Anonymous

5-4-99

Have problems listening in class? Do you have difficulty with numbers? Do you take longer a time reading then everyone around you? Maybe you have a learning disability (LD). If you have a hard time listening maybe you have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD): the inability to focus on what is being presented for long periods of time. Perhaps you struggle with numbers; if so, you may have dyscalculia, a difficulty with math, wherein one lacks the ability to understand the use of numbers, in everyday life. Are you having problems with reading comprehension or writing, including spelling? You may want to be tested to for dyslexia. According to current research visual dyslexia may be caused by a magnocellular deficit in the visual transient system preventing the stable formation of letters into words, and preventing the development of a sight vocabulary . Usually when people hear the word dyslexia they think only of reading, writing, spelling and math related problems a student is having in school on a daily basis. Some associate it only with word and letter reversals, while others perceive it as the result of a slow learning ability. Almost everyone considers it some form of a learning disability, but these inconveniences are only a part of the condition.

Students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia have a knack for doing a variety of tasks without truly realizing their special talents that differ from the average student. For example, I have been diagnosed as dyslexic, and yet I scored above-average in fluid reasoning, the aspect of thought which requires the ability to reason with qualitative information, draw inferences from relationships, and make complicated implications. I often use concept formation in the way I think. I process things more visually that the average person, constantly analyzing and thinking with visual patterns, spatial configurations and spatial orientation methods. I often wonder how my perception as a person with a learning disability differs from other students who do not have problems writing essays, listening in class lectures and taking essay tests. Every time I sit down to write, I get angered easily with my constant spelling mistakes. Sometimes, I find it really hard to stay focused and organized.

As an elementary school student, I had constant difficulty in acquiring the basic reading skills. I also tended to confuse math signs and left and right directions. I first noticed my tendency to transpose letter symbols b/d/p and numbers 6/9 in high school. Due to being a weak speller and having difficulty structuring ideas properly, I always took longer to read and write.

Despite my difficulties, and resultant low self-esteem, I managed to conceal my predicament from my classmates. In order to avoid exposing my weakness as a bad speller and writer, I never wrote notes to friends or let other students read my homework, never allowing myself to leave written work on my desk unsupervised. By restricting my written communication with others and by relying on my verbal skills, I felt isolated from the rest of my classmates. I constantly felt awkward due to receiving bad grades, always struggling with spelling errors and taking longer on any simple test. I was consistently told that the reason I had so many troubles in school was due to not putting in enough effort or wanting to succeed hard enough. I believed that what people said was true and just thought of myself as lazy. I constantly struggled, pushing myself, then failing, losing patience, going back, evaluating what I did wrong, and then failing once more.

Despite my insecurities, I still chose to attend college to further my education and expand my knowledge. Once at Santa Barbara City College, one of my English professors, Dr. Fossek, referred me to be tested by the Disabled Student Program & Services (DSPS) for signs of any learning disability. The diagnosis of LD is based on standardized test data drawn from expected norms that are based on age, education, and intelligence level. I was diagnosed with dyslexia, a condition defined as an auditory and language processing deficit, meaning that my brain processes information in a different manner from other people. A learning disability is characterized by at least average to above-average intelligence and a significantly higher aptitude than achievement in a particular area, due to the influence of the processing deficit. My learning disability affects my achievement in the written language, i.e. spelling, and it affects my ability to write clearly and read comfortably.

In order to help me compensate for these limitations, DSPS offers accommodations that range from different programs that include written strategies, textbooks on tape, and extended time on tests. Through DSPS, I am encouraged to take a proactive role in confronting my disabilities. DSPS offers a variety of strategies courses that focus on the nature of learning disabilities and how to compensate or accommodate them. Once diagnosed, I became qualified to enroll in these courses that provided me with a greater understanding of how to work with my learning disabilities and maximize my learning abilities.

DSPS offers courses that are designed for students with disabilities who are enrolled in other college class. The courses focus on different strategies like Self-Advocacy (DSPS-44), Assistive Technology (DSPS-55), Math Strategies (DSPS-66), and Writing & Reading Strategies (DSPS-77). I have enrolled in the writing/reading course to improve my essays. DSPS 77 has provided me with several strategies that have helped me to improve. These strategies include visualization and other techniques, designed to increase my reading comprehension, and spelling and organizational strategies, designed to improve my writing skills. I attend writing labs where I meet with a tutor to organize my ideas. I then type out and edit my essays on a computer with a TextHelp98 screen reader. My poor auditory memory, combined with a visual motor deficit, affects my ability to remember what I hear and to take accurate notes, which affects my class performances in a negative way. Thus, DSPS has approved as accommodations shared notes and tape recorded lectures, alleviating much of my classroom anxiety.

While I take more time to learn, my LD seems to affect me most in testing situations, specifically those in standardized and multiple-choice format. I have spent a lot of time trying to understand this phenomenon. At one time, I wonder whether I simply didn't know the material as well as the other students. Recently, however, I have learned that I simply require additional time to read the question. Therefore, I have chosen to take advantage of arranging for extended time on tests. I have seen a dramatic change in test grades after taking tests with extended time in comparison with timed tests.

Due to my own efforts and the supportive encouragement from DSPS, both my academic performance and self-esteem have increased dramatically. My self-esteem has improved, allowing me to approach both school and friends with greater confidence. Today, I have allowed myself to participate in peer editing sessions and share my work with less fear. As a result of my better understanding the effects of my learning disability, I no longer feel that my future is limited. While I am still in search of my final career goals, I now feel confident to proceed without fear.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

TextHelper [Computer software]. (DSPS 77, 1998). Santa Barbara, CA: Assistive Technology Lab.

"Research Articles". International Dyslexia Society. >http://www.interdys.org/research.stm>.

Lewin, Gerry. "Self-Advocacy Worksheet (LD)" SBCC's DSPS Learning Disabilities Website. August 1996 <www.west.net/~ger/ldwkst.html>

Hunter, Malen (1998, September). "Signs of a disability". Maclean's, 44(1).

Voll, Chris. "Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised Processing Cluster Definitions". WJPEB-R Training. Pasadena, Fall 1989.