Deck 5: Understanding Learning Disabilities: Definitions, Characteristics, and Challenges

Question 1

In 1963 Samuel Kirk proposed the use of the term "learning disabilities."Kirk's proposal

A) gave a definition acceptable to all educators.
B) had a minor effect on developments in the field.
C) pinpointed the etiology of learning disabilities.
D) subsumed the general characteristics of the population under learning disabilities.
E) proposed specific interventions for educational intervention.

Answer 1

subsumed the general characteristics of the population under learning disabilities.

Question 2

According to the tenets of direct instruction, the third step to be undertaken would be

A) rapidly present new concepts or skills in small steps.
B) provide guided practice under teacher monitoring.
C) review frequently.
D) review and check previous work.
E) check work for understanding.

Answer 2

provide guided practice under teacher monitoring.

Question 3

Students who are learning disabled tend to understand nonverbal cues

A) about the same as nondisabled children.
B) not as well as nondisabled children.
C) if the communicators facial expressions are animated.
D) more poorly than nondisabled children, although they comprehend adults well.
E) better than nondisabled children.

Answer 3

not as well as nondisabled children.

Question 4

Which of the following is being challenged as a definition of learning disabilities?

A) central nervous system dysfunction
B) exclusionary criteria
C) discrepancy between potential and performance
D) emotional and social complications
E) difference in verbal and nonverbal IQs

Question 5

According to the definition of the NJCLD, learning disabilities are manifested in

A) difficulties in the acquisition and use of communication, reasoning, or math abilities.
B) classroom settings primarily.
C) anxieties and depression- type behavior.
D) visual discrimination.
E) ability to perform in group arrangements.

Question 6

For educators and parents, the field of learning disabilities can be described as a syndrome with which ONE of the following characteristics?

A) children with learning disabilities form a homogeneous group
B) "learning disabilities" is named after a disability first manifested by Samuel Kirk
C) overlapping conditions that span a wide variety of problems
D) most students with learning disabilities have low IQs and it is difficult to understand their learning difficulties
E) learning disabilities include specific conditions peculiar to a particular problem

Question 7

Ten- year- old Brian has a Full- Scale Score of 110 on the WISC- III. However, in school achievement tests Brian seems to be about a year behind his classmates in reading and spelling, and lagging by about half a year in math. Brian's mother insists that he has a learning disability. The teacher says he is simply lagging and needs more practice and some remedial help in the classroom. In this case the

A) mother is correct simply because the teacher should label the child as he needs special assistance in the resource room.
B) teacher is correct because a discrepancy is usually set at two years behind the regular class.
C) mother is correct because, by definition, a learning disability is a discrepancy between potential and performance.
D) mother is right because lags of more than six months in reading and math are characteristic of learning disabilities.
E) teacher is correct because Brian's math is better than his reading.

Question 8

Peter has difficulties in body movement, spatial relations, discrimination via touch, and has great difficulty with handwriting. These problems are considered to be

A) laterality imbalances.
B) haptic disorders.
C) auditory blocks.
D) auditory discrimination problems.
E) visual perception issues.

Question 9

Boys far outnumber girls with learning disabilities, with a ratio of at least

A) 6 to 1.
B) 7 to 1.
C) 3 to 1.
D) 4 to 1.
E) 5 to 1.

Question 10

Confusion surrounds the term dyslexia because

A) not all students who are dyslexic are learning disabled, but the use of the terms synonymously gives the impression that they are.
B) neurologists have abandoned the term because educators were abusing the meaning in their attempts to describe the etiology of reading disorders.
C) the term dyslexia only emerged during the past 10 years.
D) all learning- disabled children are dyslexic, but not all dyslexic children are learning disabled.
E) dyslexia and learning disabilities are synonymous terms.

Question 11

The teacher says that Kate has a problem with pragmatics. Specifically, Kate

A) finds it difficult to engage in turn- taking in conversation.
B) can't remember the meaning of new words.
C) has problems organizing and using phrases.
D) has great difficulty in selecting clothes for herself.
E) has problems with speech patterns.

Question 12

When the social interaction and social acceptance of students with learning disabilities have been studied, research has found that

A) social interactions don't usually present challenges to students with learning disabilities.
B) peers rate the social competence of students with learning disabilities quite differently than do teachers and parents.
C) teachers perceive the social acceptance of these students differently than do parents.
D) the actual behaviour of these students does not match teacher ratings of behaviour.
E) the social acceptability of learning disabled students is deficient in comparison to that of other children.

