Language-Based Learning Disabilities

Christy Brockhausen, Ph.D. Director of Lower School The Gateway School

To the casual observer, Jackie’s early childhood was relatively unremarkable. She was a happy, social child who got along with her peers and was curious about the world around her. By the time she reached preschool, she hit all of the expected developmental milestones for a child her age and was even ahead of the curve on a few. Aside from the occasional daydreaming, which sometimes led to missed directions, her teachers had no reservations about her classroom behavior and were confident she would thrive in elementary school.

The summer before Jackie started kindergarten, her baby brother was born. She was a doting big sister who was quick to comfort the baby at any sign of crying and who never missed an opportunity to tell people how proud she was of her sibling. Surprisingly for her family, the transition to kindergarten proved challenging for Jackie. Conflict resolution with her classmates was difficult for her to manage, and her daydreaming became more frequent. Jackie’s parents were worried, but family friends reassured them that so much change in such a short time was bound to lead to some acting out.

When she began to ignore their own directions at home, however, Jackie’s parents consulted with her pediatrician who recommended a hearing test. Jackie showed no signs of difficulty hearing, and her parents resigned themselves to the fact that she was simply moving through a “rough patch.” After all, Jackie was still on target academically, and she even showed a real passion for zoology and art.

By the time of her parent-teacher conferences in first grade, Jackie’s teachers shared a new concern with her parents. Jackie was quickly falling behind her classmates in reading. Her inability to resolve conflict with her peers had also deepened, and she was prone to outbursts. Jackie’s parents reported that the tantrums were happening at home, as well.

Taking all of this into consideration, Jackie’s teachers recommended she receive a neuropsychological evaluation from a consulting school psychologist. Jackie’s parents were taken aback. Sure, Jackie had developed a bit of stubbornness, but she was still the curious, social, and bright child she had always been. Why would she possibly need to see a psychologist? Jackie’s teachers confirmed what her parents believed: Jackie was still the curious, social, and bright child she had always been. Their recommendation for a neuropysch wasn’t because of concerns about her behavior; they had suspicions that she might be showing signs of a language-based learning disability. The term “language-based learning disability” describes a spectrum of challenges and difficulties related to the use of spoken and written language. These challenges are the result of an individual’s neurobiology and the impact of their environment. In other words, the brain of a person with a language-based learning disability functions in a way that makes tasks like writing, reading, and speaking more difficult than they are for a person whose brain acts according to expected patterns, or neurotypically. When placed in a learning environment or setting that is designed only for neuro-typical learners, the difficulties faced by a child with a language-based learning disability can be compounded and become pronounced.

Language-based learning disabilities can be receptive, expressive, or a mix of both. Receptive language delays cause difficulty understanding what others are saying. A person with expressive delays has difficulty expressing their own thoughts, emotions, and ideas. One well-known diagnosis within the spectrum of language-based learning disabilities is dyslexia. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) describes dyslexia as,

“... a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language this is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” According to the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association (ASHA), a language-based learning disability has nothing to do with how smart a child is, and most people with a language-based learning disability have average to above-average intelligence. Moreover, as Dr. Christy Brockhausen, Director of Lower School at The Gateway School, explains, “The term language-based learning Language is the way we connect to our feelings, communicate with those in our lives, and express our ideas.

disability captures the holistic impact of language on a child’s development.

“Language is the way we connect to our feelings, communicate with those in our lives, and express our ideas. Any difficulty or delay in language has an impact on our participation in a group, our ability to understand information and follow directions, the amount of time needed to process and demonstrate understanding, and perceptions among our peers.” In young children, like Jackie, language-based learning disabilities make it difficult to communicate the challenges a child experiences in school. This, in turn, can lead to symptoms that appear to be behavioral, like difficulty resolving conflicts with peers.

Similarly, a child with receptive language delays may need more time to process verbal instructions than a typically developing child. If these delays go undiagnosed, they can be mistaken for the same willfulness Jackie’s parents experienced.

“If all a child has to rely upon to communicate his or her need is behavior, it can appear as though the child is being oppositional. Too often, the response in schools is to address a behavior instead of treating the underlying cause of the problem, the deficits in a child’s language skills,” says Dr. Brockhausen.

“Oftentimes, people don’t begin to look for language-based learning disabilities until it becomes obvious a child is having difficulty learning to read or write.

“Additionally, people underestimate the impact of these challenges on a child’s experience. Our society places great emphasis on the level of book a child is reading. The attendant social capital can evoke anxiety in the child coping with a language-based learning disability that inevitably affects their school experience and their perceptions of themselves as a learner.”

The experience of a child like Jackie is not uncommon. It wasn’t until her reading assessments showed her below the expected developmental level that a language-based learning disability was considered. Many children make it to middle school or beyond by employing coping strategies to fill in gaps. Most children with language-based learning disabilities, however, only thrive in an academic setting that is structured to accommodate their needs. This is due in part to the fact that their challenges don’t change with age, although they may manifest differently in an older child.

At The Gateway School, students with languagebased learning disabilities become skilled, strategic learners and confident self-advocates because of a research-based pedagogy and an empathetic approach to learning. Relying on direct, multisensory instruction and guided by an integrated curriculum, expert faculty teach students the language, literacy, and critical thinking skills that are the foundations for success in mainstream educational settings and beyond. The program is strengths-based, but focused on remediating language, because it is the vehicle for understanding and self-expression.

Consistency, a commitment to professional development, and a holistic approach to teaching make Gateway’s approach effective.

Teachers at Gateway know that they can’t assume a student understands directions, and so they are trained to employ strategies that support student success. For example, every class, regardless of subject matter, is guided by an Aim and an Agenda. This outline specifies the lesson’s goal and the steps in the learning process that reaches that goal. The steps on the learning path are made obvious to students, and the teacher models the thought process involved with each step. This consistent approach helps students who struggle to process instructions stay on track and manage their anxiety.

Through an ongoing professional development program, teachers are taught how to use language as they teach, how disruptions or delays in the development of students’ language abilities impact their thinking and learning, and how to integrate language instruction into all the content areas.

Expectations for students always remain high, but lessons may be broken down into smaller parts, and teachers will be very deliberate in their own word choices and the level of complexity used. A student may be given additional time to process directions or be asked to repeat back steps to a teacher to ensure they fully understood the instructions.

Gateway takes all aspects of a student’s development into consideration, in particular how language affects the student’s thinking, feeling, and learning. Taught according to a defined curriculum and in small classes, students participate in group learning led by faculty skilled in direct, explicit, and multisensory instruction who are able to individualize instruction in response to a student’s needs.

All of this is meant to support a student’s understanding of how they learn best, a concept commonly referred to as metacognition. By actively teaching students how to manage their own learning, Gateway’s approach to education has a transformative effect on their lives.

Once diagnosed with a language-based learning disability, the importance of a school setting like Gateway for a student like Jackie cannot be underestimated. By recognizing the importance of language in all areas of life, Gateway’s program can allow Jackie to experience academic and social success, recognize her strengths, and be empowered to become a lifelong and independent learner. n