Module 5: High Incidence Categories

In this module, I had heard about the term high incidence, but was unclear to what it meant. I worked with 2 students for 3 months with learning disabilities who felt frustrated with their learning. I helped them identify some strategies to use, but was not aware that there was so much more. 

New Understandings

• The different high incidence categories



     Figure 1: Special Needs Designations and Supplemental Ministry of Education Funding

BCTF (2019) Retrieved from https://bctf.ca/publications/BriefSection.aspx?id=46986

• The anxieties students face
• The 9 different learning disabilities, Category Q

                 Arithmetic Disorder (Dyscalculia): difficulty in learning or comprehending mathematics.
                     Writing Disorder (Dysgraphia): distorted writing despite instruction
                          Reading Disorder (Dyslexia): difficulty with the alphabet, word recognition, 

                                                                             decoding, spelling, and comprehension.

            Spelling Disorder (Dysorthographia): difficulties with spelling, weak memory or 

                                                                             awareness of language structures and letters in 

                                                                             words
                        Auditory Processing Disorder: affects the way the brain processes or interprets what 

                                                                             it hears despite intact hearing.

                             Visual Perception Disorder: difficulty processing what is seen, despite good 

                                                                             vision.

                                     Sensory Integration 

                                 (or Processing) Disorder: sensory input not processed efficiently by 

                                                                             the brain.
                Organizational Learning Disorder: difficulties in selecting stimuli to focus on,  

                                                                             organizing thoughts logically, distinguishing 

                                                                             direction, or managing time and materials

          Excerpted from BC Ministry of Education. (2011) Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities: A Guide for Teachers

Implementation

• Teach mindfulness, calming strategies
• Use daily journals and give time for self-reflection/ individual goal setting
• Promote a growth mindset in the classroom
• Design lessons that take into students’ interests
• Give alternate ways to share learning i.e. IPads, reading buddies, demos etc

Next Steps:

• To addressing the needs of gifted learners
• To explore ways to address behaviour challenges