Learning Disability is a brain based disorder that affects the way in which one acquire, processes and stores new information for later retrieval. This disorder can have many different presentations and may result from a variety of general medical, neurologic, psychiatric or genetic conditions. Dr.Smith will present the physiological processes underlying learning and memory and the pathologic basis for disorders affecting learning and memory.

Dr.Smith will also discuss the factors that puts one at risk for a learning disorder, common neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders that affect learning and discuss an approach to diagnosis and treatment. In addition, some of the genetic syndromes that are associated with learning disorders will be discussed and briefly touch on ongoing research and clinical trials that are being pursued.

This session will look at 31 characteristics which are indicators of maths learning difficties/dyscalculia, for example, an inability to memorise all the basic multiplication facts. The session will consider relevant research, the implcations of each characteristic, some teaching ideas and the role of anxiety and motivation.
These characteristics are an aid to diagnosis and intervention in that they identify key requisites for learning maths. The underlying principles and pedagogy would apply to any subject that a child with specific learning difficulties may meet.
This session is aimed at anyone who has an interest in why children, and adults, fail to understand and learn maths

What Is Dyslexia? Are the characteristics the same regardless of age? Can dyslexia be diagnosed before children are learning to read? Are some instructional approaches more effective than others for teaching reading, spelling and written expression to people with dyslexia? Can adults with dyslexia be taught to read and write?

One essential concept underlying dyslexia is unexpected underachievement, difficulty or inability to master an academic skill generally expected of others with similar aptitude and adequate opportunity to learn. Academic achievement and cognitive processing strengths and weaknesses must be considered in conjunction with the analysis of the quality and patterns of errors that occur at different ages and developmental levels. While individuals may differ in the severity and extent of their dyslexia, there are sufficient criteria to make dyslexia a clearly identifiable syndrome. Thus, it is a term useful to teachers, psychologists and others involved in education, because it calls for specific kinds of instructional approaches.

Dyslexia is more common than any other kind of learning disability and it responds to expert, informed instruction. Training teachers to deliver this effective instruction remains our greatest challenge.

Remedial teaching approaches to meet the needs of a learning disabled student can be addressed as a clinical or therapy approach. The teacher’s role is to tailor the learning experiences to meet the needs of the particular Learning disabled student.

The flexibility of the teacher to modify as new needs become apparent is very important. The approach needs to facilitate ways to test-teach-test process. The method should not be a rigid, one instructional system. A flexible approach, that focuses on what can the student do and what needs modification, is one that can be used in a mainstream, a resource room special education or in one-to-one tutoring. The tactics involved should be used with many different learning strategies or instructional methods.