Question 13

Studies on the achievement in spelling of pupils with learning disabilities show that

A) they see a mirrored form of letters.
B) while spelling is difficult for many students with learning disabilities, they have fewer problems with spelling than with reading and math.
C) their spelling lags far behind their grade placement.
D) with extra drill and practice, students with learning disabilities develop adequate spelling skills.
E) students with learning disabilities tend to be more advanced in spelling than in reading.

Question 14

Which of the following is an instructional approach for students with learning disabilities that focuses on observable problems?

A) cooperative learning
B) process training
C) skills
D) strategy training
E) modality

Question 15

Among students with learning disabilities, one of the most common causes of handwriting difficulties is

A) lack of laterality.
B) poor ideas or concept generation.
C) lack of an left- right orientation that balances directionality.
D) inattention.
E) uncoordinated motor movements and spatial relations.

Question 16

The teacher notes in a report that six- year old Mike has mixed dominance. She judges this from observing Mike. In the classroom, he

A) hits others with both hands.
B) does not use one hand consistently for printing and cutting.
C) often mixes up his left and right shoes when putting them on.
D) is left- handed.
E) cannot yet tell his left hand from his right hand.

Question 17

Which of the following can best be described as an environmental cause of a learning disability?

A) maleducation and teaching failure
B) neurological abnormalities
C) traumatic brain injury
D) heredity
E) maternal rubella

Question 18

An example of metacognitive skill instruction is teaching children how to

A) perform long division problems.
B) interact positively with peers.
C) vocalize the steps to themselves.
D) recognize reading words.
E) bounce and catch a rubber ball.

Question 19

The ability to combine sounds into a word may present difficulties to a child who suffers deficits in the area of

A) auditory sequential memory.
B) auditory discrimination.
C) visual discrimination.
D) auditory closure.
E) visual closure.

Question 20

Identification of a child suspected of having a learning disability

A) typically is made by a neurologist.
B) is often made by the classroom teacher.
C) requires a variety of assessment tools.
D) suggests a precise science with specialized tests.
E) is best done by a pediatrician.

Question 21

Professor Jones describes learning disabilities as a discrepancy between potential and performance. To determine this discrepancy, he would

A) observe the student carefully.
B) use developmental scales and teacher observations.
C) use arena assessment.
D) administer IQ tests and achievement tests.
E) examine a student's portfolio.

Question 22

Research on the causes of learning disabilities indicates that

A) poor parenting is a major contributor to learning disabilities.
B) students with learning disabilities usually come from impoverished home environments.
C) the causes of learning disabilities are varied and rather unclear.
D) minimal brain dysfunction is the primary cause of learning disabilities.
E) food allergies are the prime factor in causing learning disabilities.

Question 23

In relation to service delivery models and learning disabilities, it may be said that

A) teachers take sole responsibility for developing programs.
B) current research definitely shows a strong relationship.
C) teachers require assistants to deliver individualized programs.
D) inclusion models have proven appropriate for all students with learning disabilities.
E) the majority of students with learning disabilities are educated in general classrooms.

Question 24

Although Megan is nearly two years of age, she is still using only single words. Her mother is concerned because Megan is about five months behind her peers in language development. Megan is demonstrating

A) a maturational lag.
B) a structural deficiency.
C) a developmental disability.
D) a developmental delay.
E) infantile autism.

Question 25

Curriculum- based assessment and teaching refer to

A) focusing on motor skills.
B) directly assessing the student based on course content and expectations.
C) using much visual media in the classroom.
D) a psycholinguistic reading approach.
E) infrequent measuring and unobtrusive monitoring.

Question 26

Process tests purport to measure all of the following skills EXCEPT

A) visual perception.
B) auditory short- term memory.
C) eye- hand motor coordination.
D) visual closure.
E) reading comprehension.

Question 27

A child who has difficulty in visually perceiving the differences between the letters b and d may have problems in the area of

A) visual figure- ground.
B) visual perception.
C) visual closure.
D) visual discrimination.
E) visual comprehension.

Question 28

An auditory memory problem is most clearly exemplified in

A) difficulty repeating a series of words or numbers correctly.
B) remembering birthdays.
C) not being able to count to 10.
D) reproducing from memory short sequences presented auditorily.
E) hearing the word "book" as "look."

