"I think parents and educators sometimes know there is
something wrong with their children and/or students, but they can't tell
you
WHAT is wrong."  

This is the crux of the problem for me. I am trained as an elementary
school teacher which means I got approximately 3 credit hours of special
education training which is required for regular education teachers in
CT where I was certified. I seriously doubt this qualifies me to
diagnose the adult learners I interact with every day as a reading
teacher. I know something is wrong but I don't know what it is. I know
something about providing instructional accommodations but I'm doing
that to the best of my ability with a limited knowledge base. The other
difficulty I've found, at least in Maryland, is that there is a shortage
of services for adults with learning disabilities as the main focus
appears to be on children. I'm curious to learn how others face this
challenge and overcome it. 

Kim Bellerive
Assistant Director 
Adult Literacy and ESOL Program
Greater Homewood Community Corporation
3501 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218 
Phone 410-261-3518
Fax 410-261-3506

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODS IN NORTH CENTRAL BALTIMORE
www.greaterhomewood.org



-----Original Message-----
From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Katherine G
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 9:54 PM
To: The Learning Disabilities Discussion List
Subject: [LearningDisabilities 1502] Re: IQ and LD

Hi Arlyn--

Let me clarify, because I think we are talking about two different
things.
When my daughters got the psychological evaluations, I was told that
kids
with LD often had average or above average intelligence.  That's not in
the
VA description, however (which I just looked up out of curiosity).  So
there
may be some confusion on my part between the psych descriptions and the
academic descriptions.  I think this is probably common since many
parents
must get their children evaluated outside of school (via a psychiatrist)
before the school will test them for learning disabilities.  At least,
this
has been my experience in this state.

Let me also say I'm not an expert in this field. I'm a parent who also
works
in education, and I am hoping to learn more via these lists (which have
been
exceedingly helpful).  I think parents and educators sometimes know
there is
something wrong with their children and/or students, but they can't tell
you
WHAT is wrong.  That's where the diagnosing and early intervention
become so
important--so we are not allowing children to graduate without knowing
they
have a learning disability that might affect them in the future even if
it
didn't in the past.

Does any of that make sense?  : )

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt





-----Original Message-----
From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Arlyn Roffman
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 9:15 PM
To: The Learning Disabilities Discussion List
Subject: [LearningDisabilities 1496] IQ and LD


Hi Katherine-

IDEA 2004 describes LD as ... a disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language,
spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to
listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mathematical
calculations.

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities definition is ....
LD is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders
manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of
listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical
abilities.
These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to
central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span.
Problems in self-regulatory behaviors, social perception, and social
interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not, by
themselves,
constitute a learning disability.Although learning disabilities may
occur
concomitantly with other disabilities (e.g., sensory impairment, mental
retardation, serious emotional disturbance), or with extrinsic
influences
(such as cultural differences, insufficient or inappropriate
instruction),
they are not the result of those conditions or influences.



What does the state of Virginia say?
Arlyn


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Email delivered to kbellerive at greaterhomewood.org