[ Music ]
Narrator: There's no way you can pick them out of a crowd.
People with learning disabilities blend right in.
Sometimes, they don't even know.
Kristin: I always struggled academically,
since I can remember, since first grade.
And so I pretty much had convinced myself in my mind
that school was really difficult for me,
and that's just the way it was.
Narrator: Learning disabilities are invisible disabilities.
A child may struggle with schoolwork for years before
being diagnosed, years in which people don't understand why she
"just doesn't get it."
Kristin: Most of my friends could
study for about half an hour and get As.
And I would study for, you know, in the beginning of the school
year I'd study maybe for four hours and still get a D.
Narrator: Kristin, who will soon return to school
for a graduate degree, didn't know she had dyslexia until college.
The first step is diagnosis.
When academic achievement is significantly
below intellectual ability, the cause
may be a learning disability.
Chris, a high school student with dyslexia and dysgraphia,
was diagnosed in grade school.
Chris: I didn't really find out until second grade,
when my mom started making me go to all these places where they
made me do tests for, like, hours and hours.
And that kind of got me really bored,
but then I finally noticed after they started telling me
that I had slight problems in certain areas
like reading or writing.
Narrator: There are various types of learning disabilities,
and they affect individuals in different ways.
What they all have in common is that they
affect the way the brain processes information.
Lyla: I think what it means to have a learning disability
is that the students in some way are having
their processing interrupted.
So they're not able to maybe assimilate information
as easily as other students, and then again they're not able
to express it as easily as other students.
So even though they're trying very hard,
their ideas may not get across as well as other students.
Narrator: Or they may not be able to take in the information
effectively in the first place.
Chris: Sometimes I, like, will read a line,
and then I'll start on the next line, and halfway through it,
I'll jump up to that same line I've already read and keep
reading the same sentence over again.
Which gets annoying.
And sometimes, like, words change places
or go upside down, and it makes it kind of hard in that sense.
Narrator: Learning disabilities can appear in any one or more
of these four categories:
Spoken language – listening and speaking;
Written language – reading, writing, and spelling;
Arithmetic – calculation and concepts;
Reasoning – organization and integration of ideas.
Individuals may be affected in more than one category.
Within those categories, there are specific types
of learning disabilities.
For example:
People with dysgraphia may have difficulty
forming letters and words, as well as
producing legible handwriting.
Those who have dyscalculia find it
difficult to understand and use math concepts and symbols.
With dyspraxia, language comprehension
does not match production.
A person with dyspraxia may mix up words and sentences
while talking.
Someone with dyslexia may mix up letters within words,
and words within sentences, while reading.
This person may also have poor spelling skills.
Kristin: The way that a learning disability
affects each individual and their learning style is different.
For example, in my situation, my learning disability
really affects my reading comprehension.
And I really have high math skills, or I did,
when I practiced.
But for others, math is really difficult for them,
and their reading comprehension is up to par.
Chris: Imagine like you're sleeping,
you're getting really sleepy, and you're reading a book;
you start to–your eyes start to wander on the page,
and you start seeing things moving; you read the same line.
Well, it's about the same thing, except that I'm wide awake.
Lyla: They can have problems reading,
they can have problems with auditory information,
maybe they only hear every five words that you're saying,
instead of every word; and we have some students that process
every word singly as they hear it,
instead of the entire sentence or the concept.
And then we have other students who can take in information
just fine, but they're not able to get it back out.
Narrator: People can develop strategies
to compensate for the effects of learning disabilities.
Computer technology has played a vital role
in helping people achieve academic and career success.
Taking more time to study, outlining my textbooks;
using a word processor, spell check, grammar check.
Chris: When writing papers, I can use my NaturallySpeaking
program, which allows me to talk into a computer and it will
write what I say, 'cause I have problems–my handwriting's
really bad and sloppy.
Narrator: It takes time to choose hardware and software,
to get the right fit for each person.
But generally, these accommodations
are not expensive.
Lyla: A lot of the software they?re using comes standard
with the computer now.
Spell check and grammar check are often built right
into the program, or they come with programs;
when you buy your dictionary, they're already in there.
Narrator: We'll show you some of the computing tools that
people with learning disabilities have found effective.
Again, these are some of the possibilities;
you may find something else that works best for you.
Many people with dyslexia use only standard built-in word processing features.
Spell checking, grammar checking,
and the ability to change font size and color are all that's needed.
Those tools allow the student to stay focused on what she's writing,
instead of bogging down in spelling errors.
Lindsay: I think that for people with disabilities
computers are really useful because they have spell check
and grammar check and you can use those for writing an essay
and you don't need to take more time consulting a dictionary.
Narrator: Finally, many word processing programs
include options for color-coded text or outlining capabilities.
These are useful for people who have
difficulty sorting and sequencing thoughts and ideas.
Reading systems are useful for people
who understand things better through listening
than through reading.
For them, speech output is effective.
Software allows the computer to read aloud text, email,
or Web pages?basically, anything on your computer.
Adding a scanner gives access to printed text.
Crystal: When I have to, like, read books,
I just scan those so they can read the books to me so I don't
have to spend 2 hours reading one page or something.
Narrator: A scanner converts printed text into a format
that the computer recognizes.
Then the computer reads the information aloud,
at the same time that the words appear on the screen.
Screen reader: A tall fellow in a Batman costume
comes soaring out of the winter sky...
Narrator: Reading systems may include options
for using contrasting colors to highlight words,
or to make the words bigger on the screen.
Screen reader: The second tier?
Narrator: Concept mapping software
offers visual representation of ideas and concepts, which
helps people who have difficulty organizing and integrating
thoughts while writing.
Kristin: Writing is one of my strengths,
but it does take me some time to get my thoughts together.
Narrator: With concept mapping, ideas can be linked,
rearranged, and color coded.
Concept maps can then be turned into a traditional text outline.
This can be used to start and organize
a variety of writing projects,
including poetry, term papers, resumes, or schedules.
Word prediction software is helpful for people
who are poor spellers.
It prompts users with
a list of most likely word choices, based on what
has been typed so far.
The person using the program can refer to the list,
choose a word, and continue writing.
Speech output is often combined with word prediction.
Chris: Most peoples' lives...
Narrator: Speech recognition software allows
people to dictate into their computers.
They may use this for email, Web browsing, or word processing.
Chris: It helps me write. I can think and write faster
and don't have that problem where I'll have that thought
and it will go away.
Dan: It requires a significant amount of training and practice.
Narrator: The person using this software speaks into a microphone.
The user has to have fairly good reading comprehension
to use this effectively, because you have
to correct some of the words.
Dan: Scratch that.
Narrator: The computer doesn't always recognize exactly what
you meant.
David: It sometimes doesn't translate words quite right.
My favorite one was one of the first papers I wrote on;
it was on space.
And it translated "cosmonaut"
to "cow snot."
Narrator: Other technology-related products include:
Talking calculators
Phonetic spellers and
Electronic organizers
And don't forget the low tech tools.
Post-it notes, highlighter pens, and Daytimer notes
can be effective in organizing tasks and ideas.
They can be used in combination with computer-based tools.
Whatever you choose, the most effective strategies
are the ones you develop yourself.
Kristin: I have to just write everything down;
I have to be really organized; I have a Daytimer which I kind
of live out of; and I just have to keep organized and on top
of things, and be in regular communication with the people I
work with to make sure that I understand the project
correctly and that I'm working up to the expectations that I...
that are expected of me.