What is Specific Learning Disabilities (SpLD)?
- Frequent in males than in females
- 17,700 people with SpLD in Hong Kong (0.3% of total population)
(Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics, 2015) - Disorder in basic psychological process related to understanding or in using language, written or spoken*
- 6 Common types of SpLD in Hong Kong:
- Dyslexia
- Dysgraphia
- Specific Language Impairment
- Dyspraxia
- Dyscalculia
- Visual-Spatial-Perceptual Impairment
Features / Challenges
- Dyslexia - related to reading difficulties, the most common type of SpLD
- Dysgraphia - related to writing difficulties
- Specific Language Impairment - referred to the delay or problem in language development
- Dyspraxia - about motor skill deficit
- Dyscalculia - about difficulties in doing mathematical calculation
- Visual-Spatial-Perceptual Impairment - related to the sense of spatial arrangement and perceptual skill deficits
Possible support for students with Dyslexia (most common type of SpLD)
Learning support
- Provide study room in library exclusively for students with special needs
- Allow extra time for tests and examinations
- Give them course materials in advance
- Provide text-to-voice software / reading machine
- Do not penalize spelling or grammar errors, unless they are an integral element of the course outcome
- Special arrangement of the printing materials for classes and examinations
→Enlarged print
Tips for peers
- Help them to take notes
- Try to provide more support to them
→Sharing study tips- e.g. Organization skill etc.
- Try to give them more time to finish the jobs
→Set clear and break down instruction
*With reference to Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)
