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The first step is to identify which students are struggling. Naturally, when one asks students questions in class, some will volunteer answers out of confidence, whereas others may know they answers, but will refuse to answer out of shyness.

I will call specific students to answer questions, and when one repeatedly cannot answer a simple question that does not require advanced knowledge, then I will suspect something is amiss.

Homework is another good place to check understanding. I set homeworks at different tiers, each homework will contain several levels. Students may not be expected to complete all parts to the highest degree, however if a student is struggling with the basic ends, or is making consistent mistakes at the higher end, then this may draw attention.

Alternatively, if there is a mismatch between a student's ability and aptitude, then this may be a sign of a specific learning difficulty.

Other signs may include:

Emotionality - Difficulty managing emotions, outbursts, lack of self-regulation.

Avoidance - Refusal to participate

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Teachers are often the first to notice that a child might have a learning disorder. Sometimes the signs are easy to spot - a student who just isn't making headway in reading, for example. Or a child who, despite obvious effort, can't seem to master the times tables. But the signs are not always as clear, and many children, embarrassed that they are struggling to do things that seem easy for other kids, go to pains to hide their difficulties.

Here are some less-obvious signs of learning disorders in children to watch for in the classroom.

If you notice that a student who seems as if he should be succeeding, but he isn't -either in one specific subject or in his overall school performance - it could be a sign that he has learning disorder.

This is often described as a discrepancy between ability and aptitude i.e. a gap between what it seems a student should be able to do and what he's actually able do.

Some examples of how this gap might appear in the classroom include:

A student who writes fantastic essays but has serious difficulty getting through basic math assignments, or vice versa.

A kid who's great at answering questions in class but can't get her point down on paper.

A student whose intelligence is obvious in person, but isn't reflected on his report card.

Kids who aren't doing as well in school as expected may appear to be lazy or just not applying themselves, when in fact they may be struggling with a learning disorder. Adults with learning issues recall being told repeatedly, before they were diagnosed, that they weren't trying hard enough. Kids who look like they're not trying may actually be trying very hard, but failing, or trying to hide an embarrassing deficiency.

If a student constantly has to be reminded what to do next, you might think he's not paying attention, but it could be a sign that he's having difficulty with what's called " working memory " - holding, processing and building on new information. This is a common issue for kids with learning disorders.

Other signs to watch for include:

Difficulty following directions - especially if the student is hearing the information for the first time or there are several steps to remember

Daydreaming

Difficulty copying from the board

Trouble remembering assignments and doing them correctly

Students with learning disorders often try conceal their struggles from teachers and peers. Even if they're managing to keep up with school work, with extra effort, it may be taking a big toll on their self esteem. If a student comes across as excessively shy during class - hanging back during group projects, sitting in the back row, or doing everything in his power to avoid being called on during class - he may be trying to hide a learning issue.

It's also important to remember that hiding doesn't always look like what it is. In fact, for some kids it may look just the opposite. Where some students shrink down, hoping to go unnoticed, others act out, drawing attention away from deficits by becoming the class clown, being defiant, or pretending to be "too cool" to care how they're doing in school.

Students with learning disorders often struggle to get homework in on time - or at all. Homework troubles happen for a number of reasons.

A child may feel embarrassed to hand in work that is incorrect or unfinished.

Total wipe-out. Kids who struggle with memory and organization may have simply forgotten there was an assignment due at all.

Lost! Even when homework does get done, it still has to make it from home to school .

Every kid is bound to miss an assignment once in a while, but if a student routinely fails to turn in her homework it's time to take a closer look at what's going on.

Kids with learning disabilities often struggle with time management, transitions and organization. These timing troubles can cause problems both in school and at home. Tell-tale signs to watch for include:

A child who always seems to take 'too long' to complete tasks - from assignments to putting on his shoes after gym.

A student's who's parents report that it takes him hours to get through his homework at night.

A kid who's chronically late to school (I missed the bus - again!) or always seems to be rushing from one class to another.

