Working with Learning Disabilities

After the readings in class and from working consistantly with a friend who suffers from ADD and dyslexia, I've come to my own conclusion:

The best way to work with clients is to pay close attention to their responses, and adapt your communication towards them based on this. By adapting yourself to each client you are able to take a middle road, one that allows the student to learn while you guide. You will be able to understand if you need to work slower with one student, or spend more time on a certain aspect.

If a student seems hesitant reading their paper don't insist on it, read for them. My friend told me herself she felt self-conscious reading out loud, even towards me, and refused to do it. These students may feel discouraged in general and may be shy when working with their writing.

When you ask a question, the student may have trouble finding the right words or physcially writing words down. Write down what they say vocally. This gives them a chance to use their own words instead of you suggesting words for them. Neff suggests this and I think it is a great idea. The student can see their ideas written down, something they may have trouble with.

If you see a type of grammatical error prevelant throughout the entire paper, point out one example of the error and help the student notice the others themselves. When I work with my friend on her assingments, I find she often wants me to tell her if its "good" or "bad". She wants to concentrate on grammar more than content. As I help her edit her paper I constatnly explain to her over and over why she can't use a run-on sentence. I've slowly taught her how to recognize a run-on sentence, although she still uses them sometimes. I've seen an improvement in her writing, and she was excited to find out she can actually schedule appointments with me now at the Writing Center.

These small adjustments in communication help you work well with students who may suffer from learning disorders. As clients we must be aware every student is different. We must be able to adjust ourselves with our clients by personally paying attention to the details of their paper as well as the student's communication.