Fall 2010

Fall/ Automne 2010
REFLEXIONS
ldanb●taanb
Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick
Troubles d’apprentissage—
d’apprentissage—association du NouveauNouveau-Brunswick
OCTOBER IS LEARNING DISABILITIES AWARENE
AWARENESS
SS MONTH
LE MOIS D’OCTOBRE - LE MOIS DE LA SENSIBILISATION
À LA CONDITION DES PERSONNES AYANT UN TTROUBLE
D’A
APPRENTISSAGE
ROUBLE D’
For 40 years we have been helping our community
become more aware of learning disabilities
by making visible changes for an invisible disability.
Depuis 40 ans nous oeuvrons dans le but d’augmenter les
connaissances des troubles d’apprentissage dans notre province
enfin de rendre plus de visibilité à un trouble invisible.
Inside this issue: / Dans cette édition:
Sept/Oct 2010
Still Missing - LD Strategy
2
President’s Message
2
Employment Offer /Offre d’emploi
3
LIPS Training
4
Worker’s Compensation Victory
5
Aperçu de TDA/H
6
“I was dyslexic, I
had no
understanding of
schoolwork
whatsoever. I
certainly would
have failed IQ tests.
And it was one of
the reasons I left
school when I was
15 years old. - if
I'm not interested
in something, I
don't grasp it. “
Richard Branson
Our New
Executive
2010-2011
President: Beth Keyes
VP Funding: Mary Jones
VP Programs: Rhonda Rubin
VP Administration: Fabienne McKay
Treasurer: Sylvianne Caron
Secretary: Dawn Gallow
T
he school year is now well underway, bringing with it
the renewed focus of ensuring that students with
Learning Disabilities receive relevant and appropriate
accommodations so that they may reach their full potential. Children and adults with specific Learning Disabilities
have enormous strengths that must be considered in any and
all educational planning efforts, and in this month dedicated
to LD awareness I encourage everyone to continue advocating
for these strengths to be brought to the forefront. It is with a
shared understanding of what Learning Disabilities truly are
that we will make the greatest difference.
National Rep: Cindy Grant
Beth Keyes
Still MISSING:
MISSING: LD STRATEGY FOR
STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS
A
strategy for working with students with learning
disabilities does not appear to be a priority with the
Department of Education. However according to Brian
Kelly, Student Services Director, and Kim Korotkov,
Exceptionalities Consultant, training in All Kinds of Minds
(teaching by profile) as well as LIPS (Lindamood Phoneme
Sequencing Program) continues. The goal of having one teacher
in every school who has received LIPS training has been
reached.
Presently a review of all curriculum is underway as part of the
21C Schools initiative. Electronic documents will be more readily
available as will more resource materials. LDANB will have an
opportunity to have input into the model which will use a
Universal Design Learning approach.
LDANB has some concerns as the Department of Education
begins adopting the UDL method as some students who
previously required a special education plan (SEP) to receive
accommodations in the classroom, and may also require
accommodations during provincial assessments, will begin to
receive accommodations without an SEP.
An Assistive Technology document in draft form will soon be
coming out for input. As well, LDANB has had the opportunity to
suggest that youth with learning disabilities have more
involvement in their transition planning. But with some school
Page 2
districts no longer referring high school students for LD
assessments, transition planning for these young people will
be difficult.
To see what other provinces are doing regarding developing
strategies for students with LD check out:
Communications Disorder Handbook (NL)
w w w. e d . g o v . nl . c a / ed u /k 12 / s t u de n ts up p or t s e r v ic es /
publications/CommunicationDisordersHandbook.pdf
Saskatchewan’s Teaching Students with Reading Difficulties
and Disabilities
www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/branches/curr/special_ed/docs/
teachreaddiffanddis.pdf
BC’s Special Education Services: a Manual of Policies,
Procedures and Guidelines
w w w . b c e d . g o v . b c . c a / s p e c i a l e d /
special_ed_policy_manual.pdf#page=47
From Alberta, Unlocking Potential: Key Components of
Programming for Students with Learning Disabilities
www.education.alberta.ca/media/511999/unlocking.pdf
You might want to know…...
