DYSLEXIA:
- Use explicit teaching procedures. Many commercial materials do not cue teachers to use explicit
teaching procedures; thus, the teacher often must adapt a material to include these procedures.
Teachers can include explicit teaching steps within their lessons (i.e., present an advanced
organizer, demonstrate the skill, provide guided practice, offer corrective feedback, set up
independent practice, monitor practice, and review).
2. Repeat directions. Students who have difficulty following directions are often helped by asking
them to repeat the directions in their own words. The student can repeat the directions to a peer
when the teacher is unavailable. The following suggestions can help students understand
directions: (a) if directions contain several steps, break down the directions into subsets; (b)
simplify directions by presenting only one portion at a time and by writing each portion on the
chalkboard as well as stating it orally; and (c) when using written directions, be sure that students
are able to read and understand the words as well as comprehend the meaning of sentences.
3. Maintain daily routines. Many students with learning problems need the structure of daily
routines to know and do what is expected.
4. Provide a copy of lecture notes. The teacher can give a copy of lecture notes to students who
have difficulty taking notes during presentations.
5. Provide students with a graphic organizer. An outline, chart, or blank web can be given to
students to fill in during presentations. This helps students listen for key information and see the
relationships among concepts and related information.
6. Use step-by-step instruction. New or difficult information can be presented in small sequential
steps. This helps learners with limited prior knowledge who need explicit or part-to-whole
instruction.
7. Simultaneously combine verbal and visual information. Verbal information can be provided
with visual displays (e.g., on an overhead or handout).
8. Write key points or words on the chalkboard. Prior to a presentation, the teacher can write new
vocabulary words and key points on the chalkboard or overhead.
9. Use balanced presentations and activities. An effort should be made to balance oral
presentations with visual information and participatory activities. Also, there should be a balance
between large group, small group, and individual activities.
10. Use mnemonic instruction. Mnemonic devices can be used to help students remember key
information or steps in a learning strategy. (An example of mnemonic instruction is using the
word HOMES to remember the names of the Great Lakes. H is for Lake Huron, O is for Lake
Ontario, M is for Lake Michigan, E is for Lake Erie, and S is for Lake Superior.)
DYSCALCULIA
- Avoid memory overload. Assign manageable amounts of work as skills are learned.
- Build retention by providing review within a day or two of the initial learning of difficult skills.
- Provide supervised practice to prevent students from practicing misconceptions and "misrules."
- Make new learning meaningful by relating practice of subskills to the performance of the whole task.
- Reduce processing demands by preteaching component skills of algorithms and strategies.
- Help students to visualize math problems by drawing.
- Use visual and auditory examples.
- Use real-life situations that make problems functional and applicable to everyday life.
- Do math problems on graph paper to keep the numbers in line.
- Use uncluttered worksheets to avoid too much visual information.
- Practice with age-appropriate games as motivational materials.
- Have students track their progress.
- Challenge critical thinking about real problems with problem solving.
- Use manipulatives and technology such as tape recorders or calculators.
DYSGRAPHIA
• Be patient and positive when practicing handwriting.
• Encourage proper grip, posture, and paper positioning.
• Allow the use of a word processor.
• Use oral exams and allow students to dictate assignments to a scribe.
• Avoid criticisms for sloppiness or illegibility.
• Provide additional time for writing tasks.
• Use writing paper with raised lines.
• Allow students to use a line width that is most comfortable for them.
• Reduce the amount of copying needed to complete an assignment.
• Encourage the use of visual organizers to assist in outlining and brainstorming for extended
writing assignments.
• Encourage the student to use hand exercises when he/she becomes fatigued.
• Have students complete writing activities in small steps.
DYSPRAXIA
• Allow extra time for assignments. Processing speed is much slower for children withdyspraxia.
• When possible, if the student is required to copy from a board at the front of theroom, allow the student to copy from a written handout instead.
• Organization is one of the biggest challenges for these children. If the student has allassignments and homework in one folder, it greatly reduces the risk of losing them.
• For younger students, assist with fine motor tasks. Cutting, coloring, and writing arevery challenging and stressful. Encourage stabilization of the hand when writing.
• Lined and graph paper really help the student organize spatially.
• Allow “body breaks” throughout the day. Stepping outside of class to do push-upsagainst the wall, jumping, pressing the hands together, or even running a shorterrand enables the student to return to class more focused. Similarly, if the studentfeels a meltdown approaching, allow him or her to leave the room until the feelingpasses. This can be prompted with a simple cue (e.g., raising hand).
• Encourage good posture whenever possible by having the child sit with hips andknees at 90° and feet flat on floor.
• One of the unique characteristics of dyspraxia is that a perfect day can be derailedwith one slight mishap. For example, getting a blue crayon instead of a yellow onecan cause a meltdown.
DYSPHASIA
- Use simple language and uncomplicated sentences when communicating with students with aphasia.
- Repeat words as necessary when speaking with students with aphasia.
- Present information using multiple modalities (e.g., orally, visually, kinesthetically).
- When teaching vocabulary, provide written words, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, examples of usage and pictorial representations.
- Explicitly teach semantics and syntax concepts. Simplify them as much as possible.
- Break concepts down into small steps and repeat them as often as necessary to ensure your student comprehends them.
- Allow students with aphasia as much time as necessary, without interruption, to express themselves verbally.
- Create word choice boards.
- Use flashcards to build vocabulary.
- Encourage your students with aphasia to use any type of communication they are comfortable with (e.g., writing, drawing, pointing, gesturing, picture systems, sign language, augmentative communicationdevices).
- Have your student repeat and explain concepts, directions and expectations to you after you've presented them to her.
AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER
Write directions on the board.
• Assign a buddy to your student so they can check understanding.
• Use multi-media presentations.
• Avoid the blah, blah, blah lectures that cause auditory overload.