The most common disability that is seen in classrooms is a Learning Disability, or LD. Students who have LD range from needing assistance in reading, writing, and math, but the most common Learning Disability is reading. These students are below the grade level that their age correlates with in a particular subject and because of this need extra assistance in the subject that relates to their Learning Disability. Academic performance is below average for students who have Learning Disabilities due to the difficult time they have with remembering material learned and keeping attention throughout class, but every student who has a Learning Disability has a different list of characteristics that relates to them and their own struggles in learning. Since there is no set of characteristics that fits with every student who has a learning disability, it is important for you, as the teacher, to focus on the needs of one particular student at a time and create a setting that is best for them to learn. It is also important to remember that just because the student has a Learning Disability in one particular subject, does not mean that the student will be restricted in other areas of study. With the use of various types of strategy instruction, students with Learning Disabilities can improve their knowledge over several areas of study. Strategies used in learning allow for students to better their understanding of a subject through an approach that may be different than that of their peers.
Another disability that may arise in the classroom setting are Emotional Behavioral Disorders, or EBDs for short. Just like Learning Disabilities, there are a number of Emotional Behavioral Disorders. Most students that have EBDs struggle in the classroom when it comes to working with others. Students with EBDs are sometimes known to be aggressive, passive, immature, or even depressed. These are only a few of the characteristics that one can expect to find in a student who has an Emotional Behavioral Disorder. Since there is a long list of differing characteristics that go along with the disability it is clear to see that there is not a set in stone way in which to best educate students who have an EBD. Students with EBDs must be worked with at an individual level that will best help them in learning based off the traits they possess. When working on improving the learning of a student with an EBD, it is also important to focus on improving the way in which the student views themselves and others. A large portion of their inability to do well in a certain subject is due to their behavior rather than their knowledge regarding the subject. There are ways in which strategy instruction can help students with EBDs as well.
Students who have Mild Intellectual Disabilities may also end up in a classroom where they will not be at the same level of learning as their peers because of the struggles that they have with learning due to their disability. Students who are identified as having a Mild Intellectual Disability have an IQ that is less than 70 and can sometimes have a physical condition that also accompanies their intellectual disability, such as having Cerebral Palsy. Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities are often placed in Special Education classes, but are a part of general education classrooms as often as possible in order to improve their relationships with their peers. Special Education classes allow for students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities to complete tasks given to them at a pace in which they are capable of working at.
Teachers encounter students with a large range of needs and ability levels. It is important that teachers present information to students in the best way that the student, as an individual, is able to obtain. In order to do this for the entire class, teachers often have to differentiate instruction so that each student is able to succeed and continue to grow as a learner.
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