News from UNB
Fredericton
As of August 16, one of LDANB
board members, Ann Wagner,
became the new Director of the
Accessibility Centre at UNB
Fredericton. She becomes the
third board member of LDANB to
hold this post.
The Centre
supports over 300 students. Ann
will be an excellent support for our
students needing support as they
undertake their studies.
www.unb.ca/fredericton/
studentservices/accessibility/
index.html
Employment Opportunity:
LDANB will be working towards capacity building
in regards to the needs of persons with Learning Disabilities in our province. To this
end our plan is to hire a Program Director to help us increase our capacity to deliver
appropriate services to the population we represent. It will also give us an
opportunity to give input to the government's initiatives especially the poverty
reduction strategy.
See the LDANB website for job description. www.nald.ca/ldanb
Offre d’emploi:
LDANB / TAANB progresse vers le développement d’aptitudes
pour répondre aux besoins de Néo-Brunswickois ayant des troubles
d’apprentissage. Afin d’améliorer la livraison de services appropriés et de mieux
répondre aux besoins de la population que représente LDANB / TAANB, l’organisme
cherche à embaucher un-e AgentAgent-e de programmes.
programmes L’équipe de LDANB /TAANB
sera ainsi mieux placée pour contribuer aux initiatives du gouvernement,
particulièrement en ce qui concerne les stratégies de réduction de la pauvreté.
Veuillez visiter le site web de LDANB / TAANB www.nald.ca/ldanb pour la description
du poste.
What we hear is…..
New at the Library / Nouveau à la bibliothèque
The New Brunswick Public Library has
added alternative format collections,
including audio books and books on CD
as well as large print materials. Computer workstations offer software which
can read text loud as well as a Kurzweil
3000. For more information contact
your local library or
http://www.gnb.ca/0003/
accessibility.html
Ldanb-taanb
La bibliothèque publique du NouveauBrunswick offre des services pour les usagers incapables de lire les imprimés. On y
trouve des livres sonores, des livres électroniques anis qu’un poste de travail adapte
ayant un Kurzweil 3000. Pour plus de renseignements, contactez la bibliothèque dans
votre région ou le siteweb http://
www.gnb.ca/0003/accessibilite.html
Page 3
LIPS Program Training – Summer 2010
Having
been a volunteer with the Saint John
Chapter of the Learning Disabilities Association, I
was offered an opportunity to attend the 3 day LIPS
(Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program) training
this past summer at Mount Alison University.
Several Educators are becoming trained by the
Department of Education in this program so that they
can
help
students who
experience
reading
and
l e a r n i n g
difficulties.
Research has
shown
this
program to be
beneficial for
students who
struggle with
decoding and
spelling
or
have
weak
phonetic awareness.
During the training we worked with partners to
practice the techniques modeled for us. The LIPS
program is structured to teach children to begin by
feeling the sounds without concentrating on actually
reading the sounds. All sounds and letters in the
program’s books are divided by pictures that
correspond to the feeling in one’s mouth when
making the sound, e.g. tongue tappers, lip poppers,
scrapers. Training participants learned the pictures
and associated sounds. For example, the letters P
and B are lip poppers while T and D are tongue
tappers.
Once letters, pictures and sounds are
connected, students move on to track the
sounds and gradually move to reading
tiles, making words and reading text. The
process is gradual but has proved to be
effective for many students.
While this program is difficult to explain,
once modeled, it is interesting to see how
using this program can be beneficial for
those students who struggle with reading. I
have had the chance to implement this
training with a young girl that I tutor. It is
amazing to see how well she responds to the LIPS
program. For additional information
please feel free to contact me at
[email protected]
UPCOMING EVENTS
ATTENTION:
October 23, 2010 - LDANB’s Fall workshop Enhancing Early
Learning with Dr. Rhonda Rubin, SLP, at the Forestry
Complex, Regent Street, Fredericton. For more info and to
register: www.nald.ca/ldanb
November 1212-14 - NEADS Conference,
Conference Winnipeg Manitoba.
