3+Monday,+February+1

=Defining Learning Disbility-Special Education Identification=

You will access the following article from the wiki:  Ysseldyke, J. (2005). Reflections on a research career: Generalizations from 25 years of research on assessment and instructional decision making. //Exceptional Children, 67//(3), 295-309.

You will then watch the following clips that you can find with the links below:

As might be expected, the characteristics of a given learning disability differ from student to student. The various definitions of learning disabilities are useful for the purpose of identification and eligibility, and information about the general characteristics of LD can increase our understanding of them. However, teachers can gain even better insights by actually observing the ways in which a given disability affects student performance in everyday classroom situations. In the 1980s award-winning television series //The Cosby Show //, much is made of young Theo Huxtable’s academic struggles. During the sixth season, however, Theo is diagnosed with a learning disability (Episode 129, "Theo’s Gift"). For his parents, who have often wondered at how such a seemingly intelligent student could get such poor grades, and for Theo himself, this diagnoses comes as something of a relief. The episode dramatizes Theo’s frustrations after years of school failure (the learning disability was not identified until he was in college) and humorously yet realistically addresses many of the characteristics of a learning disability, the frustrations of a student who knows the course material yet performs poorly in class, and basic study tips and accommodations. In addition, "Theo’s Gift" reveals the ways in which many parents and teachers misunderstand learning disabilities, instead blaming the student for not trying hard enough, or for having poor test-taking skills. //Note: //The episode is based on the late Ennis Cosby’s (Bill Cosby’s son) experiences with a learning disability.

The episode is available as part of //The Cosby Show //’s sixth-season DVD set, or on YouTube at **http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwssN6ShJjg ("Theo’s Gift," Part 1) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU0YvzTiIp8&feature=related ("Theo’s Gift," Part 2).** 