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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1989-08-29, Page 40.44:11:67 These students aren't stupid By Kelly Judge Billy was always a troubled child. He was considered hyperactive by his parents; his teachers described hun as "slow". He spent most of his time gaz- ing around the classroom and never finished his school work. Report cards indicated teachers were pessimistic about his future acedemic success. One teacher told his mother Billy should be satisfied to complete the "basic" course in high school. Despite what many may think, Billy is not a "stupid" boy. His problems stem from a learning dis- ability called dyslexia. And there are more "Billys" out there than we think. The term, "learning disabled" is used to describe a slew of learning difficulties, according to Fred Gore, director of St. Jude's Special Educa- tion Private School and Learning Assessment Clinic, Kitchener. Mr. Gore says a common learning problem is what he calls the "tip of the tongue syndrome". It is accen- tuated in stress situations such as during an exam. Parents may drill their child the night before the test, and feel he or she knows the material, yet the stu- dent fails the exam. Quite often the student will remember the missing details outside in -the hall after the exam is finished. Dyslexia, an inability to read with understanding, is another learning disorder. The causes of dyslexia are not known at present. Researchers suspect it is related to brain dominance. The left side of the brain is usually dominant over the right in language ability. In a minority of people the right brain is language dominant, or it shares language ability with the left brain. People with shared or reversed dominace of this sort seem to be prone to language disorders, including dyslexia according to Durden-Smith and DeSimone, 1984. Mr. Gore referred to "attention deficit disorder" and explained it revolves around rule generated behavior. Knowing the rule doesn't cause obedience. The consequences are not anticipated. Those with "central auditory processing deficit" cannot focus their attention while there is noise in the background. When listening to two conversations, they cannot pay attention to one. Hyperactivity may also affect learning. The hyperactive child talks rapidly, cannot sit still, rarely finishes work, acts on impulse and cannot consentrate. Attitudes Julie was having problems reading. Her mother figured he was jr 1,zzy because Julie's old, - sibling t ,re bright students. On the first day of Grade Four, Julie was asked to stand and give her name. "What's your last name again? Oh, yeah you're the dumb one in the fami- ly," the teacher said. Although many learning dis- abled children are thought to have a lower intellegence, Mr. Core stresses these children are not stupid. "If you were to compare the learning disabled population with the non -learning disabled, studies show the learning disabled have, on average, a 10 point higher IQ" Mr. Gore says. "Many with learn- ing problems are not even diag- nosed. In some cases it is hard to identify the problems. The child has taught him/herself coping skills to survive and is able to do that because of a high level of intelle- gence." The short form often used for the term learning disabled is LD. Mr. Core says he prefers to call it "learns differently". "It doesn't mean these kids can't learn, it means the person learns differently; once they find the way that works for them there's no stopping them". Mr. Gore suggests oral testing, putting assignments on tape and allowing additional time. Assessing the child with half the work is less frustrating for children who work slowly. Parents and teachers must remember these children need more time and need to be taught in a step by step fashion. Symptoms The Canadian Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disablities has compiled a list of learning disability warning signals. All children exhibit some of the following behaviour at times, but a cluster of these requires further assessment: poor printing, difficul- ty cutting with scissors, coloring and printing inside lines, does not know the difference between up, down, top and bottom, problems discriminating between letters, sounds, and numbers, has good verbal ability, but has trouble read- ing or putting thoughts on paper and poor spelling. In adolescent years the student may have the following warning signs: poor handwriting, books in a mess, bizarre spellingnmistakes, does not plan ahead, lacks logic, frequently good in one person sports, difficulty persisting with difficult tasks, rarely relates past events or experiences in sequence or detail, vulnerable to peer