Fully bilingual. For more information on schedule,
registration www.neads.ca/conference2010
Page 4
A VENIR
1212-14 novembre 20102010
conférence de l’association
nationale des étudiant(e)s
handicapé(e)s.
handicapé(e)s
Entièrement bilingue. Pour
plus de détails concernant
le programme, l’inscription
contactez www.neads.ca/
conference2010
Worker’s Compensation Board Appeal Won
I
t has been thirteen years since our son boarded a
plane for Edmonton and a new life. Eric had been
looking for work in his trade for three years
without success. Within three days of his arrival in
Edmonton, he was working as a machinist.
Eric continued to work as a machinist until he
suffered an injury in 2008. At that time, his life
changed. His neck and shoulder were injured. He was
experiencing constant pain and severe restrictions in
his movements.
Since his injury occurred while he was working the
Workers Compensation Board of Alberta became
involved. Eric was tested by one of the corporation’s
psychologists, who did not recognize several test
results which clearly indicated the presence of a
learning disability. When informed of Eric’s learning
disability, both the WCB case manager and
psychologist refused to acknowledge it , despite
receiving documentation which had accompanied Eric
from Landmark East (where he spent two years)
through the completion of the Machinist training
program at New Brunswick Community College.
Advocacy support from the Learning Disabilities
Association of Alberta in Calgary and an excellent
analysis of the original psychologist’s report had no
impact. Eric’s learning disability was not included in
his file.
While WCB case managers are described as
rehabilitation specialists, they are in fact more like
insurance agents. Their knowledge base is the
policies and procedures of the corporation, not injury,
disability, or rehabilitation. Eric was told by one case
manager to “Take a pill”, while another felt he had
been “born wrong”. One case manager considered a
learning disability to be a form of mental illness and
said this to Eric’s employer, destroying any chance of
him returning to his old job.
These case managers work within a corporate
environment and deliver their services, not as rehab
specialists but rather, as fund managers who are
rewarded for saving the corporation money by closing
Ldanb-taanb
a case as quickly as possible. The injured worker doesn’t
have a chance for a successful outcome since their goal
of returning to health and functionality is not shared by
their case manager, whose primary goal is to close the
case. Case managers simply don’t care what happens
after that
Eric was in the middle of a training course when he was
informed that the case manager had decided that there
was nothing wrong with him and he could return to work
as a machinist. This decision was based on a referral to
a specialist in which the case manager altered file
information and subsequently received the feedback
needed to suddenly close his case. Eric was even
informed that he had been cured since October 2008,
despite reports from three other specialists indicating
that he had a permanent impairment.
The appeal process was a challenge for Eric. He had
several hundred pages of documents to review and
organize. It took a long time and was hard work for him
to complete this process. In the end he knew the file well
enough that we were able to provide the corporation’s
“Resolution Specialist” with specific instances where the
case manager had manipulated information in order to
justify closing his case.
Winning the appeal was a Pyrrhic victory, since Eric’s
condition remains unchanged and his future remains
uncertain. He has a Class 1 Truck Drivers license, but not
the two years experience needed to get on the road. He
also has a Heavy Equipment Operators license but, after
four months of trying, no employment. In effect his life is
on hold with no indication as to when he will re-enter the
job force.
We have arranged for the learning disability diagnostic
process to begin, to have a trusted report on his
condition for future dealings with the WCB. They still
have not included the fact that Eric has a learning
disability as part of his overall case profile. With the
support of the Calgary Chapter of the Learning
Disabilities Association of Alberta, that decision is about
to be openly challenged.
