Learning Disabilities are confusing and frustrating for students, parents, and teachers. Come here for practical
information about all types of learning disabilities, learning styles, learning disorders, or emotional and behavioral
concerns. Try the free online learning disability and emotional/behavioral rating scales.
And, while social distancing for Covid-19, don't forget to utilize the online entry options for parents and teachers (yellow button at the top of the online App pages)!
Welcome to the LDinfo Publishing Web
Site
Providing highly respected assessment tools and educational material for schools and professionals as well as practical guidance for parents, students and educators.
This site is dedicated to the advancement of practical
knowledge and understanding about the often mysterious world
of Learning Disabilities and Emotional/Behavioral Concerns.
The key word here is 'practical'!!
FREE
online LD rating scale - The CPI is a
learning disability and learning style rating
scale for all ages. Find out how you or your
child learns best.
FREE on-line
behavior and mental health rating scale -
Use the on-line FBA Profiler to screen for
possible emotional/behavioral issues and mental
health concerns including ADD, ADHD, depression,
anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
oppositional-defiant disorder, conduct disorder,
thought disorder, or autism spectrum
disorder.
The Cognitive
Processing Inventory (CPI) - A non-biased,
norm-referenced learning style and information
processing rating scale. Download the software or take advantage of the
1-year free trial offer for school
districts.
The FBA Profiler
(behavior rating scale) - Preferred 24 to 1 over the BASC-II - Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced
functional behavioral and mental health rating
scale for all ages. Use it to identify problem
behaviors, suggest underlying reasons for or
'functions of' behaviors, and screen for
potential mental health issues including ADD,
ADHD, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder, conduct
disorder, thought disorder, or autism spectrum
disorder. Download the software or take advantage of the 1-year free
trial offer for public schools.
The NEW FBA Screener - The same basic format as the popular FBA Profiler in a more compact design to facilitate screening of large or small groups of students, promote appropriate early intervention strategies, and track progress over time. Also included as part of the complete LDinfo Apps software package.
Learning disabilities are often complex and confusing issues, not only for the students involved but also for their parents and teachers. Part of this confusion comes about because the term learning disability has different meanings within and outside of the public school environment. Outside of school terms such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia (or dyscalcula), central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), nonverbal learning disability (NLD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD, or ADHD) are often considered subgroups within the broader general classification of learning disabilities and therefore may lead parents to believe that their child is eligible for special education services. Unfortunately, while such diagnoses outside of the school may suggest rather significant issues which would likely impact education, they often do not take into consideration the actual criteria necessary to determine special education eligibility. As a result it is quite possible for a student with any of those diagnoses (and more) to not be found eligible within the category of specific learning disabilities or any other area of special education.
Parents need to understand that special education services are intended to enable the most significantly handicapped students to receive an appropriate education. As such, public schools have rather strict criteria (determined by each State) for identifying special education eligibility. In the specific learning disability (SLD) area, the criteria typically involves some measure of under-achievement (either through a severe discrepancy formula or response to intervention - RTI). In addition, because it is widely accepted that a true learning disability is caused by some form of brain-based information processing weakness, many States also require documentation of an information processing deficit.
On this LDinfo Web Site you
can find out about any of the following topics (and
more):
Definition: A learning disability is a
disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes
involved in understanding and using language spoken or written
which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen,
think, speak, read, spell, or do mathematical calculations.
Wow, is that ever confusing?!!! What does it
mean?
Well, that's the legal definition. There
are really 2 parts to a learning disability.
First, having a learning disability means
that your brain 'processes' information differently than most
other students. Certain kinds of information get stuck or lost
while traveling through your brain.
Second, having a learning disability
causes a 'discrepancy' between your ability and your achievement.
This means that you are a lot smarter than you perform in school.
You might be just as smart as someone sitting next to you in
class, but your grades in certain areas aren't as good. This isn't
because you are dumb, lazy, or anything else bad. You just learn
differently.
It's kind of like a baseball player who
has the 'ability' to hit home runs but is given a broken bat to
use. He doesn't have the chance to prove how great he really
is.
An LD student often has trouble proving
how smart he or she is.
Learning disabled students struggle with
certain kinds of learning because their brains have difficulty
'processing' certain kinds of information. It is like when you go
on a car trip and get stuck in road construction. It takes you a
lot longer to get where you are going. Its the same with
information going through your brain.
Information gets 'bogged down' in certain
areas of an LD brain. When information gets bogged down, it is
much more difficult to learn.
Different kinds of information travel through
different parts of the brain. That's why some information is
learned quickly and easily while other information is much more
difficult.
What learning areas are affected?
A learning disability can affect:
Basic Reading
Reading Comprehension
Math Calculation
Math Reasoning
Written Expression
Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Why do LD students get 'Special Education'
help?
Each State has rules about who can
receive special education services. Because these services are
very expensive you have to 'qualify' according to the rules of the
State.
For special education services you have
to prove that your learning difficulty is caused by the way your
brain processes information. You also have to prove that your
processing difficulty causes a 'severe discrepancy' between what
you should be able to learn (how smart you are) and how much you
have learned (your achievement). You are given special tests to
find out if you qualify for special education services.
NOTE: It is possible for a student to
'technically' have a learning disability but not to 'qualify' for special
education services. This happens when a student demonstrates the
information processing difficulties associated with a learning disability but his
or her academic skills are not found to be 'severely discrepant'
from their ability. This may indicate that the student has learned
how to 'compensate for' or 'cope' with his/her learning disability at least to some
extent.
Are all students with learning disabilities
alike?
No. But many students with learning disabilities
experience very similar processing and learning difficulties. And
all learning disabled students get frustrated in school.
Do LD students ever 'get over' their learning
disabilities?
A true learning disability never goes
away. But, with understanding and effort you can learn to use your
many strengths to 'compensate' for your weaker processing skills.
You may also be able to strengthen your weak processing skills so
that your learning difficulties are not so severe. Many people with learning disabilities are highly creative and 'gifted' in many ways.
Even many famous and very successful people have learning
disabilities.
Is a learning disability the same as
Dyslexia?
Dyslexia
is simply a fancy word for a disorder that involves reading.
Other similar terms include Dysgraphia
(writing disorder) and Dyscalculia
(math disorder).
.GIF)
Professionals - Check out the NEW totally online LDinfo Apps - nothing to download or install! 