Blog Entry 7:  April 5, 2018

Response:  Do students with disabilities have enough time?

To what degree do lessons progress at a rate that students can keep up and comprehend the instructions?

We just watched a video that exposed educators to the problems faced by learning disabled students, and it was eye-opening.  The video gave impressive detail about processing disorders and the challenges they cause for students.  It simulated different challenges that LD students face in the classroom, and by the end even the calmest educator was flustered and missing easy answers. 

A student with a processing disorder needs to translate each written or verbal input, and is slower to arrive at an answer.  This is often compounded by teachers who utter meaningless phrases like “pay attention” or “hurry up”.  We need to understand that students with learning disabilities are going to take longer to do many things.  A lot longer.  They need time to process the question, find a solution, and process the reply.  This makes it difficult for the student to answer questions in class.  The video gave some suggestions about how to help a student have an answer ready in class.

There are  solutions to this problem.  A teacher who is informed about learning disabilities can tailor exercises for LD students.  Often this means removing extra components and stripping exercises down to their bare essence.  Another key element of most solutions is more time.  Students can complete exercises later, during a less critical period or even as homework.  This approach focuses more on the product (a summative exercise that demonstrates mastery of a concept), and less on the due date or time schedule. 

I don’t have any data, but I’ll predict that teachers call on higher performing students more often.  A higher performing student will give a better answer, and this moves the pace along more quickly.  I hadn’t ever considered the effect on learning disabled students, but this is devastating.  It means that the pace of the class is geared toward high achievers, and even mediocre students are left in the dust.  A learning disabled student who needs twice the normal time to complete some activities will be constantly struggling to keep up.  The effects would vary depending on the cognitive disorder, but I predict that ELL, EIP and other challenged students will do better on tests when they are given more time and a supportive environment.

Strategies to improve learning are different for each student, and a teacher can make a huge difference with modified assignments, flexible deadlines and extra time for some disabilities.  Each disability has different challenges, so there is no one-size-fits all strategy.  Students with mild and moderate disabilities can often be fully included in the classroom, or may have short periods where they meet with an aid or specialist.  Many students with a disability have multiple disabilities, so there may be a team approach to help these students make the most of the classroom environment.

Send problems/comments/suggestions to: tcHorner@csuchico.edu

All blog entries are the property and personal opinions of Tim Horner, and may be shared with appropriate credit.