Most children ENJOY doing what they LOVE. However, it’s not easy when a child is asked to work on an unpreferred task. This can be especially difficult if a child has a learning disability.
It’s important for teachers to educate themselves about different student learning needs and learning disabilities so that they can differentiate their approach and lessons appropriately. For example, a student with dyslexia requires different types of support and scaffolding than a child who has autism. Even this is too general as every child and their diagnosis is unique to them.
This might be a lot for you to do and you may not have time for it. So to help, the following strategies will help you engage not only your students with learning disabilities but everyone in your class.
Actionable Steps:
#1. Find Understanding
Give your students a variety of tasks and watch them closely as they complete it. Look at what comes easy to them and what they’re struggling with. Assess how they complete each assignment to gauge their learning style. If it’s possible, have a conversation with the child and check in with them about these points directly so that you can compare your observations to what they mention.
This will allow you to differentiate lessons to meet their needs.
#2. Use Chunking
Break assignments up into the smallest bits. Once a child has completed it, then have them move on to the next step. This is less overwhelming for students and it allows them to process their learning at a reasonable pace.
#3. Enjoy Playing
It doesn’t matter what age a child is, kids love playing. So, take the concepts that your student is having a difficult time with and turn into a quick game. This doesn’t have to keep you up at night. It can be as easy as a brain break. I make little ones jump when learning to count and I’ve had adult students dance to learn new terms.
#4. Give Agency
Give your students a choice over what aspect of the lesson they can work on. If it’s a necessity for them to work on all aspects of it, perhaps they can choose how they showcase their learning to you or the kind of break they can have upon completion of their task.
If you don’t have a sensory room, you can create one on a small budget with these FREE resource from my FREEBIE LIBRARY:
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- The importance of finding different ways to help children who have learning disabilities.
- Four simple ways for motivating students with learning disabilities: find understanding, use chunking, enjoy playing, and give agency.
Free Resources:
If your children are struggling to hand in assignments on time, check out the following video training: 3 Steps to Teach Children How to Overcome Procrastination to Increase Productivity.
Next Steps:
For calm down areas on a budget, for your students who have autism, CLICK HERE.
You’re welcome to join us inside ADHD and Autism Self Regulation by CLICKING HERE or on the fallowing image.
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
