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The Foreign Language Teacher's Guide to Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia
- Problems with any task in which reading is an essential component
- Examples: reading texts, articles, exams, notes
Dysgraphia
- Difficulty with the physical act of writing
Dyscalculia
- Difficulty with calculations
- Difficulty with rapid processing of math facts
Language deficit
- Difficulty articulating words
- Difficulty recalling words to express feelings or events
- Difficulty communicating similarities and differences
- Difficulty distinguishing past, present, and future forms of verbs
Visual perception
- Difficulty taking in information through the sense of sight
- Difficulty processing information
- Trouble seeing a specific object within a complete background
- Example: Picking a line out of a book
- Trouble seeing the difference between two objects
- Trouble seeing how far away or how close an object might be
- Difficulty filling in computerized exam forms
- Difficulty copying information from the board
Auditory deficits
- Difficulty taking in information through the sense of hearing
- Difficulty processing information
- Difficulty discriminating similar sounds
- Difficulty relating to listening and to remembering verbal instructions
- Trouble hearing sounds over background noise
- Fatigue when trying to listen to a talk or a lecture
- Difficulty hearing sounds in the correct order
- Problems taking phone messages
ADD
- Six or more symptoms:
- Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or activities
- Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities
- Often does not seem to listen when spoken to
- Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or other duties
- Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
- Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in a task requiring sustained mental effort
- Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities
- Is easily distracted by external stimuli
- If often forgetful in daily activities
ADHD
- Six or more symptoms
- Often fidgets with hands/feet or squirms in seat
- Often leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected
- Often runs/climbs excessively in situations in which inappropriate
- Often has difficulty playing/engaging in leisure activities quietly
- Is often on the go or oftens acts as if driven by a motor
- Often talks excessively
- Often blurts out the answer before questions have been completed
- Often has difficulty awaiting turn
- Often interrupts or intrudes on others
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© Sonja Moore, Virginia Commonwealth University. Updated May 1997.