How to Identify Auditory Learning Disabilities

• Can remember words they know
• Guesses words that look like the word (ie.. attraction or attractive)
• Has trouble with big words
• They say they have trouble with pronunciation
• Can’t blend sounds well
• May know sounds but mixes them up when sounding out
• Doesn’t respond to rhyming clues
• Spelling based on known words

How to Identify Visual Learning Disabilities

• Can sound out words
• Can blend sounds
• Can substitute letters
• Can work with word families/ rhyming words
• Very verbal, will chat
• Can’t recognize words that they “know”
• Has trouble with oral reading, stumbles, hesitates
• Gets lost and uses finger to find spot
• Spelling is based on the sounds
• Problems with irregular sounds (ough, eigh)

How to Identify Organizational Learning Disabilities

• May take longer to understand and respond to your questions, but the quality of the answer is good
• May have trouble giving clear, concise answers to simple questions
• May need rewording of questions, but answer is good
• Complains they have trouble focusing
• Has trouble with attendance and follow through

Other Possible Issues

• Developmental / Intellectual disabilities
• Learned helplessness
• School-based skills deficit
• Head injury

Key Factor for Success…

• Teach in the way your learner learns best!
• Don’t water-down the skill!

Discuss, suggest and make accommodations that suit the learner.