Most kids will have test anxiety now and then, but if a student seems to have more trouble than expected it can be a clue that he has a learning disorder. Some things to watch for:

A student who always ends up scrambling to finish the test on time - or routinely exceeds the time limit - regardless of reminders.

A child who's always the last one still working on a timed assignment.

Very messy handwriting

Serious pre-test anxiety

A student who fails numerous tests despite having studied

School can be an emotional minefield for students with learning disorders. From struggling to keep up with peers to falling behind on schoolwork, the opportunities to feel bad about themselves can be overwhelming.

Kids with learning disorders often struggle with feelings of shame, embarrassment, and low-self esteem. If a child often seems to be down on himself, depressed, or frustrated at school, an undiagnosed learning disorder could be a cause.

Kids with learning disorders may develop serious school-related anxiety. Especially before they are diagnosed, when they don't understand why they keep up with their peers.

Additionally, kids with learning disorders often struggle with "self-regulation," meaning they lack the tools to manage and process emotions and are easily overwhelmed - which can lead to outbursts. For example, a student who flies off the handle when he's asked to stay in his seat, or is reduced to tears when asked to try a challenging assignment.

Students with learning disorders often go to great lengths to avoid school situations that trigger anxiety or stress. Some signs of avoidance to watch for include:

Excessive absences

Staying home "sick" on days when there are tests or other important assignments

Refusal to participate in challenging activities

Making frequent trips to the bathroom or asking to go to the nurse when faced with stressful assignments or tests

Cutting class, or skipping school entirely

Helping students with learning disabilities get the attention and support they need to do better and feel better will benefit that child- both in school and out - for years to come.

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Tips for Recognizing Learning Disorders in the Classroom - Child Mind Institute

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Learn how to identify learning disabilities in the classroom. Child Mind Institute offers tips for helping children with learning disabilities in school.

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1. Has difficulties in memory or processing.

2. Limited understanding in own language.

3. Difficulty in writing, but verbal understanding.

4. Fine motor skill difficulties usually expressed through writing.

5. Hearing or visual problems.

And fundamentally, do these issues present themselves in other contexts?

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Many children have trouble reading, writing, or performing other learning-related tasks at some point. This does not mean they have learning disabilities. A child with a learning disability often has several related signs, and they don't go away or get better over time. The signs of learning disabilities vary from person to person.

Please note that the generally common signs included here are for informational purposes only; the information is not intended to screen for learning disabilities in general or for a specific type of learning disability.

Common signs that a person may have learning disabilities include the following:

Problems reading and/or writing

Problems with math

Poor memory

Problems paying attention

Trouble following directions

Clumsiness

Trouble telling time

Problems staying organized

A child with a learning disability also may have one or more of the following:

Acting without really thinking about possible outcomes (impulsiveness)

"Acting out" in school or social situations

Difficulty staying focused; being easily distracted

Difficulty saying a word correctly out loud or expressing thoughts

Problems with school performance from week to week or day to day

Speaking like a younger child; using short, simple phrases; or leaving out words in sentences

Having a hard time listening

Problems dealing with changes in schedule or situations

Problems understanding words or concepts

These signs alone are not enough to determine that a person has a learning disability. Only a professional can diagnose a learning disability.

Each learning disability has its own signs. A person with a particular disability may not have all of the signs of that disability.

Children being taught in a second language may show signs of learning problems or a learning disability. The learning disability assessment must take into account whether a student is bilingual or a second language learner. In addition, for English-speaking children, the assessment should be sensitive to differences that may be due to dialect, a form of a language that is specific to a region or group.

Below are some common learning disabilities and the signs associated with them:

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What are some signs of learning disabilities?

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Many children have trouble reading, writing, or performing other learning-related tasks at some point. This does not mean they have learning disabilities. A child with a learning disability often has several related signs, and they don't go away or get better over time. The signs of learning disabilities vary from person to person.

