Welcome to the special education instructor course on Learning Disabilities. This course focuses on one of the categories for which students are eligible for special education supports including supplementary aids and services.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines a learning disability as “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.” This includes such conditions as:
- perceptual disabilities
- brain injury
- minimal brain dysfunction
- dyslexia
- developmental aphasia
The IDEA definition does not include any learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of intellectual disabilities, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantages. These are covered in separate courses to which you may or may not be enrolled.
(20 U.S.C Section 1401 (30), 2004)
This course requires 30 hours of study time to complete all assignments and the reflection questions. There are eight written assignments, plus the student case study and reflection questions at the end of the course, which will give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned throughout this course.