pres- sure, often the scapegoat in situa- tions, poor judgment, doesn't learn from experiences. Karen has run away again. The running began about a year ago, coin- citiing with increasing problems at school. During the past year, there have been several phone calls fro m concerned teachers. She skipped class- es, demonstrated disrespect toward teachers, fought, and never completed her homework. Report card comments made by concerned teachers go back as far as Kindergarden. In the primary grades Karen was decribed as a bright stu- dent, eager and willing to learn, but having some difficulties with her printing and sentence structure . Karen' junior -levep rt,pefrt cards ,Fern- titrued to iderillififlibritign '71;04 as- an area of difficulty. Comments of inap- propriate behaviour became frequent. In her intermediate grades, Kare n was described as being more disrup- tive in class and displayed a negative attitude. However, in music and French Karen's notes were up-to-date, and her marks were high. In the earlier grades, Karen had a learning weakness. Without help, the weakness became a disability. Karen never received the help she so desperately needed and wanted. The police have not found her yet. Help Available Corry's parents were concerned about his unhappiness with school. He would cry every morning and said he didni want to go to school. Corny was taken to a clinical psychologist for intelligence and aptitude testing. The psychologist confirmed Corry was indeed a bright child. Fall entertainment comes to Blyth "We're setting the stage for another exciting season of enter- tainment this fall," says General Manager Joel Harris. "The Blyth Centre for the Arts brings you a wonderful array of performances for the entire family. The Fall Festi- val of Entertainment line-up brings the finest in Canadian performers in the fields of music, theatre and comedy to Blyth Memorial Hall." "Big Girls Cry" is a comedy writ- ten by Heather Esdon. It unmasks the world of Faith Monaghan, a "somewhat overweight" actress preparing for an important audi- tion. The audience joins her in the bathroom along with a zany cast of characters in this touching solo stage show. Heather Esdon, no stranger to Blyth audiences, was featured in the "Cakewalk" and "Lily, Alta." A fun -loving musical foursome whoop it up on stage in "The Romaniacs". It contains an enter- taining rnix of gypsy soul, Hot Club Quintet -style fire, swing, pop lean- ings and red-hot rhythm. After a couple of minutes, you will be shouting, "Hoy' With the rest of the audience. The "Second City' touring come- dy troupe brings hilarious and tacti- cal skits to tickle your funny bone. Farrious performers from past Sec- ond City shows include, John Candy, Gilda ikaditer, Martin Short, Eugene Levey, Andrea Martin, Rick Morards, Dave Thomas and many more. Second City's talented young performers make you laugh and laugh and laugh. The children will enjoy the Robert Minden Ensemble, story- telling music makers. The Ensemble weaves together music, stories and laughter in a show charming to all ages. The stories based on personal narratives, ancient tales and dreams, are orchestrated with the sounds of unusual acoustic instru- ments: saws, spoons, bottles, bells, crystal glass, conch shells, hoses, drones, and waterphones. Another popular children's enter- tainer to perform at Blyth will be Glenn Bennett. Creative energy, a unique sense of humor and a way of looking at things from a kid's view make Glenn. Bennett one of Canada's hottest children's enter- tainers. Glenn's songs have a way of appealing to all ages. Kids sit with their mouths hanging open as they hear about the strange eating habits of "Jonathan Edwards the Third" while parents relate easily to the antics of "My Baby Brother". Glenn's Disney Channel Kaleido- scope Concert is still running on TV — see him live at Blyth. One of Canada's finest theatre ensembles, 'Kaleidoscope Story Theatre, brings an infectious blend of narrative sad% music and spon- taneity with their story theatre per- formance. From Vancouver, this exciting group offers a fun -filled evening of stories taken primarily from fables, folktales, fairy tales and legends. Designed for audi- ences of all ages, Kaleidoscope Story Theatre will leave you shak- ing with laughter and clapping for more. '7 Further testing indicated Cony had dyslexia. This work was charaterized by typical error patterns: reversals, distortions, omissions and substitu- tions. Corry was then assigned to a spe- cial class at school. There he got the type of instruction he needed. He was taught it was not his fault he couldn"t learn by regular class- room methods. Corry entered the next grade, reading at the appropriate level. There are special