Learning Disabilities

If diversity and special needs are prominent factors in a learning environment, teachers may have to juggle mandated standards with students' personal challenges. This video addresses that balancing act, demonstrating how experienced educators have mastered it. Focusing on multilevel instructional planning, the program explores the use of educational channels, individualized support, and interpersonal engagement-showing how to deliver lessons and assess student progress based on communication style, learning preference, and other variables. An extensive bonus interview with Dr. Diane Ashby, Dean of Illinois State University's College of Education, is included. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (18 minutes)

To talk with 10-year-old Dillon Kelley, it is not readily apparent that he has a form of mental retardation. But that does not stop his 4th-grade classmates, who discern that he is unlike them without understanding why, from teasing and shunning him. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel compassionately presents Dillon's story as an opportunity to better understand the genetic disorder called Fragile X syndrome. Through anecdotes, Dillon's family members describe aspects of his behavior, the ostracism he faces, and the time when, in a bold and unusual step, they went to his school to explain to his peers why he is different. (22 minutes)

Dyslexia, a learning disability that affects oral and written language, often masks the presence of a gifted mind. People with dyslexia learn differently. This program from The Doctor Is In explores that cognitive difference by examining how dyslexic students learn, and how new teaching techniques are helping them succeed in school. These teaching approaches are explored at the Washington Lab School-a pioneer in the implementation of innovative teaching methods. Thomas West, author of In the Mind's Eye, discusses our society's need for the visual talents possessed by many people with dyslexia. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Production. (29 minutes)

One in 25 people are dyslexic, but the teenagers involved in making this program would say that 24 out of 25 people miss out on dyslexia. This program approaches dyslexia from a new angle, exploring how the so-called disability might prove an advantage in an increasingly image-based world. Educational experts from America and England discuss aptitudes of dyslexics, while video diaries show how dyslexia has affected the lives of young people and how they have harnessed its cognitive differences. Featuring interviews with Tom West, author of In the Mind's Eye, this program will boost self-confidence in dyslexics and inspire their teachers and families. (22 minutes)

This two-part series helps parents, educators, and social workers understand learning disorders. The controversy surrounding ADHD is also discussed. A Meridian Production.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by developmentally inappropriate impulsivity, inattentiveness, and, in some cases, hyperactivity. In this program, therapists, teachers, parents, and patients offer their insights into living with and overcoming AD/HD. The benefits of a treatment approach combining ongoing psychological assessment, specialized classes, and carefully monitored use of Ritalin or similar medications are cited. In addition, the brain biochemistry of people with AD/HD is discussed, and anomalous brain development before birth is identified as a likely cause of the disorder. (53 minutes)

It's often difficult to determine a solution, unless you know all of the symptoms. This is especially true for parents who see their children less than does their child-care provider. In these cases, it is essential that you, as the child's primary caregiver, not only recognize their special needs, but additionally respond to them. This video describes a wide range of special needs symptoms from minor balance and movement problems to major or grand-mal seizures. A Meridian Production. (18 minutes)

This is the story of an eight-year-old boy with Down syndrome who was part of a battle over inclusion," the practice of placing mentally or physically challenged students in regular classrooms. Teachers felt inadequately trained; teachers and parents asked whether "inclusion" was in the best interests of all students-those with and those without disabilities; and the future of special education schools was in question. The program chronicles Sean's first year in a regular classroom setting and also follows the story of his friend Bobby, who also has Down syndrome but whose parents chose to keep him in the special education school. Sean's mother thinks a regular classroom will help him adjust to the real world; Bobby's mother equates placing a mentally challenged child in a regular classroom with "putting a five-foot-two kid on the varsity basketball team and expecting him to do well." The program talks to students, parents, teachers, and administrators on both sides of the issue. (45 minutes)"

Children with fetal alcohol syndrome present their own special challenges to teachers-challenges that one school has met with wonderful results. This program travels to Winnipeg's David Livingstone School, a public elementary school with two classrooms uniquely tailored for children with FAS. Teachers and occupational therapists demonstrate and discuss many of their innovative teaching techniques which help compensate for their students' heightened sensitivity to light and sound. (14 minutes)

A diverse learning environment benefits everyone, but it can put overwhelming pressure on an unprepared teacher. Produced by Illinois State University's renowned College of Education and School of Communication, this two-part series empowers educators using real-world teaching methods-enabling them to overcome the obstacles and maximize the rewards of a diverse learning atmosphere. Viewable/printable instructor's guides are available online. 2-part series, 13 and 18 minutes.

This down-to-earth program shares the hard-won experiences of an award-winning special ed teacher. Speaking with an engaging mix of candor, earnestness, and passion, he explains how personal introspection, collaboration with other staff members, promoting trust, structuring the academic environment, instilling success, and developing teacher/student interdependence have transformed his classroom into a place where students thrive. Part success story, part how-to manual, the program is an excellent source of ideas and inspiration for teachers of all types of students. (26 minutes)

This program from The Doctor Is In shows how a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is made and what treatments are working. The program follows children at home and school, both on and off medication. An innovative private school specializing in alternative education for children with ADD is profiled, and the program explains how best to structure school and home environments. Psychiatrists John Ratey and Ned Hallowell, experts in this field, provide background and perspective. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (29 minutes)

Found in both children and adults, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is looked upon by some as having a physiological cause while others see it as a psychological disorder. This program offers diverse and candid opinions from both sides of the debate. Is medication the best treatment, or is behavior modification combined with increased structure and discipline the preferable course? A classroom teacher, a social worker, a behavior specialist, a pediatrician, and a parent with twins who have ADHD offer their insights. A Meridian Production. (20 minutes)

How could a child be a top math student yet not be able to read? Why can another child read well but not be able to write a paragraph that makes sense? While watching children being taught new ways to learn, this program offers expert insight into the nature of learning disabilities, why learning disabilities may also be accompanied by ADHD or social disorders, and what can be done to help children learn to compensate and succeed. A Meridian Production. (16 minutes)