Learning Disorders Within the Classroom: How Do Teachers Fit In?

            Education is an integral part of this constantly evolving society. The foundations built through education help shape and push students to their fullest potentials. Classrooms are the epicenter for learning and enduring new challenges, challenges that may be troublesome for some. Students walk or log onto these classrooms every day, but it is hard to see exactly what progress they have made and how to push them further. Every student may appear the same; however, every student is an individual with different learning curves and methods. Teachers have so much to focus on, that some students may end up falling through the cracks they are not aware about. Research done over the past couple decades has shown that there are many learning disorders that hide themselves from the people who have them. The specific disorders that will be outline throughout this paper are dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and auditory processing disorders. Knowledge on these learning disorders, and many others, can significantly improve overall retention and understanding in the classroom. It is the teacher’s responsibility to create an environment where all students can learn.

            Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that appears heavily when dealing with arithmetic or any mathematics. This disorder is very similar to dyslexia, which appears heavily in literature or anything having to do with extensive readings, and so on; however, this specific disorders targets confusion on basic arithmetic functions: addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. dyscalculia can also be a hindrance when dealing with mathematical problems or text relating to math. Symbols and numbers are scrambled for the person viewing them, preventing them from solving the problem that is in front of them. For reference, dyslexia are a common learning disorder that centers around the student’s inability to differentiate between letters in bodies of texts. Dyscalculia and dyslexia both deal with sight and the confusion that manifests when reading extensively. Regardless of complexity of the given math sequence or problem, dyscalculia can affect the way people view and solve the problem. This is not a disorder that gets grown out of, it affects many adults in their careers as well as personal lives. Seeing as though this disorder can present itself the same way dyslexia does, children who suffer without knowing it will then have it carry on in their future.

There is not much awareness on the existence of dyscalculia, leaving many to go undiagnosed due to inability to identify the symptoms. These symptoms can vary depending the person, but these are some of the common symptoms: difficulty to count backwards, poor sense of estimation, addition tends to be the default operation, high levels of mathematical anxiety, and the list goes on. Many of the symptoms get easily brushed off as just “being bad at math”, prompting students from just glancing over these issues when dealing with math. Students will overlook these symptoms and just settle with poor grades in their math class, teachers will then continue to wonder why it is that student repeatedly does poorly; diagnosing dyscalculia consists of an exam with a cutoff score to better assess what issues the specific person is having. The cost of these exams can skyrocket, prompting students to look elsewhere or even turn a blind eye to how bad they are struggling. It is important to increase awareness of this disorder because it inhibits basic functions of math, progressively worsening the student’s understanding of arithmetic; “People don’t outgrow dyscalculia. Kids who have a hard time with math may continue to struggle with it as adults.” (Understood) Daily task such as shopping, grocery store runs, and bill paying become harder for someone who has dyscalculia. There has been plenty of innovation in broadening the parameters of diagnosing dyscalculia, using a student’s work within the classroom, and asking them direct questions to better assess that student’s understanding of mathematical concepts.

Within the classroom setting, there are many signs to look out for. As a child moves on through grades, an important sign to pay attention to is if the student still uses their hands to count or solve basic arithmetic. This is often a sign that the student cannot visualize or do basic math problems in their head, they need to visually see the numbers and the effect that goes on with the different operations. Another sign to look out for in the classroom is understanding of the different mathematic relationships: communitive, associative, distributive, and identity properties.  Specifically, the teacher can learn a lot about their student through their understanding and execution of the communitive property. Students with dyscalculia will have a hard time understanding that order does not matter, leading to further trouble down the line as the math progresses in complexity. One last sign to look out for in the classroom is if a student has poor time management. This could be the student appearing consistently late, losing track of time when working on assignments, or clumsiness. Poor time management is a huge giveaway when identifying dyscalculia, students with this learning disorder may run into challenges when determining how long it will take to do something. There are many other smaller tells at when a student may be struggling with dyscalculia, but these are very important signs that a teacher or classroom facilitator should keep an eye out for.

