Simulating A Learning Difference

Have you ever wondered what challenges a student with reading, math, writing, attention, and/or organization deficits experiences? Well, there are a several websites that provide that information. Most, however, share general information on how a learning disability would affect someone in academic settings. Others have personal stories shared by someone who encounters problems with writing, reading, math, or attention and how he/she manages. Naturally, adults write these experiential stories.  How can we really understand how a student with executive functions deficits in kindergarten, or in middle school, perceives the academic challenges encountered in the classroom?

There is a very interesting website designed to provide this experience to anyone who can access and use a computer. Understood, a relatively new offshoot of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has set up a simulation for this very purpose. You will be able to see what a student in “preschool” through “after high school” encounters with “math issues”, “writing issues”, “reading issues”, “attention issues”, and/or “organization issues”. This website does this simulation very well, and the challenges provided are eye opening.

Another website is set up for one to sample what dyslexia is really like comes from England. It provides a very interesting taste for the non-dyslexic to truly “get” what people with dyslexia experience.

We hope that you find your experience with these websites to be enlightening and worth your time. We think that the path to truly helping students must include understanding their experiences.

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