Question 29

Grades 4 to 5 seem to be an achievement plateau for students with learning disabilities because

A) their achievement has matched their potential.
B) they have a limited IQ.
C) teachers cannot teach them better skills.
D) students in later grades must apply their skills to more complex and sophisticated tasks.
E) they are no longer in resource programs.

Question 30

Chris, diagnosed as having a learning disability, is in trouble in class. The teacher is frowning at him and looks angry. Chris is likely to

A) stop his behaviour only because the student next to him tells him to.
B) leave the classroom.
C) take time to study the teacher's facial expression and try to mimic.
D) stop his poor behaviour because he correctly interprets the teacher's expression.
E) misread or misinterpret the teacher's expression.

Question 31

In assessing the discrepancy between potential and performance, the degree of academic delay is often set at

A) six months.
B) three years.
C) four years.
D) two years.
E) one year.

Question 32

An inconsistent preference for the right or left side of the body is known as

A) awkward gait.
B) clumsiness.
C) mixed dominance.
D) perceptual- motor deficit.
E) hyperactivity.

Question 33

Ten- year- old Sidney's psychoeducational test results indicate that he has an IQ of 125 but academically is only functioning in the early Grade 2 range. He would most likely fit into the classification of

A) mildly intellectually disabled.
B) attention- deficit hyperactivity disordered.
C) developmentally delayed.
D) attention- deficit disordered.
E) learning disabled.

Question 34

Parents of learning disabled children often become frustrated because of the

A) influence on siblings.
B) child's behaviour.
C) gaps between a suspected learning disability and its diagnosis.
D) lack of cure for the learning disability.
E) perception by others (neighbours and school) that stigmatizes the family.

Question 35

Students with learning disabilities seem to reach a plateau in academic achievement and language at about the____ grade level.

Question 36

When children view themselves as controlled by outer rather than inner forces and relinquish responsibility for success or failure, they have developed an external of _____.

Question 37

Strategy training incorporates elements of behavioural,______ , and_____ learning theories.

Question 38

____is the term for a service delivery, integrating learning disabled children with their nonhandicapped peers.

Question 39

____ is referred to as an individual's awareness of his/her own cognitive performance.

Question 40

_____ is the academic area in which children with learning disabilities are most often deficient.

Question 41

____ ____ is the term for an activity- focused, teacher directed, systematic classroom procedure conducted according to an individual plan.

Question 42

The most important definitional criterion for differentiating learning disabled children from those with other exceptional conditions is the ____ criterion.

Question 43

If Hiram consistently has difficulty assembling puzzles and objects he may have a difficulty in the area of_____ .

Question 44

___ _____introduced the term learning disabilities in 1963.

Question 45

____ _____ increases students' time on task, provides more opportunity for practice, and creates a positive learning atmosphere.

Question 46

Empirical research supports the efficacy of inclusion for students with learning disabilities.

Question 47

In the field of learning disabilities, the efficacy of a single treatment approach has not yet been demonstrated.

Question 48

A diverse range of generic and specific approaches exists in educational intervention for students with learning disabilities.

Question 49

Because of the exclusionary clause in most definitions of learning disabilities, children with other primary disabling conditions cannot also be defined as learning disabled.

Question 50

Samuel Orton held that learning disabilities and reading dysfunctions resulted from inefficient school instruction.

Question 51

Name and provide details (outline form) of five generic approaches that could be used to create accessible classrooms for children with learning disabilities.

Question 52

Discuss the use of mnemonics as strategies for teaching students with learning disabilities.

Question 53

How can the use of technology enhance the academic progress of students with learning disabilities?

Question 54

What are the advantages and disadvantages in using curriculum- based assessment to inform programming for the student with a learning disability?

Question 55

Describe how co- occurring disabilities can interact to raise barriers to learning for the student with a learning disability.

Question 56

Why do students with learning disabilities have difficulty with math?

Question 57

Briefly describe the classification of learning disabilities according to severity, level, and type.

Question 58

Describe the process of strategy training in regards to students with learning disabilities.

Question 59

The field of learning disabilities remains beset by problems. List and explain five factors that contribute to controversy and confusion when identifying and defining a child's learning disabilities.

Question 60

Describe the screening and diagnostic procedures used in the identification of students with suspected learning disabilities.