How I have worked with my son and his teachers’ in order to help him learn the abstract concept of coins and values.

A MULTISENSORY APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COINS AND THEIR VALUES

INSIGHTS INTO LANGUAGE BASED LEARNING ISSUES

As you may know from visiting the Lipstick Wisdom site previously or from watching some of my other video blogs – my son has learning issues; specifically language based learning issues. This basically means he has problems with learning new concepts (information going in – receptive language issues) as well as problems with language concepts coming out (expressive language issues). You would not notice a thing on everyday interactions but when you ask him a question, the problems become apparent.

So I wanted to share with you some of the strategies that I have used at home to help my son understand abstract concepts. The abstract concept I am going to discuss today is coins and the values of coins. This one was a doozy – let me tell you!! He has made tremendous progress – he is not 100% consistent but definitely progress has been made. It probably took us about 8 weeks before significant traction was made on his learning his coins and the values.

First of all, I must share with you that my son’s best learning occurs when the learning is coordinated with physical movement (kinetic learning). I guess before the concepts of time and coins were introduced, I used kinetic learning approachs but not 100% of the time. Now I try to use kinetic approaches as much as possible.

We (his teachers and I) started out with the standard multisensory approach of worksheets, enlarged paper coins in the classroom, play coins in the classroom and even some real coins. We practiced and practiced through this approach for several weeks to no avail. He could not identify the coins and he did not understand the difference between the physical count of coins and their values.

Then we started mixing things up trying to come up with an approach that would help make the concepts stick in his mind. The strategies we used included: (I show physical examples of these in the video)
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If you have been to Lipstick Wisdom (www.lipstickwisdom.com), you probably realize that I have a son with language based learning issues. Specifically he has expressive language issues as well as receptive language issues. That basically means that he has trouble with language concepts going in (learning) as well as expressing his thoughts coming out. I can tell you that navigating this requires constant vigilance and patience. He is such a joy and he is working so hard. We are lucky in that we are able to send him to a school that specializes in language based learning issues. Even so, I am in a constant dialogue with my son’s teachers and we are always brainstorming together on the best ways for him to achieve the next learning milestone.

So I know from firsthand experience how difficult it is to gather the information that is needed to understand if you or someone you love has learning issues. If you are seeking information on language based learning issues for yourself or someone you know, I have posted a series of interesting videos, articles and websites which explore and discuss language based learning issues at Lipstick Wisdom (http://www.lipstickwisdom.com/category/language-processing-learning-issues/).

Although I have read several books and many articles, I am still learning about this area every day. For instance, I recently learned that the definition of dyslexia has been expanded. I, like many others, understood dyslexia to be a condition where letters get reversed while reading making reading extremely difficult. It turns out that dyslexia includes all difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, and is characterized by poor spelling and decoding abilities. I went on several websites trying to better understand dyslexia. After doing some research, I was very confused as to the relationship between dyslexia and language based learning issues. Is it the same thing – is it different? Turns out that dyslexia is a subcategory of language based learning issues. Dyslexia is a learning issue primarily based on phonetics and is really focused on the written word. I have two graduate degrees and I could not figure that out from the websites I visited. I had to call my son’s school and ask one of the women there what it really meant!!

I share this because, in my opinion, too much of the information available online is too clinically based and does not offer enough practical information.

Although at Lipstick Wisdom, we are gathering the best information we can find to help you face a new life challenge, we want to develop a repository of practical knowledge or wisdom from those that have actually faced the life event being discussed. If you or anyone you know has any helpful advice that they can share on either language based learning issue diagnosis or treatment, please let me know. Or better yet, share the information on Lipstick Wisdom by writing your own blog post!

We are building a virtual directory of bloggers who share their experiences and wisdoms gained from living with learning disabilities. In addition, I have my video blog (“Karen’s Blog”) which shares my stories and practical advice based on my experiences with my son.

Thanks for coming to visit LipstickWisdom.com.

Warmly,
Karen

From http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/instructionalmaterials/qt/adaptmaterials.htm
 

Language Processing Problems – Tips and Strategies to Adapt and Modify Materials and Instruction to Improve Language Comprehension

Accommodating the needs of students with language processing problems, receptive language disabilities, dyslexia and listening comprehension weaknesses involves:
 

* Presenting written material in brief and direct terms;
* Omitting non-essential details and double negatives; [li}Avoiding multiple choice items that require complex analysis of language should be limited. Focus instead on essential details and facts required to master the subject matter;
* Allowing extra time for students to listen to, think about, and form their own thoughts about written and spoken materials used in class;
* Allowing students to discuss assignments with each other and with teachers to get clarification; and
* Using visual models and hands-on projects when possible to allow students to gain understanding of material using their visual learning skills.

 

Accommodating Language Processing Deficits – Ways Teachers and Parents can Implement Accommodations:

* Tape lectures and lessons for playback at home during study and homework sessions;
* Have a teacher, aide, peer tutor, or other appropriate person paraphrase instructions in writing or on tape;
* Simplify words in text. Paraphrase by eliminating non-essential words and phrases, and double negatives;
* Help the child summarize what he has read and write it down in brief, easy-to-understand terms;
* Provide examples of good work, and point out features of the work that contribute to its quality. Check to ensure the student understands what characteristics distinguish good work from poor work;
* Break large reading assignments into smaller sections;
* Note the most important parts of text and instructions. Use a highlighter, and write these down in simple, concise terms;
* Create a study guide that includes key vocabulary with definitions, guiding questions, and a clear statement of learning goals for the reading or task;
* Make liberal use of visual models, pictures, videos, computer generated models, or any other means available to allow students to use their visual reasoning skills to understand materials and to express their own understanding; and
* Allow students to use visual models and projects as alternatives to written assignments or spoken presentations when possible.
* Allow students to use multisensory materials and strategies.

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Just your average full-time Speech-Language Pathologist–mom to two beauties born in South Korea, wife to one perpetual grad student and SAHD, and owner of one semi-organized but usually cluttered home. Join me as I bake too many sweets, take too many photos, help speech and language skills (but never too much), live on one teacher’s income (too little money), and try to be too generous.