schools dedicat- ed to helping youngsters with learning disabilities such as Mr. Gore's St. Jude's school in Kitchen- er and Sheila Morrison's private school south of Barrie. Programs were mandated into existence in public schools follow- ing the creation of Bill 82 which states: — It is the right of all exeptional pupils to have access to appropriate education programs. — Education at public expense will be provided without fees charged to the pupil and family. — It is the right of all exceptional pupils to have their interests repre- sented including the right of par- ents to request a review of the placement and identification on behalf of the child. — It is the right of exceptional pupils to enroll in a program which includes a plan and an outline of services that meets the needs of the exceptional pupil. The schools in this area have become sensitive to learing prob- lems and special programs have been established. George Gibson, resource teacher, for F. E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham, deals with students with any type of learning problem. "It may not even be a problem such a dsylexia, the student may come to me because he or she needs to develop study skills," says Mr. Gibson. Students may come to Mr. Gib- son one period per day, or just occa- sionally for extra help in a subject area of concern. "Part of my job is to boost the self-esteem of those who have not had a good leering experince," adds Mr. Gibson. According to Mr. Gibson, "We all have a learning disability. It is the degree to which the disability dif- fers from our ability to learn. It boils down to learning coping skills." There are also special programs at the elementary school level. A Success Story Although the actual names were not used in the above case studies, all are true. The most important step toward helping these students is aware- ness. Do not hesitate to have your child tested, it could change your child's future both academically and emotionally. I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I am presently enrolled as an English major at Wilfrid Laurier University with a grade point aver- age of A- in English. Because I received help in high school, many do not know I have dyslexia. You see, I'm not stupid. I just learn differently. The Winsitam Adveace-Timaa„ Aug. 29, POO P� a WORKIN' AT THE CAR WASH—Wingham Mayor Ian Moreland and his wife Margaret were just two of the volunteers on hand at last Saturday's celebrity car wash to raise money for the newly - formed Wingham chapter of Big Sisters. Kay Ducharme of Wingham, in the car, was just one of the car owners who patronized the car wash and helped to raise over $800. injuries minimal in two weekend mishaps Injuries were minimal in two sep- arate accidents last weekend, both in Turnberry Township. A two -car mishap Sunday morn- ing just north of Wingham on High- way 4 sent one woman to hospital with minor injuries, according to a spokesman for the Wingham detachment of the Ontario Provin- cial Police. The accident occurred at 10:40 an. The driver of the first vehicle, a 1981 Oldsmobile, 17 -year-old Cherida Garniss of RR 5, Brussels, was southbound on the highway, report the police. The Garniss vehicle struck the rear end of a 1986 GMC driven by John Todtz, 42, of Walkerton. The Todtz vehicle was stopped behind another vehicle on the highway, which was making a turn. Mr. Todtz's 38 -year-old wife Brenda was taken to Wingham and District Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, but 10 -year-old Terry Todtz was not injured, according to the OPP. Damage to the Garniss vehicle is being listed as severe by the police, while damage to the Todtz vehicle is called moderate. An incident early last Friday morning near Bluevale sent two young people to hospital with minor injuries, say the OPP." The mishap occurred at 4 a.m. on SEN. KENNEDY DIES In June of 1968, residents of Canada and the United States react- ed with shock and unbelief to reports of the assassination of Sena- tor Robert Kennedy in Los Angeles. Aug. 25 on Highway 86 near High- way 87 at Bluevale. The driver of the vehicle was Jonathon Gray, 19, of Scarborough and he was driving a 1989 'Dodge. According to the police, Mr. Gray was westbound on the highway when he, lost control, entered the north ditch and rolled over. Two passengers in the Gray vehi- cle, 18 -year-old Bradley Evins and Fred Flanagan, 20, were treated for minor injuries at Wingham and Dis- trict Hospital, while a third passen- ger, 16 -year-old Christine Guemette was not injured, say the police. The vehicle is demolished, report the OPP. Its SoLasy! Stainton's customer parking makes shopping our store so easy. 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