Students are conditioned to listen to extensive amounts of information and trusted that they will retain all the information spoken to them. The reality of this is quite shocking, many students do not retain the information they hear. An auditory processing disorder (APD) relates to the brain’s ability to filter and interpret sounds and voices. People with Auditory Processing Disorders can hear normally; however, their brains have trouble organizing verbal information as well as receiving and processing those sounds. Although there is a great deal of awareness on this disorder, there is a great deal of controversy that surrounds diagnosis and treatment. Many of the symptoms for this disorder overlap with ADHD/ADD, making the distinction between the two a bit tough. Students may find it incredibly hard to stay focused and engaged when they are being spoken to, they cannot determine what is important to remember so they choose to zone out completely.  It may not be voluntary for the student to zone out, they may be overly stimulating and cannot figure out what specifics are important. Trouble to follow directions is another symptom that is extremely common within people who have auditory processing disorders. This specific symptom can be a huge issue within the classroom, it prevents the student from getting the most out of lesson activities as well as doing well on assignments. Students are unable to decipher the information around them, making it hard to perform well or even retain basic information. The testing for this disorder spans over different mediums of tests in specific area fields: auditory discrimination, processing, attention, and memory to name a few. Seeing as there is a major overlap with ADHD/ADD, there are times where people are misdiagnosed. Misdiagnoses are very common and lead to more issues within a person’s comprehension of the world around them, it inhibits them from knowing the barriers they have when learning new things or simply existing.

         Auditory processing disorders may vary in appearance within the classroom, every individual is different. Signs from doodling on worksheets and daydreaming about random things can be signs that the student is not engaged in the lesson being given, they are trying to figure out how to listen and absorb that information best. Teachers should be wary of how long their lessons or how long they speak during the class period, seeing as though students may have a hard time keeping up. Throw in examples or visual aspects to make sure your class is properly engaged throughout and after the lesson. Although this disorder at large cannot solely be treated by the teacher in the classroom, some schools offer specialized programs for students that may be struggling with various disorders taught by coordinators who are properly equipped in teaching those students. Teachers can incorporate shortening lesson time and emphasizing activities in their classrooms to better assist students who may not even be aware that their struggling stems from different disorders. Allowing for a space in the classroom where the student can feel understood and choose different mediums of learning that works best for them is extremely powerful.

            One last learning disorder that is important to bring up is dysgraphia. Dysgraphia is a learning disorder that appears in written expression, this in specifics is about spelling and issues with putting thoughts on paper. It can be extremely hard for people with this learning disorder to tune in all their thoughts and put them down somewhere, this is due to their inability to transcribe their thoughts or narrow down what is going on in their mind. They are completely comfortable with verbally expressing their thoughts but are lost when it comes to writing them down. The initial signs of this typically appear when a child is first learning how to communicate through writing, learning how to do so, and carry on into their later years. Poor handwriting as well as minor or major spelling errors are also common in people who have dysgraphia. In many cases, students that may have dysgraphia tend to be avid participators in conversation but have poor reception in written communication. Along with poor written communication skills, they may lack in grammar, order their words incorrectly, and mix up verbs. This is a common theme that appears when a student is having a struggle in the classroom; similar to how educators may brush off a student’s struggle with math, as evident with students who have dyscalculia. Teachers may be quick to gloss over these students as just having a bad time with English as a language, but dysgraphia has nothing to do with the understanding of the language; this disorder shifts and disorganizes the student’s mind regardless of language.

