What is a "Learning Disability"?
On January 30, 2002 the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada adopted an official
definition of "Learning Disabilities".
"Learning Disabilities" refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition,
organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These
disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average
abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning.
Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to
perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to:
language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing
speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g. planning and decisionmaking).
Learning disabilities range in severity and may interfere with the acquisition and use of
one or more of the following:
Learning disabilities may also involve difficulties with organizational skills, social
perception, social interaction and perspective taking.
Learning disabilities are lifelong.
For success, individuals with learning disabilities require early identification and timely
specialized assessments and interventions involving home, school, community and
workplace settings. The interventions need to be appropriate for each individual's
learning disability sub-type and, at a minimum, include the provision of:
(Source - www.peicod.pe.ca/definition-ld.htm)
MODIFICATIONS VS. ACCOMMODATIONS
Modifications are changes in the curriculum expectations based on the needs of the
student. An example is when a student is in Grade 11 but is being assessed on Grade 9
curriculum expectations. At present, Modified programs are only offered at Century and
Western Secondary Schools.
Accommodations are strategies used to assist the student but do not change the
curriculum expectations of the grade level you are teaching. For example, a student is in
Grade 9 but struggles with completing tests in the same time frame as the rest of the class
– you are providing Accommodations by giving him a longer time to write the test. He is still
being assessed on the same concepts and material as the rest of the class.
On January 30, 2002 the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada adopted an official
definition of "Learning Disabilities".
"Learning Disabilities" refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition,
organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These
disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average
abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning.
Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to
perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to:
language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing
speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g. planning and decisionmaking).
Learning disabilities range in severity and may interfere with the acquisition and use of
one or more of the following:
- oral language (e.g. listening, speaking, understanding);
- reading (e.g. decoding, phonetic knowledge, word recognition, comprehension);
- written language (e.g. spelling and written expression); and
- mathematics (e.g. computation, problem solving).
Learning disabilities may also involve difficulties with organizational skills, social
perception, social interaction and perspective taking.
Learning disabilities are lifelong.
For success, individuals with learning disabilities require early identification and timely
specialized assessments and interventions involving home, school, community and
workplace settings. The interventions need to be appropriate for each individual's
learning disability sub-type and, at a minimum, include the provision of:
- specific skill instruction;
- accommodations;
- compensatory strategies; and
- self-advocacy skills.
(Source - www.peicod.pe.ca/definition-ld.htm)
MODIFICATIONS VS. ACCOMMODATIONS
Modifications are changes in the curriculum expectations based on the needs of the
student. An example is when a student is in Grade 11 but is being assessed on Grade 9
curriculum expectations. At present, Modified programs are only offered at Century and
Western Secondary Schools.
Accommodations are strategies used to assist the student but do not change the
curriculum expectations of the grade level you are teaching. For example, a student is in
Grade 9 but struggles with completing tests in the same time frame as the rest of the class
– you are providing Accommodations by giving him a longer time to write the test. He is still
being assessed on the same concepts and material as the rest of the class.