Effects of Learning Disabilities on Academic Performance and What are the Effective Teaching Strategies for Learning Disabilities

Back to: Learning and Teaching – Unit 4

A learning disability is a neurological condition where a child faces difficulties in doing the basic functions such as reading, writing, listening, speaking, solving numerical, and thinking logically. It affects the brain’s ability to send, receive, and take in information.

Effects of Learning Disabilities on Academic Performance

The effects of Learning Disabilities on academic performance are:

1. People with a learning disability are unmotivated to do their work and study.
2. They process information at a slower rate than their peers.
3. They lack the skills to take useful notes during class lectures.
4. Continuous poor performance and low grades in tests and exams.
5. They have difficulty in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and solving basic mathematical problems.
6. Faces difficulty studying for exams and keeps forgetting what’s already been studied.

Effective Teaching Strategies for Learning Disabilities

The effective teaching strategies for learning disabilities are:

1. Break the teaching materials into small parts to make the learning process simple for the students.
2. Use diagrams, and pictures to explain some words and meanings, so the students can understand them easily.
3. Try to have patience with the students as they are slower at catching up with the lessons than their peers.
4. Never use a student’s work as an example of poor work in the class for others to see.
5. The teaching material should include step-by-step instructions that are clearly stated by the teacher.

These strategies can be applied by the teachers to help children with learning disabilities. Educators should give greater priority to students with learning disabilities. They must be open to helping these students whenever needed and deal with patience while doing so.