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1. Understands content in their own language.

2. A few points of vocabulary missing.

3. Lacks confidence to answer questions in class.

4. Struggles to absorb information by written words, requires visual support or demonstrations.

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Do they present in multiple subjects?

At this stage, one can also start to determine whether it is a learning disability or language issue. If the other English heavy subject teachers (English, Economics, Global Perspectives etc.) report similar issues, meanwhile less English reliant subjects such as Maths do not, then we may lean more toward the language barrier as the likely diagnosis.

If I have a concern, I will first discuss with their English teacher to see what their judgement is, they will likely have greater insight into the student's ability as they regularly discuss and translate between both languages.

After that I will often talk to their Maths teacher, to see if the same issues present.

Furthermore I will talk to their homeroom teacher, as it is they who have the most contact with the student's parents, and who will likely have the greatest picture of that student's history.

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IRIS | Page 2: Distinguishing Between Disability and Language Difference

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Delays in social and communication development might occur when children are learning two or more languages. Because such delays can be red flags for further developmental problems in the areas of social-emotional development and cognition, early childhood educators must determine their cause: langu…

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1. Consult with the school psychologist

Our school psychologist will likely be the most qualified to make a formal assessment. Teachers here are by and large untrained to do so.

2. Parental/Family involvement

The homeroom teacher of the student may flag any potential concerns to the parents or family.

There is however a problem. Records of developmental history are not kept, or even created in the first place, and this would be essential to properly handling students with learning difficulties. By the time our students have reached us in high school, it is highly unlikely that they will have any record, and we will have no access to it even if it exists.

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Accurate identification through a thorough evaluative process, is the first step to ensure that individuals with Learning Disabilities[i] receive the services, supports and accommodations that are required for academic and life success. It is the position of the Learning Disabilities Association of America that the domains discussed below, must be assessed as part of a thorough evaluation for potential Learning Disabilities.

Learning Disabilities range in severity and interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following: oral language- listening, speaking, understanding; reading- decoding, phonetic knowledge, word recognition, fluency and comprehension; writing - written expression, spelling, fluency; mathematics - computation, problem solving, math fluency. It is necessary that any evaluation for suspected Learning Disabilities thoroughly assesses all areas of potential skill deficiency as well as the underlying cognitive and psychological processes contributing to learning.

There is increasing scientific evidence of the genetic basis[ii] of Learning Disabilities. Thus, whenever possible, evaluation must start with a detailed developmental history. This history must not just consider the child's own development of language and pre-reading skills but also seek out information about the acquisition of language and academic skills of the individual's family members. Additionally, medical information must be obtained from the parent or school in order to make differential diagnostic decisions. Medical information must include hearing, vision, or motor difficulties that could be contributing to the acquisition of academic skills.

Multiple sources of data are needed to conduct an ecologically valid evaluation to determine the presence of a Learning Disability. In addition to standardized, norm-referenced assessments of cognitive abilities and academic achievement, an evaluation of Learning Disabilities must include data when available from criterion referenced and curriculum-based assessments, progress monitoring data pertaining to the student's response to evidence-based[iii],[iv] interventions targeting specific academic deficits, and informal teacher designed assessments. Parent, teacher and student input and observations should be obtained via interview and/or questionnaires that assess behavioral, social/emotional functioning and attention/executive functioning.

Cognitive processing deficits are agreed to be a hallmark of Learning Disabilities; therefore, it is essential that processing abilities associated with the acquisition and use of skill sets involving oral language, reading, writing and math, be assessed using valid and reliable instruments. The model of the structure of the intellect that is widely accepted by researchers and practitioners in the field, is the Cattell-Horn-Carroll Theory (CHC). Most of the major assessments of cognitive ability have been revised or developed in accordance this theory[v]. Assessments based on this theory measure broad and narrow cognitive processes that have been found to be critical in the acquisition of academic skills. Some of these processes are working memory and long-term retrieval, orthographic processing, auditory processing skills, visual-spatial processing, processing speed, fluid reasoning, and verbal abilities.

