一、身心特質
學習障礙是一群異質性很高的特殊教育群體，雖然有其獨特的個別性，但學業的缺陷、社會技巧的不成熟，以及一些行為型態的缺陷，例如，不專注、過動、衝動、協調性差、組織力差、動機低及過度依賴等，是學習障礙學生常有的特徵;除此之外，還有一些一般特徵，如:抱持負向歸因、沒有策略、無法類化∕遷移學習及訊息處理錯誤 等，也是其重要的問題特徵。以下就學業、社會技巧及其他一般性特徵等各層面進行簡單介紹:
1.學業表現:
學習障礙與學業低成就學生同樣都有學業表現不佳的問題，他們不同的地方，在於學習障礙的學生礙於神經心理缺陷，導致他們在聽、說、讀、寫、算、記憶、注意、理解等方面產生顯著的困難，其中以閱讀的障礙居多，據估計約有4/5 的學習障礙者屬閱讀障礙者，即使是診斷為數學障礙的學生，其障礙常來自於閱讀理解的因素。
以下針對學障不同學業表徵說明:
(1)閱讀能力方面:包括閱讀習慣、朗讀、理解、和表達方式等困難，常因閱讀速度慢而發生錯誤，或者唸完一段文章卻無法理解內容，也有跳行跳字的現象，對於易混淆的字也難以分辨。
(2)書寫能力方面:包括字跡的工整、字的正確性、文句的通暢性等，經常出現技術性的錯誤，如:寫字上下左右顛倒，詞彙有限，語句很短，寫字 速度慢，需要花很長的時間才能完成作業等。
(3)語言能力方面:分為語言的接收、處理與表達三方面的問題;在思考時， 也有符號運用的困難，很難運用詞彙或句子表達自己的想法，進而很少開口說話，無法與老師或同學產生良好的溝通。
(4)數學能力方面:通常無法了解數字的概念與心算、無法理解數學應用問 題，也無法運算太複雜的計算式，對於小數、分數、比例、時間、單位等概念理解有困難。
2.社會技巧:
並非所有學習障礙者都有社會技巧的問題，但絕大多數都有此問題;社會技巧的缺陷主要在於自我概念、交友能力、與他人互動能力，甚至影響他們處理學校課業的方式都有負面的影響。學習障礙影響社會能力發展的原因來自其溝通能力不佳及學習障礙低成就造成社會地位低落。
3.其他一般性特徵:
學習障礙學生的其他一般性特徵，主要為不專注易分心、過動、衝動、協調性差、組織性差、動機低且較顯依賴。學習障礙學生在經歷學校學習的失敗及挫折，對於個人動機容易產生負面的作用，認為不論自己如何的努力都不會成功，甚至因此認為是自己能力不足，而不會想到需要更多的努力或需要尋找相關資源及其他人的幫助。當學生預期自己會失敗，就會變得依賴他人或相信運氣，也會很容易放棄，這種現象稱為習得無助，也因此容易增加他們表現不佳的機會。
二、輔導原則
1. 多感官的學習:
利用視覺、觸覺、聽覺或其他各種管道來協助學習障礙學生的學習。
2.教導學習策略:
學習策略有助於學習障礙學生的學習，宜教導其如何記筆記、如何寫功課、如何記住長串的指令，使其具備學習策略以利因應學校考試。
三、教學提醒
在大學裡老師或學校可提供學習障礙學生的調整協助為以下各點:
(1)考試的調整，如延長作答時間。替代評量方式，如口考或操作替代筆試等。
(2)安排課輔或家教。
(3)安排學生報讀或筆記抄寫等服務。
(4)協助學生選課，並告知任課教師學生的學習困難。
(5)輔助科技的協助，如錯別字檢查、掌上型行事曆及鬧鈴提醒。
(6)教導學習策略，如學生自我管理、學習技巧。
影音資料:
資料出處:
全國特殊教育資訊網-學生輔導原則
https://special.moe.gov.tw/article.php?paid=181
Characteristics and Guidance for Students with Learning Disabilities
I. Physical and Mental Characteristics
Learning disabilities (LD) represent a highly diverse group within special education. Despite individual differences, common traits include academic difficulties, immature social skills, and behavioral challenges such as inattention, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, poor coordination, disorganization, low motivation, and overdependence. Additionally, general characteristics such as negative attribution, lack of strategies, difficulty with generalization/transfer of learning, and information processing errors are prominent. Below is a brief overview of their academic performance, social skills, and general characteristics:
1. Academic Performance:
Students with learning disabilities share academic challenges with low-performing peers, but their difficulties stem from neuropsychological deficits. These deficits affect areas such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, mathematics, memory, attention, and comprehension. Reading disabilities are particularly common, affecting approximately 80% of students with LD. Even those diagnosed with math disabilities often struggle due to difficulties in reading comprehension.
Key manifestations of academic challenges include:
(1) Reading Skills:
- Struggles with reading habits, fluency, comprehension, and expression.
- Slow reading speeds, frequent errors, or difficulty understanding content despite reading.
- Skipping words or lines and trouble distinguishing easily confused words.
(2) Writing Skills:
- Poor neatness of handwriting, frequent technical errors, limited and wrong vocabulary, and short but unreadable sentences.
- Slow writing speeds, requiring extended time to complete assignments.
(3) Language Skills:
- Difficulties in language reception, processing, and expression.
- Challenges using symbols during thinking and articulating thoughts through words or sentences.
- Reluctance to communicate, leading to poor interaction with teachers or peers.
(4) Mathematics Skills:
- Difficulty understanding number concepts, mental arithmetic, and applied math problems.
- Challenges with decimals, fractions, ratios, time, and units of measurement.
2. Social Skills:
While not all students with LD exhibit social skill deficits, many do. These deficits often manifest in poor self-concept, difficulty making friends, and struggles in social interactions. Low academic achievement and communication challenges also contribute to their lower social status and hinder social development.
3. General Characteristics:
Other common traits include:
- Inattention and Distractibility: Difficulty focusing on tasks.
- Hyperactivity and Impulsiveness: Struggles with self-regulation.
- Poor Coordination and Organization: Challenges in planning and executing tasks.
- Low Motivation and Dependence: Often resulting from repeated failures and setbacks in academic settings.
When students with LD experience setbacks in school, it is easy to have a negative impact on their personal motivation. They believe that no matter how hard they try, they will not succeed, or even think that they are insufficient in ability and do not think that more effort is needed. Give up to find relevant resources and ask for help from others. When students expect they will fail, they become dependent on others or believe in luck, which is called learned helplessness that increases the chance that they will perform poorly.
II. Counseling Principles
1. Multi-Sensory Learning:
- Incorporate visual, tactile, auditory, and other sensory modalities to support learning.
2. Teaching Learning Strategies:
- Equip students with effective strategies such as note-taking, completing assignments, and remembering sequences of instructions. These skills help them navigate academic tasks and exams more effectively.
III. Teaching Recommendations
In a university setting, instructors and institutions can provide accommodations to support students with LD, including:
1. Exam Adjustments:
- Extend time limits or offer alternative assessments such as oral exams or practical tasks instead of written tests.
2. Academic Support:
- Arrange tutoring or peer assistance.
3. Note-Taking Services:
- Provide services for recording lectures or copying notes.
4. Course Selection Assistance:
- Help students choose suitable courses and inform instructors of their learning difficulties.
5. Assistive Technology:
- Offer tools such as spell checkers, planners, and reminder alarms.
6. Teaching Learning Strategies:
- Guide students in self-management and effective study techniques.