“One child, who had a learning disability none of his classmates knew about, was enthralled with the Learning Disabilities guest speaker's story of going to college, getting a job teaching, and living a full, healthy, and happy life. It was like the future just opened up in front of him.”
Ann Busby HillParent volunteer
Learning Disabilities
By comparing the human brain to a computer, the Learning Disabilities unit teaches students how the brain takes in, sorts, stores, and shares information and how learning can be impacted when someone has a learning disability affecting one or more of these areas.
Key themes:
- It is important for all of us to identify our strengths and challenges.
- A strength for one person may be a challenge for another person.
- People develop strategies to accommodate for areas of challenge by using areas of strength.
- All people have differing combinations of strengths and challenges. Individuals with learning disabilities have at least one area of significant challenge.
- Learning disabilities do not mean people are less intelligent – they just learn some things differently.
Program implementation is flexible and can be adapted for your classroom, but a typical 2-hour session includes:
| ACTIVITY | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Strengths and challenges | Students brainstorm to realize that that everyone has their own set of unique strengths and challenges. |
| Informational PowerPoint presentation | Learning disabilities are defined and students learn how the brain works using a computer analogy. |
| Four small group activities | Hands-on activities enable students to experience for themselves some of the challenges of those with learning disabilities. Students discover alternative ways to do things when facing challenges. |
| Guest Speaker | A guest speaker shares the experience of living with a learning disability. |