            Diagnosis for Dysgraphia is like the diagnosis process for dyslexia, there is an extensive background check of the person’s education history as well diagnostic test of spelling and writing strengths/weaknesses. These tests rely heavily on the person’s ability to put their thoughts down in writing as well as verbally communicate their thoughts to then compare complexity and similarities. Tutoring and other services that aid in Dysgraphia treatment are available, although cost and accessibility may vary. It is important to take advantage of these tutoring programs because it helps reinforce the principles and information that the educators are trying to show in the classroom. These disorders are still coming into the spotlight a bit too slowly, that and awareness is starting to grow a bit more. In the classroom, teachers should circle around their classrooms to see how their students find any prompts and extensive writing pieces. There are often where students will sit and doze off due to their inability to understand the assignment or the information being presented to them. A good way to figure out where a student is within the classroom is by checking in verbally and allowing the student to air out their misunderstandings.

             There are many ways to pick up and recognize students struggling with learning disorders within their respective classrooms. Excessive absences, low self-esteem and confidence in the classroom, major test anxiety, or s poor time management are all red alerts for students who may be struggling with learning disorders. Teachers are taught to instruct and educate their students based off the curriculums given to them by school officials or school districts, there isn’t a whole lot of leeway for teachers to take full control of their classrooms. As of now, more teachers have learned that what is a part of the curriculum is not always the best and effective way to present learning materials. It is important for teachers to get to know their students and what methods of teaching truly works, student reception is an integral part of an effective classroom environment.

            Many assistive technologies exist and are very effective in making sure that students are engaged, no matter the disorder. Computer assisted instruction is one of the many assistive devices that can be implemented more into the classroom, this can help assist students on previous areas that have been troubling them without so much reinforcement from the teacher; this can be an asynchronous activity. Specifically for auditory processing disorders, speech to text softwares can truly be a game changer for students who struggle with keeping up in the classroom. Teachers should also make sure that there are worksheets or reference pages full of the important pieces of information that are verbally given during lessons, this may be tedious, but it really does help students who have a hard time retaining verbal information. Educators can also emphasize information by repeating themselves. According to the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training, “Repetition is important for student with a learning disability. Wherever possible ensure that key statements and instructions are repeated or highlighted in some way.” There is so much math to better assist students with dyscalculia; Mindomo is a visual tool that helps students put their thoughts and brainstorm in ways that are easy to comprehend, it is excellent when generating ideas for big assignments or even organizing notes for future reference. There are so many other resources and devices that teachers and schools can further incorporate into their curriculum, they must research and experiment.

            Overall, learning disorders within the classroom are important to keep in mind as an educator. Students themselves may not be aware that this is what is preventing them from getting the most out of lessons and assignments, the reason they may keep doing poorly. It is the educator’s job to make sure that they are considering the severity and effects of these disorders and incorporate a universal way of teaching if present within their respective classrooms. An educator’s goal a being effective in their field is acknowledge and working with a student’s shortcoming, helping them improve and learn as much as they can. Those are the types of relationships to foster in a classroom. Assistive technologies are such an excellent and helpful resource to help students better the skills they are lacking in without ostracizing the student. It is important to reinforce and build on knowledge of various learning disorders to improve retention and understanding in the classroom.

Works Cited

1. “Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities.” LD@School, 4 May 2018, https://www.ldatschool.ca/assistive-technology/.
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4. Jacobson, Rae. “Tips for Recognizing Learning Disorders in the Classroom.” Child Mind Institute, 19 Aug. 2021, https://childmind.org/article/recognizing-learning-disorders-in-the-classroom/.
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7. “What Is Dyscalculia?” Understood, Understood, 15 Oct. 2021, https://www.understood.org/articles/en/what-is-dyscalculia.
8. “What Is Dysgraphia?” DSF, https://dsf.net.au/learning-difficulties/dysgraphia/what-is-dysgraphia#:~:text=also%20have%20Dyslexia.-,Dysgraphia%20can%20appear%20as%20difficulties%20with%20spelling%20and%2For%20trouble,help%20prevent%20or%20reduce%20problems.
9. “5 Most Common Learning Disabilities.” Masters in Special Education Degree Program Guide |, 18 Mar. 2021, https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/lists/5-most-common-learning-disabilities/.