Page 311

TANF POLICY MANUAL

_____________________________________________________________________________________________ 311

Characteristics of Adults with Learning Disabilities NOTE: These are general characteristics that might be seen in people who have learning disabilities. No person will exhibit all of these characteristics. These characteristics may also be seen, to some degree, in people who do not have learning disabilities. Some characteristics are more prevalent than others. Reading Characteristics What It Looks Like in an Adult Does not read for pleasure.

Engages in leisure activities other than reading magazines or books; prefers more active pursuits. Doesn’t read stories to his/her children. Does not use reading to gather information.

Cannot easily use materials like newspapers and classified ads to obtain information. Has problems identifying individual sounds in spoken words. Does not attempt to sound out words in reading or does so incorrectly. Often needs many repetitions to learn to recognize a new or unused word. May encounter a newly learned word in a text and not recognize it when it appears later in that text. Oral reading contains many errors, repetitions and pauses.

Reads slowly and laboriously, if attempts at all. May refuse to read orally. Efforts in reading are so focused on word recognition that it detracts from reading comprehension. Loses the meaning of text, but understands the same material when it is read aloud. Has problems with comprehension that go beyond word recognition. May have limited language skills that affect comprehension. Does not understand the text when it is read to him/her. Has limited use of reading strategies. Is an inactive reader; not previewing text, monitoring comprehension, or summarizing what is read. When prompted to do so, does not describe strategies used to assist with decoding and comprehension of text. Rarely practices reading, which may compound reading difficulties. Lacks complex language and word knowledge. Recognizes and uses few words, expressions, and sentence structures than peers.

Writing Characteristics What It Looks Like in an Adult Has difficulty communicating through writing. • Rarely writes letters or notes. Needs help completing forms such as job applications. Written output is severely limited. • Struggles to produce a written product.