This is an awareness speech for Learning Disabilities Theory 1 Introduction to Basics of Education and Psychology 2 Introduction to Childhood Disorders 3 Learning Disabilities-An Overview 4 Assessment of Learning Disabilities 5 Remediation of Learning Disabilities 6 Educational Support Services for children with Learning Disabilities Practical 1 Assessment of Academic Skills 2 Remediation of Learning Disabilities 3 Preparation of Teaching Aids 4 Case Report 5 Internship 6 Viva voce After completing the course we were given the topic to a presentation skill test.And the topic presented differently.The following is my presentation appreciated by the Speech and Language Pathologist.Please check it and call me if I have to clarify any doubt. Learning Disabilities Learning is the process by which the individual acquires various habits,knowledge and attitudes that are necessary to meet the demands of life.In other words, learning means modifying and changing one's behaviour to achieve a particular goal.For this purpose,researchers and educationist try to put their maximum effort to make a fruitful school curriculam and to reform it according to the time and needs. Learning Disabilities or Scholastic backwardness is the problem of children with poor performance in regular schools. There is a general standard that each child should attain in a particular class. If the child is not coming to this level or not coping with studies, we should suspect that the child may be facing any learning problems.Detaining in the same class is not a proper way.We should check whether its problem started from the beginning or recent in on set. And, find out the reason for scholastic backwardness as mental retardation or Specific Learning Disabilities.The teacher can direct the parents with the need of a diagnosis for the child.This diagnosis or assessment is done by a multi disciplinary team including clinical Psychologists,Peadiatrition.Psychiatrist, Special Educators and Speech and Language Pathologist. The causes for the learning problems can be divided into two,ie,causes within the child and causes in the environment. Causes in the child 1. Physical cause; sensory impirement due to visaual and hearing defects can bring down the performance.The child having subnormal eye-sight will struggle to copy from black board.Hearing impired children cannot understand that others say and prevent to speech devolopment.If these sensory deficits are unable to be rectified the children with these problems can study in Special Schools. Nutritional Deficiencies,suizure disorders and epilepsy can damage the brain and may cause Learning Disabilities. 2. Mental Retardation {MR} Another reason for scholastic backwardness is mental retardation.If the child's Intelligence Quotient is below average or below normal, it shows inadequate development of brain.Overall delay in growth milestones is a clue for mental retardation 3. Specific Learning Disabilities or Dyslexia.It is characterised by significant delays in one or more areas{Linguistic Intelligence and Mathematical Intelligence Areas} of learning process in a child with normal or above normal Intelligence Quotient and normal sensory organs.These children are strugling hard with malfunctioning of brain nerves' connection's.Acquisition and use of skills of Reading,Writing,Spelling or Language and Arithmetic or logic may be difficult.Some children may have only one of these areas involved and some other may have several learning problems. To find out the learning disabilities,Two types of IQ Assessment are given.ie,Potential IQ and Performance IQ test if the potential IQ is higher than performance IQ,the discrepancy is the learning disability.IQ is calculated by mental age divided by chronological age and multiplied by hundred .ie,%{MA/CA} By taking the strngth of a school, 10-15 % of children are dyslexic with various degrees.Mild forms are more common than severe forms.Boys are affected more severe than girls due to certain genes on the X chromosome. Learning Disability can lead to secondary emotional disorders as anxiety or poor motivation.These disorders can be irradicated by teaching the children with difficulties in the right way. 4. Another cause for learning disabilities is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder {ADHD}.The children having ADHD exhibit hyperactivity,Destructivity and lack of concentration in studies.These are the result of dysfunction of brain due to some chemicals formed in the brain.Medication and behaviour modification can solve this situation. 5. Conduct disorders are different from ADHD and the problems related to brain are not the cause for this.The children having these disorders exhibit anti social behaviour and troublesome for others like disobedience,violence,lying,stealing,use vulgour language braking of home rules addiction to smoke and drugs etc.... These kinds of children also need psychiatric treatment Causes in the Environment Environment of a child starts from its family.Environmental disorders can cause learning disabilities.All the children like peaceful life and they wish their parents to love them.They are unable to understand why the parents are shouting and blaming.So the parents should try to solve the problems without knowing the child. Poor environment or inadequate social stimulation is another reason for Learning Disabilities. If school inputs and home inputs are inadequate for academic skills, increased interest in extra-curricular activities, peer pressure,over expectation of parents or teachers,frequent change of schools or medium of instruction are other environment causes for learning disabilities NORMAL CURVE 2%Mental Retardation 7%Borderline 16%Dull Normal 50%Average 16%Bright normal 7%Superior 2%Gifted DISTRIBUTION OF INTELLIGENCE 130+ Very Superior or Gifted 120-129 Superior 110-119 Bright Normal or Above Average 90-109 Average or Normal 80-89 Dull Normal 70-79 Borderline 50-69 Mild Retardation 35-49 Moderate 20-34 Severe Below 20 Profound TYPES OF INTELLIGENCES Howard Gardner explained 8 types of intelligences. 1.Linguistic Intelligence 2.Musical Intelligence 3.Mathematical or Logical Intelligence 4.Bordily/Kinesthetic Intelligence 5.Interpersonal Intelligence 6.Intrapersonal Intelligence 7.Spatial Intelligence 8.Naturalist Intelligence 9.Existential Intelligence