The area of interest that I will conduct research on is special needs/learning disabilities. Learning disabilities can impact how a child learns to read, write, hear, speak, and do calculations. Learning disabilities are different, for there are many different kinds and different effects on children. According to the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (2010), there is no direct cure for a learning disability, however, “early screening and intervention from specialists can often provide great benefits. Early intervention can prevent learning difficulties, thus reducing the number of children requiring special education services” (NICHD, 2010). Given that they are a broad range, I have chosen to focus on three kinds of learning disabilities that affect early childhood development: dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia.
According to the NICHD (2010), “About 15 percent to 20 percent of people in the United States have a language-based disability, and of those, most have dyslexia” (NICHD, 2010). Dyslexia is the most common, which is a reading and language-based learning disability. Dysgraphia is a learning disability that relates to handwriting. People with dysgraphia have problems writing proportionate letters and writing within a defined space. The last learning disability I will focus on is dyspraxia, which is a disorder that affects motor-skill development. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (2010), “It is estimated that dyspraxia affects at least two percent of the general population” (NCLD, 2010). The learning disabilities that I have chosen interest me because they are very common in early childhood development. Unlike other disabilities, learning disabilities cannot be identified because of physical reasons, meaning that they are more hidden are harder to be identified.
One focus question that I have on the topic of dysgraphia is what alternatives can be provided to the written expression? Dysgraphia is the learning disability that relates to writing, and so my focus on it is to find ways in which children don’t feel high expectations and overcome their challenge one step at a time. Focus questions are needed because they approach a very specific part of an issue. By narrowing down what one will address in the topics, the research will be more effective because one reduces the information to what is actually relevant and applicable to the topic.
A question I have for my colleagues is, how can I choose the main focus on each of my topics? I would like to be able to successfully narrow down to the factors that apply to children in early childhood development without disregarding necessary information. Also, can I require a student with a learning disability to do something in my class that I require all other students to do?
Works Cited
"Learning Disabilities." NICHD - The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Official Home Page. 24 Mar. 2010. Web. 26 July 2011. <http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning_disabilities.cfm>.
"What Is Dyspraxia?" National Center for Learning Disabilities. Ed. Ncld Editoral Staff. 9 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 July 2011. <http://www.ncld.org/ld-basics/ld-aamp-language/writing/dyspraxia>.
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