Synthesize diagnostic criteria, characteristics, and educational implications/strategies for specific learning disabilities and ADHD.

• Synthesize diagnostic criteria, characteristics, and educational implications/strategies for specific learning disabilities and ADHD.
• Apply perspectives from  Misunderstood Minds web simulations to prior knowledge and chapter content to real-life classroom situations.

• Choose ONE scenario from the two below.
• ADHD:

“Michael is a 9-year-old-boy.  His teacher describes him as having difficulty keeping his attention focused on work.  Michael often makes careless mistakes in his work and fails to pay close attention to details.  Although he is obedient and seems to understand instructions, Michael frequently fails to complete his assigned duties, work, and chores.  In addition, Michael seems to avoid work that requires sustained mental effort, such as schoolwork and homework.  When spoken to directly, Michael often appears to not listen, as if he is off in a daze. It is likely that Michael’s inability to sustain attention contributes to his difficulty in organizing everyday tasks.  Michael experiences the same problems both at home and at school, ahd has been this way since before kindergarten (Coles, Slavec, Bernstien, Baroni, 2012).”

• Learning Disability:

Alice found herself very frustrated with school.  She was in the fourth grade, and her grades were very poor.  She had worked hard, but many of the things that were required just didn’t seem to make sense.  

                History was a perfect example.  Alice had looked forward to learning more about history.  She really enjoyed stories told by her grandfather.  Alice thought it would have been fun to live back in history when kids got to ride to school on horses.  As she read her history assignment about a girl her age who was moving west in a wagon, Alice noticed that the words often looked strange.  She struggled to read much of the information, even though she very much wanted to.  Alice knew that she would fail the history test, and she cried quietly in her room as she dressed for school.  

1. Use information listed in the textbook, modules, strategies at the end of the modules, and the What Works Clearinghouse of research-based practices: www.whatworks.ed.gov (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.  to assist you in your responses.
2. Choose 5 educational strategies/supports you believe to be particularly critical for supporting the student you selected from above with a diagnosis of SLD or ADHD. (How can the teacher help support this student?) Respond to the following questions for each of the strategies/supports that you select:

• What makes each strategy compatible with what you have learned about SLD and/or ADHD?  (Hint: How can each strategy help the student? Why is it appropriate?)
• As an educator, how do you think each strategy will impact your classroom and instruction? In other words, describe how each strategy would influence the classroom environment and your teaching.
• You may discuss things that you may have observed in your placement or your own classroom ( for those who are practicing teachers) as part of the assignment–just don’t include names or places.