Functional academic demands vary across the lifespan as well as across educational settings. When an individual does not need support in one setting or at one time of life, it does not necessarily mean that support is not warranted at another time or in another context. An evaluation must be thorough enough to anticipate these changing demands and underscores the need for evaluation of the specific demands of the learning environment in addition to the learner.

Underachievement is a symptom of the presence of a Learning Disability but is not sufficient as a sole criterion for identification. Evaluation for Learning Disabilities must always evaluate the relative contribution of other factors that may result in academic achievement below the levels expected based on the individual's age, grade and other abilities. A Learning Disability must not be primarily due to visual, hearing or motor disability, intellectual disability, emotional or behavioral disability, cultural factors, environmental or economic factors, limited English proficiency and lack of adequate instruction. However, the presence of factors on this list does not preclude the existence of a learning disability.

Cognitive ability assessments can be used to rule out the presence of an intellectual disability as the cause of underachievement. Underachievement that is due to lack of instruction, limited English language proficiency, or socioeconomic disadvantage is better evaluated by assessing the individual's response to evidence-based instruction and intervention, as well as conducting a detailed developmental and social history. An underlying assumption in the evaluation of Learning Disabilities is that vision and hearing difficulties have been ruled out or their impact is differentially considered when assessing the level of academic impairment (i.e., a sensory-based deficit can co-occur with a Learning Disability).

When evaluating for Learning Disabilities, it is not sufficient to simply collect data. Identification of Learning Disabilities requires clinical analysis of the data collected which includes synthesizing qualitative and quantitative information by a qualified professional trained in human development, learning theory, assessment, developmental disabilities, neuropsychology, etc. Identification involves more than formulaic analyses of scores such as in discrepancy models or calculation of Rate of Improvement in Response to Intervention models. It is essential to consider qualitative factors and process factors involved in reaching what may quantitatively be an "average" test score. This type of qualitative analysis requires clinical training and judgment. In the school setting, this clinical analysis is the purview of school psychologist and other qualified professionals, focusing on the manner in which processing deficits are impacting learning. Additional qualified professionals[vi] may contribute to analysis within an occupational setting.

The analysis of data collected through the evaluation process described here, and the recommendations that follow from the evaluation, must always relate back to how the individual functions in the classroom or other learning environment. When cognitive processing deficits impair one's acquisition of skills and ability to navigate learning and/or performance demands within an educational or occupational environment, identification of a Learning Disability is warranted.

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[i] "Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency. Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more of the basic processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to : language processing, phonological processing, visual spatial processing, processing speed, memory, attention and executive functions..." (Core Principles, LDA February 2018)

[ii] Numerous studies support the genetic basis of learning disabilities. See Berninger, Virginia, and Todd Richards. "Inter-relationships among behavioral markers, genes, brain and treatment in dyslexia and dysgraphia." Future Neurology, vol. 5, no. 4, 2010, p. 597 and Hensler, B., et. al. "Behavioral genetic approach to the study of dyslexia". Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics Volume 31(7), September 2010, pp 525-532

[iii] Evidence-based instruction is an instructional approach, practice, or methodology that is derived from evidence. Such evidence is often a derivative of empirical research, resulting in reliable, trustworthy, and valid substantiation suggesting that a program or practice is effective and that all proofs or facts that support such a program or practice are scientifically based. Professional wisdom, based on educators' individual experiences and consensus, also provides a source of evidence. (Whitehurst, G. J. (2002). Evidence-based education (EBE). Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/methods/whatworks/eb/evidencebased.pdf)

[iv] RTI data should be used when appropriate and available. For example, RTI data is not relevant in the evaluation of older students and adults. Additionally, evaluation for an individual thought to have a learning disability should never be delayed in order to implement an RTI process.