Submitted by David Leadlay
Page 5
Aperçu du TDA/H
P
40 p. 100 des personnes qui ont un
ar TDA/H, on entend le trouble
TA auront aussi le TDA/H, donc, si
du déficit de l’attention, avec
o u
s a n s
un des deux est
hyperactivité. Ce trouble est
décelé, il est important
considéré un handicap Ce trouble est
de chercher l'autre.
neurobiologique interférant considéré un
avec l'habilité d'une
Est-ce
que
de
handicap
personne à maintenir
nombreux
enfants
l'attention ou à se neurobiologique
ont le TDA/H?
concentrer sur une tâche et
Oui. Le TDA/H touche
à contrôler le comportement impulsif.
entre 3 et 5 p. 100 des enfants au
Nous pouvons tous avoir de la
Canada, les garçons environ deux à
difficulté à rester tranquille, à porter
quatre fois plus que les filles. Nous
attention ou à contrôler nos
savons aussi que les filles sont
impulsions, mais pour certaines
souvent plus vieilles que les garçons
personnes, il s'agit d'un problème
lorsqu'elles
sont
chronique et persistant qui crée des
diagnostiquées
et
qu'il
problèmes dans la vie quotidienne, à
est moins probable
la maison, à l'école, au travail et en
qu'on les réfère pour
société.
qu'elles soient traitées.
Cela peut -être parce
La recherche actuelle montre que le
que le comportement
TDA/H est provoqué par une
des filles qui ont le
anomalie de neurotransmetteurs
TDA/H
n'est
pas,
précis dans un ensemble de circuits
habituellement, aussi
précis du cerveau. Dépendant de
perturbateur
ou
l'endroit concerné le long de ces
agressif que celui des
circuits, la personne peut-être
garçons et elles sont
distraite, impulsive ou hyperactive.
souvent moins difficiles
pour leurs parents et
leurs enseignants. Le
Nous savons aussi que la génétique
TDA/H peut se
peut avoir son rôle. Il est possible
poursuivre jusqu'à ce
que le TDA/H se trouve chez les
que la personne soit
membres d’une même famille et il
adulte et jusqu'à 67 p.
s emble êt re t rans mis d'une
génération à une autre. Selon une
100 des gens qui ont
eu le TDA/H peuvent
étude de jumeaux, si l'un d'entre eux
a le TDA/H, l'autre jumeau identique
continuer à avoir des symptômes du
a 75 à 91 p. 100 de chances d'avoir
TDA/H à l’âge adulte.
aussi le TDA/H.
Le TDA/H n'est pas un trouble
d'apprentissage (TA); il s'agit de
troubles neurologiques distinctifs.
L'un et l'autre sont reconnus et
diagnostiqués différemment. L'un et
l'autre sont traités de façon
différente. Le traitement du TDA/H
ne corrigera pas un TA. Le
traitement d'un TA ne sera pas utile
dans le cas du TDA/H. Environ 30 à
Page 6
Quel est le comportement d’un
enfant qui a le TDA/H?
Trois comportements sont utilisés
pour confirmer un diagnostic du
TDA/H : le fait d'être distrait,
l’impulsivité et beaucoup
d'énergie/d'activité (hyperactivité).
Cependant, il est important de savoir
que de la même manière que nous
avons tous des empreintes digitales
différentes, chaque personne qui a le
TDA/H a une série unique de
symptômes qui sont présents plus
fréquemment et dans différents
contextes en tout temps.
Distractibilité / inattention : sensitivité
excessive et capacité limitée à
ignorer aussi bien des stimuli
internes (p. ex. les pensées, la
douleur, la faim) et du milieu (p. ex.
le bruit, le mouvement).
Les enfants qui sont fréquemment
distraits ont une faible mémoire à
court terme et peuvent facilement
oublier
les
instructions,
ils
ont de la difficulté
à se souvenir où
sont leurs choses
et à s'organiser
ou
à
se
concentrer
sur
une tâche ou bien
à la terminer.
