Learning Disabilities and Intelligence

Study Notes

Intelligence is not the only influence on learning and achievement, other factors include prior experience, SES, cultural value of academic success, cultural capital, self-control, and motivation.
Educators should recognise and value students' varied abilities, and Gardner's multiple intelligences can help with this.
Teachers should become aware of children's different profiles of intelligences and plan lessons that engage multiple intelligences based on teaching objectives.
Gardner's model expands the ideal curriculum and supports diverse intelligences.
It is important not to over-emphasise one or two intelligences with students, but rather encourage both their use of dominant intelligences and provide opportunities for developing skills in other areas.
Intelligence tests are useful for diagnosing students for special education services and learning disabilities, but multiple pieces of evidence should be used for placement decisions.
The definition of learning disability varies, and in Australia, it refers to specific disabilities that may affect students across the intellectual ability spectrum.
The most common definition in the US legislation focuses on an intelligence-achievement discrepancy, but it is not clear what cognitive differences exist between students with a learning disability and those who experience low achievement due to poor instruction or lack of motivation.
The response to intervention (RTI) model is used to diagnose a learning disability if students do not learn from the instruction that most students learn from.
The Flynn effect is relevant to LD diagnosis when related to IQ measures.
The use of the most recent version of an IQ test can affect the likelihood of being diagnosed with a learning disability (LD).
In Australia, up to 1 in 10 people have an LD, with boys more likely to be diagnosed than girls and low-SES children more vulnerable.
Dyslexia is the most common form of LD.
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a three-tiered approach to help students with LD.
Tier 1 involves high-quality instruction and frequent assessment for all students.
Tier 2 uses in-class interventions for targeted low-achieving students.
Tier 3 provides more intensive services for students who do not respond to tier 2.
An RTI model was linked to reductions in the number of students identified as learning disabled and to improvements in reading scores in Florida.
Critics argue that the RTI model is unproven and may not detect all students who may benefit from services.
Some students with intellectual disability or emotional disorders can be mistakenly identified as having an LD.

Description

This quiz will test your knowledge about learning disabilities, multiple intelligences, and the response to intervention (RTI) model. Discover the factors that influence learning and achievement, and learn about Gardner's multiple intelligences and how they can help educators value students' varied abilities. Explore the different profiles of intelligences and how to engage them in lesson planning, and understand the definition of learning disability and how it varies across countries. Test your understanding of the RTI model, its three-tiered approach, and