• How would you describe your ability to do math or science?
• How would you describe your social skills? Do you have difficulty making and/or keeping friends?
• Have you ever been formally assessed (one-on-one) before for any learning difficulties?
• What do you feel gives you the most difficulty when doing school or work tasks?
  • What do you find easiest to do?

This information will help determine where adults' learning strengths and weaknesses might lie. Their responses will help form a foundation on which strategies can be built.

Discussion questions

• When you review the above questions, do you already have similar questions incorporated into your intake process?
• Have you included other questions that you find beneficial in gaining an understanding of the learners' strengths and weaknesses?
• Could you share them with the group?

Most adult learners in a literacy program will relate to at least one of the key questions noted above. This will not necessarily mean that the learner has a potential learning disability. Therefore, practitioners should not suspect the presence of learning disabilities if adults display only one or two of these characteristics. Practitioners need to seek information in different ways through consulting with other staff, observing characteristics under a number of circumstances, and assessing further the learners' skill areas. This will help not only to confirm (or deny) their suspicions, but it will also help in planning the next steps.