Les
enfants
inattentifs peuvent
aussi être sousactifs
(ou
hypoactifs).
L'hypoactivité est
une
activité
m o t r i c e
insuffisante, ces
e n f a n t s
réagissent
et
travaillent lentement, semblant être
sans émotion, donnant l'impression
qu'ils sont « paresseux » et « dans la
lune ».
L'impulsivité est un manque de
retenue. Les personnes impulsives
peuvent réagir immédiatement, sans
réfléchir, elles ont donc tendance à
commettre des erreurs de jugement.
Elles veulent répondre
immédiatement à leurs besoins,
interrompant fréquemment les autres
et déclarant à brûle-pourpoint ce
Aperçu du TDA/H (cont.)
qu'elles ont à dire, ce qu'elles
peuvent regretter plus tard. Elles
peuvent connaître les règles, mais
elles ne s'arrêtent pas assez
longtemps pour réfléchir avant
d'agir et donc, elles n'apprennent
rien de leur expérience. Les enfants
impulsifs ont des
problèmes à
l'école, avec leurs amis et à la
maison. Ils ont de la difficulté à
travailler et à jouer en groupe, se
précipitant pour accomplir leurs
tâches, faisant de nombreuses
erreurs d'inattention. Ils ont souvent
des comportements agressifs en
réaction au stress.
L'hyperactivité est une activité
persistante, haussée et soutenue.
Les enfants hyperac tifs se
démènent constamment, tapant des
doigts ou des pieds, bougeant leurs
jambes ou se tortillant sur leur
chaise. Pendant les classes, ils
peuvent se lever et se rasseoir
fréquemment à leur pupitre ou ils
font plusieurs choses à la fois. Ils
peuvent commencer un travail,
mais ils sont incapables de le
terminer parce qu'ils ont trop
d'énergie ou qu'ils s'ennuient, ayant
constamment besoin de stimuli.
Leur motivation semble disparaître.
Lorsque le TDA/H n'est pas identifié
ou traité, la personne encourt un
grand risque d'une capacité
d'apprentissage entravée, d'une
diminution de l'estime de soi, de
problèmes sociaux, de difficultés
dans la famille et de répercussions
à long terme éventuelles.
peuvent être
complexes.
encore
plus
Le côté positif
Grâce à l'identification et au
traitement, les enfants et les
adultes ayant le TDA/H peuvent
réussir. Plusieurs spécialistes
travaillant avec des enfants et des
adultes ont rapporté de
nom br eus es c ar ac tér is tiques
positives du TDA/H lorsqu'il est
correctement géré.
Év alu at io n , d i ag n o s t ic et
traitement
Il n'existe aucun test unique pour
diagnostiquer le TDA/H. Il faut une
évaluation complète
afin
d'éliminer
d'autres causes et Il est fréquent que
Il est fréquent que les
diagnostiquer
la
les personnes qui personnes qui ont le
présence
d'autres
TDA/H soient créatives et
conditions ayant lieu ont le TDA/H
possèdent de grandes
en même temps. Les soient créatives
qualités de chef de file.
plans de traitement
Elles font preuve de
devraient
être
compassion
ou d'empathie avec les
préparés pour répondre aux
autres,
elles
sont excellentes dans
besoins spécifiques de chaque
leurs
relations
avec les jeunes
personne. Pour traiter le TDA/H, il
enfants, les personnes âgées ou
faut des interventions médicales,
les groupes marginaux. Parfois,
éducatives, psychologiques et du
elles peuvent se concentrer
comportement.
totalement et faire preuve de
beaucoup de persévérance. Ce
Conditions coexistantes
sont des personnes intuitives et
perceptives possédant beaucoup
Fréquemment, d'autres conditions
d'énergie pour aller de l'avant.
entourent le TDA/H, par exemple la
dépression, l'anxiété ou un TA.
