Support Education Programme for Individuals with Specific Learning Difficulty

What Is Specific Learning Difficulty?

Specific learning difficulty is when individuals of normal or above-normal intelligence fall markedly behind their peers in academic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics despite receiving standard education. The difficulty does not stem from intelligence, vision or hearing problems, or lack of schooling.

Main Subtypes

• Dyslexia (reading difficulty): Difficulty with letter-sound mapping, fluent reading and reading comprehension.
• Dysgraphia (writing difficulty): Difficulty with handwriting, spelling and written expression.
• Dyscalculia (mathematics difficulty): Difficulty with number concepts, operations and problem solving.

Teaching and Learning Process

Instruction is planned around the individual's areas of strength. Multisensory teaching methods (combining visual, auditory, tactile and kinaesthetic input), graded and repetition-based practice, direct instruction and strategy instruction are used.

Objectives are broken into small steps; feedback is given at each step and prompts are gradually withdrawn as independence increases. Cooperation with the family and school is an integral part of the programme so that gains transfer to everyday life and the classroom.