Learning Difficulties Flashcards
How are learning disorders diagnosed?
DSM, diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
What are specific learning disorders?
neurodevelopmental learning disabilities than begin during school-age but may not be recognized until adulthood
What areas are affected by specific learning disorders?
reading, writing, math
What percentage of school aged children have a specific learning disorder?
5-15%
Of students with specific learning disorders what percent have language based disabilities aka dyslexia?
80%
Of students with specific learning disorders how many also have problems with attention?
1/3
What gender has more specific learning disorders?
males>females
What is necessary for diagnosing a specific learning disorder?
difficulties for 6+ months despite help
What are examples of specific learning disorder difficulties?
reading, comprehension, spelling, written expression, understanding number concepts, mathematical reasoning
How do specific learning disorders affect school?
skills below age expected and cause problems in school/work
Specific learning disorders are not due to…
intellectual disability, vision or hearing problems, neurological condition, economic or environmental disadvantage, lack of instruction, language barriers
What are risk factors for learning disabilities?
FMHx, malnutrition, low birth weight, neonatal complications, maternal drug use during pregnancy
What does dyslexia mean in greek?
difficult speech, but generally term used for reading not speech issue
What is a theory of dyslexia?
right brain strengths aka conceptual reasoning not left brain strengths (spelling, reading, writing)
What is a definition of dyslexia?
difficulty connecting letters seen on a page with the sounds they make, reading becomes a slow, effortful process and not fluent
What is true of visual deficits in children with developmental dyslexia?
those with dyslexia had more accommodative, oculomotor, and vergence problems than those without dyslexia
What is dysphonesia?
spelling errors that are not phonetic, problem with attacking words phonetically
What are characteristics of dysphonesia?
child may make semantic substitutions when reading, unfamiliar words are difficult, difficulty with rules of phonics and maybe good recollection of words
What is dyseidesia?
spelling errors are phonetic, reading is slow because child has to decode phonetically
What are characteristics of dyseidesia?
irregularly spelled words are more difficult, reading laborious, whole word coding problems
T/F there can dyslexia in 1 language but not another
true, english lots of dyslexia, turkish/chinese less dyslexia
T/F optometrists can diagnose dyslexia
false OD cannot diagnose dyslexia
Why may ODs help with dyslexia?
dyslexia is a multi-sensory problem, can address visual aspect
Who does most of the treatment for dyslexia?
speech/language pathologist with possible some vision therapy for visual components
What are the two common dyslexia treatments?
orton-gillingham and wilson reading system
What does dyslexia treament involve?
multisensory tasks- seeing, touching, saying, hand movements, sound cards, word cards, syllabic drills
What are outside tests to ID learning/reading problems?
psychoeducational test aka standardized tests, comparison of children to peers, assessment of Hx, cognitive function, academic achievement and emotional function
What is Weschler IQ testing?
Full scale is broken down into performance and verbal
What is performance IQ?
perceptual organization and processing speed
What is verbal IQ?
verbal comprehension and working memory
What is the Stanford-Binet IQ test?
Full scale IQ broken down into non verbal and verbal IQ with 10 subtests
T/F nonverbal and performance IQs are basically the same thing
true, the opposite of verbal
Why should you compare verbal and performance scores?
prognosis for therapy- verbal deficit=language based, performance deficit= OD help with perceptual tests
What is the average IQ?
100 +/- 15 aka 85-115
What percentile is between +1 and -1 SD from the mean in normal distribution?
16%ile to 84%ile
What percent is between +1 and -1 SD from the mean in a normal distribution?
68%
What percent is between +2 and -2 SD from the mean and what %ile?
95% aka 2%ile to 98%ile
What is the raw score in standardized testing?
actual number correct/incorrect, need to use raw score to determine the percentile rank or grade/age equivalent
What does a raw score not tell you?
how a child did in relation to others
What is a percentile ranking ?
comparison relative to 100 children NOT percent correct
What is grade equivalency?
grade level for this child based on testing
What is age equivalency?
age level for this child based on testing
What percentile is average?
50%
What is low average and high average in percentiles?
-1 and +1 SD from average aka 16%ile to 84%ile
What is a standard score?
set of scores with the same mean and SD so they van be compared, ex: IQ, mean=100 SD=15, can convert to percentile from a table
What is a scaled score?
scale 1-19, mean score 10 aka 50%ile, SD 3
What are tests that use scaled scores?
WISC, TVPS
How can a scaled score be determined?
from a Z score, 10+ 3Z
Can a scaled score be considered to a percentile from a table?
yes
How do you calculate Z scores?
raw score-mean/standard deviation
What percentile is Z=0?
50%ile
What percentile is Z=+1?
84%ile
What percentile is Z=-1?
16%ile
Why might time be a negative Z score?
because the time is slow/high
What four things are involved in academic success?
IQ, acuity/accommodation/vergence/oculomotor , visual perceptual, environment
What constitutes environment in relation to academic success?
access, language, attendance, hunger
What is an IEP?
individualized education plan
What law established IEP?
individuals with disabilities education act 2006 aka IDEA
What children are eligible for special education services?
autism, hearing impaired, vision impaired, emotionally disturbed, brain injury, multiple disability, orthopedic disability
What does IDEA ensure?
children with disabilities have free, appropriate, public education that emphasizes special education and related services to meet their unique needs, prepare for further education, employment etc
What does an IEP do?
addresses child’s unique learning issues, specialized instruction and services, legally binding, only for public schools, reviewed annually
Which is legally binding, IEP or 504?
IEP
Who writes and IEP report?
parents, teacher, special ed teacher, school district representatitve, school psychologist child if 16+, outside professional (OD), friend, interpreter
What do IEP reports contain?
test results=present level of performance, measurable goals, accommodations/modification to learning/special services
What is the legal basis of 504 plan?
Section 504 of rehabilitation act of 1973 aka federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination against public school students with disabilit/handicap
What does a 504 plan do?
levels the playing field
Who is eligible for a 504 plan?
physical/mental impairment (walk, see, read, write, self-care, speak) also covers ADHD, and learning disabilities
How does a 504 plan compare to an IEP?
less detailed, annual review is not required, reviews information from a doctor exam/observations, and makes recommendations
What specialists may ODs refer to for language disabilities?
developmental pediatrician, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech language pathologist
What does a developmental pediatrician do?
developmental, behavioral, learning related problems, if child’s behavior is very behind for expected age
What does an occupational therapist do?
works on fine motor skills, activities of daily living, sensory issues
What does a physical therapist do?
works on gross motor skills, balance problems, CP, CVA
Who might an OD get a referral from?
OT or PT if head tilt
What does a speech language pathologist do?
helps with pronunciation problems, reading problems, history of frequent ear infections
What are symptoms of acuity problems?
blurry vision, squinting
What are symptoms of binocularity problems?
double vision, words move, HA when reading, cover eye, rereads, tired when reading
What are symptoms of accommodation?
blurry vision when reading, N–>F and F–>N blur, HA when reading, red eyes, tired
What are symptoms of oculomotors?
loss of place, rereads, uses fingers