[v] Schneider, J. W. & McGrew, K. S., The Cattell-Horn-Carroll Theory of Cognitive Abilities. Pp 73-94 in Flanagan, D. P. & McDonough, E.M. (2018) Contemporary Intellectual Assessment, Fourth Edition: Theories, Tests, and Issues, edited by Dawn P. Flanagan, and Erin M. McDonough, Guilford Press.

[vi] Qualified Professional" is never specifically defined in the federal laws or regulations, however in its comments accompanying the published regulation the Department of Justice refers to "a professional with expertise relating to the disability in question" as the person qualified to make an individual assessment. 28 CFR Pt.. 36, App A, Ch 1, p. 785 (7-1-12 Edition). Examples of qualified professionals include school, clinical and neuropsychologists; medical professionals; speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists; and others with advanced specialized training.

Download the PDF of this Core Principle here.
Based on the purpose of the Learning Disabilities Association of America to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy, LDA's Core Principles were developed and approved by the Board of Directors of LDA to establish a set of standards and guidelines reflecting the positions and philosophies of our organization. Adopted: February 18, 2019

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Core Principles: Evaluation and Identification of Learning Disabilities

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Accurate identification through a thorough evaluative process, is the first step to ensure that individuals with Learning Disabilities[i] receive the services, supports and accommodations that are required for academic and life success. It is the position of the Learning Disabilities Association of America that the domains discussed below, must be assessed as part of a thorough evaluation for potential Learning Disabilities.

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The student’s English teacher will likely have the greatest insight here. All of our students will take IELTS exams. The English teachers see them everyday and know them well. Any language issue should be highlighted in their records.

One useful point to consider is whether the student has learned English simultaneously or sequentially, as there is a mixture amongst our school’s population.

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There is very little that can be done in our school. There is little help for students with learning difficulties available in China, outside of privately sought help.

There are specialist schools for children with learning difficulties in China, but these are in short supply as so are the teachers.

Given this shortage, there is little to no provision at our own school. Policy has become more accepting to the concept of SEN, but in reality there is little accommodation.

The individual teacher/teachers must essentially make do.

The exact nature of accommodations naturally depends on the problem. However we are simply not equipped to deal with these issues. Students are placed into sets by ability, and there are some students in the lower sets that have learning difficulties, but the attitude is one of 'hope for the best'.

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Systematic Review on Chinese Special Education and Inclusive Education:

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My subject (Business) requires a high level of English, and therefore I have worked with English teachers before to try and help struggling students.

We will usually try to identify a group of struggling students and then share the additional workload of arranging extra classes, divided by need.

The main problems tend to be with students expressing themselves in academic writing, and vocabulary limitations.

Students who struggle typically write in a colloquial manner and their verbal English typically matches their written English, with similar grammar and pacing.

Academic writing practice can be arranged, as academic writing is a class offered at our school. I myself will have one on one meetings to discuss homework, mid term exams etc. We discuss answers and reword some things to try and improve, and most students do improve with time.

If a student is struggling on a fundamental level with the language, we may have to have some one on one time, but in truth, by the time the student has arrived at high school, it is too late to fundamentally change very much.

However, there are some things that can be done:

1. Visual learning - Students who have difficulty understanding through verbal or written content may have greater ease with visuals. I try to include visuals where possible. Some concepts are difficult to explain but easy to visualise.

2. Translated materials - Business comes with its own set of language and key terms. I have provided all of my students with a glossary of key terms WITH translations.

3. Example answers - Students who write colloquially improve when provided with example answers. I have noticed that over time, my students emulate my grammar, pacing and general sentence structure. This I believe is because I provide students with a good number of example answers written by myself.

4. Confidence building - Confidence can be a huge barrier to using a second language. I engage in strategies to build confidence in students. I do not nitpick grammar or spelling, instead I simply positively acknowledge what the student has written, and repeat it back to them in a grammatically correct fashion. This allows us to correct mistakes without criticism that feels like 'criticism'.