focusing specifically on her reading speed starting with lower level texts. This isn't specific to working with dyslexia, but could be a helpful option. The idea is to focus on reading speed with understanding. Start with very easy levels of texts and move up in difficulty until the learner is no longer able to read at the desired rate. For example, a learner might be able to comprehend a grade level 8 text given plenty of time. And when you give the learner a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade level text, they can read and comprehend pretty quickly, but 4th grade level texts start to take a lot longer time. You might practice reading for speed at the 4th grade level and aim to gradually increase the level once the desired speed is achieved. You can track your words per minute with a timer and a fluency rate graph (Google to find one.) Other fluency activities like choral reading, repeated reading and marked phrase boundaries could be used too. You might as her if she'd like to try it out.
My two favorite sites and one favorite book series for leveled readings:
newsela.com
Southwest ABE Reading Skills for Today's Adult (website, google it)
Six-Way Paragraphs (There are different versions and levels. Read the prefacing info for passage level detail.)
Some great ideas! Thanks, Josh. Interesting that you mentioned choral and repeated reading. We actually did these things, and she wants to continue to practice the choral reading. I had asked her if she hears the sounds of the words she's reading - in her mind - and she explained that she doesn't because she has the extra tasks of (I'm paraphrasing) decoding and translating. So, maybe the choral reading will help with this. Thanks again!
Lucy, thanks for asking, and Josh, for the helpful suggestion!
Your question invites us to reflect deeply on how to help students like the one you describe! Getting a diagnosis, which you are doing, must only be done by a pro, as you recognize. As instructors, we only screen. A diagnosis can really help your student understand herself and to start honoring her own preferences and abilities. I have always been amazed by how grateful adults are to be recognized for their strengths and to be understood, perhaps for the first time ever!
Many years ago, I published a workshop on The Learning Disabled and Other At Risk Students, in which I specifically address some of the questions you ask. I hope some of the ideas will be helpful: coloradoadulted.org/atrisk/atrisk.htm. I have included a few principles of instruction that have been found to work.
There are many others in these communities that work with LD adults. I hope they will dive in to add their expert advice.
Leecy Wise, Moderator
Diversity and Literacy CoP
leecywise@gmail.com
Wow, Leecy, thanks! What a wealth of information! I was talking with a fellow tutor who is also a great resource and found myself thinking that I see why LD can also mean "learning differently" - and I really wonder just how much we should be tampering with those differences. Could the answer be accommodations? (As we do for differently abled people.) Auding, for instance, sounds very helpful; with the technology in place, this kind of adjunct could go a long way in helping dyslexic learners accept and even appreciate their different style.
Glad you're here - thanks again!.
I have tutored a woman for many years who has multiple learning disorders, including dyslexia. She has made amazing progress, although we occasionally still find "holes" in her functionality.
I think the major impetus to her persistence is MY insistence that the issue is NOT with her ability to learn, but in how her brain is wired. We work on "retraining the brain", a process we compare to weight-training, where it is painful at times but where success comes with consistent effort. I remind her that weight-trainers do not start out at high levels, but drop back and gradually work their way up to their goals. Then we review present function with the issues of six months (or whenever) previously, focusing on the gains made.
We also have occasional "vacation days" where we relax and work on "fun stuff" without making a huge effort to learn a new skill. This really refreshes both of us.
Thank you for sharing this, Mommage. (Love that nickname, by the way.) Congratulations on your and your student's successes! Please, if you would, share some details on strategies for rewiring. I'm familiar with the use of neurofeedback for this purpose, but I'm guessing that's not the kind of rewiring activity you're referring to. Do you find activities like choral reading (and/or...?) to be helpful in this regard? How do you discover the right activities and protocols (frequency, duration, etc.) to apply? And I guess what I'm most concerned about is how to be sure I'm not making things worse.