Lorsqu'il y a des conditions
Texte provenant de la fiche documentaire,
coexistantes, les problèm es
Aperçu du TDA/H.de LDAC ACTA.
scolaires et du comportement
Ce que l’on entend
Ldanb-taanb
Page 7
Learning Disabilities Association of New
Brunswick Inc./
Troubles d'apprentissage-association
Nouveau-Brunswick Inc.
We’re on the Web
LDANB-TAANB
203-403 rue Regent Street
Fredericton, NB
E3B 3X6
www.nald.ca/ldanb
est notre site
Phone: 506-459-7852
Fax: 506-455-9300
E-mail: [email protected]
The right to learn,
the power to
achieve /
Le droit
d’apprendre, le
possibilité de
réussir
SIR RICHARD BRANSON IS COMING
To Moncton’s Atlantic Dream Festival October 2828-30
The founder of the Virgin Group will speak of overcoming
the challenges of his dyslexia.
W
hen Richard Branson's granny was 99, she wrote remarkable, except that this paper was intended to tie many
him to say that the last 10 years had been her best schools together. It would be focused on the students and not
and he should read the book, "A Brief History of the schools. It would sell advertising to major corporations. It
Time" by Stephen Hawking. She had loved it. Her
would have articles by Ministers of Parliament, rock
advice to Richard was "You've got one go in life,
music stars, intellectuals and movie celebrities. It
so make the most of it." Those are words that
would be a commercial success. That was the
mean so much to Richard Branson, as they go
business plan that 17 year old Richard Branson put
right to the heart of his belief in making it on
together with his pal, Jonny Gems They had a little
help. Richard's mother donated four pounds to help
your own.
cover postage and telephone expenses. It was
enough to start. They worked in his basement and
Now, head of 360 or so enterprises that carry the
scrimped on everything except the grand vision of
Virgin name, with a personal wealth estimated at
the magazine. The first edition appeared with a
nearly $4 billion, he has followed that personal
cover picture of a student drawn by Peter Blake,
dream and made the most of it. He still holds the
who designed the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album cover. The
record as fastest to cross the Atlantic Ocean by sail. He still
headmaster of Stowe, where Richard and Jonny were
hopes to be first to circle the globe in a balloon.
students, wrote: "Congratulations, Branson. I predict that you
will either go to prison or become a millionaire." It turned out
It is a success that was never expected for a dyslexic, that the orders so flooded in that they were more lucrative
nearsighted boy. Richard didn't breeze through school. It than magazine subscriptions. Now they needed a name. One
wasn't just a challenge for him, it was a nightmare. His of the group piped up "Virgin." Because, she said, "we're
dyslexia embarrassed him as he had to memorize and recite complete virgins at business.
word for word in public. He was sure he did terribly on the
standard IQ tests...these are tests that measure abilities
In fact all of his companies make money and Richard
where he is weak. In the end, it was the tests that failed. They
Branson claims no prior expertise in any of them. He has no
totally missed his ability and passion for sports. They had no
giant corporate office or staff and few, if any, board
means to identify ambition, the fire inside that drives people
meetings. Instead, he keeps each enterprise small and relies
to find a path to success that zigzags around the maze of
on his magic touch of empowering people's ideas to fuel
standard doors that won't open. They never identified the
success. His Virgin Cola is bigger than Pepsi in Europe and
most important talent of all. It's the ability to connect with
people, mind to mind, soul to soul. It's that rare power to looking to take on Coke in the United States.
energize the ambitions of others so that they, too, rise to the
He writes all 5,000 Virgin employees, a chatty letter once a
level of their dreams.
month from his paper notebook, and invites them to write or
call him with their problems, ideas and dreams. They do...and
Ironically, Richard Branson's talents began to show
themselves during his adolescent school years. Frustrated new Virgin successes are born.
with the rigidity of school rules and regulations, and seeing
the energy of student activism in the late 60's, he decided to Source: Being Dyslexic
start his own student newspaper. This might not have been