Learning Disabilities Training: A New Approach - Module 1

When learners' challenges consistently follow learning disability patterns, one of the first steps for practitioners is to meet with the learners to discuss practitioner observations. Literacy practitioners are not qualified to provide formal diagnoses, but can point out that they have observed people with learning disabilities exhibit similar characteristics.⁶⁵ Practitioners need to explain they are not experts in learning disabilities, but that they want everyone to be successful.⁶⁶

This meeting should encourage open dialogue with learners and should try to elicit responses to the practitioner's observations. Learners should feel comfortable sharing any frustrations they are experiencing with the learning process. Practitioners could ask one or all of the following questions to help encourage responses from learners:

Do you think this information is accurate?
What do you think this information means?
Why do you think (e.g. spelling) is difficult for you?⁶⁷

"The goal of the discussion is not to label the adult but to focus on habits and practices of the learners and to work on techniques to deal with those difficulties."⁶⁸

Actively involving learners as equals helps them to take ownership of the issue and to begin to understand their strengths and weaknesses. It is critical for practitioners to emphasize to learners that having potential learning disabilities does not mean that the learners are not intelligent or that they cannot learn.⁶⁹ Practitioners who have taken this approach have found that learners often express relief as they gain a better understanding of their learning challenges.⁷⁰

Self-assessments

The use of self-reported inventories or questionnaires is very effective. Practitioners need to examine adults' processing styles and learning characteristics as well as their specific strengths and weaknesses. Self-assessments help gather information about learners' families, educational experiences, work and medical histories, study habits, literacy skills and value orientations. This is the first step towards actively involving learners and helps them build their capacity to take ownership for their learning. In addition, the process allows practitioners to develop comfortable relationships with the learners.