Learning Disability Simulation

Not using words that have an "l" or an "n" in them is much harder then you think! For part one of this simulation I went to the grocery store, I was looking for bread crumbs anyways so I figured why not! I went up to the worker and asked him if he knew where the bread crumbs were. He told me that if I kept walking straight down they would be down isle 9. I just stood there looking at him (which by the way is super awkward and uncomfortable!) and I then repeated the words back about 7 seconds later. On the simulation directions it said that some students take 20-30 seconds to process things, but 7 was so awkward I couldn't wait any longer. You could tell that the worker was thinking, "What the heck? Is she going to keep walking?" But you could also tell that he didn't want to be rude and just walk away. This was an uncomfortable situation for me but it was probably even more uncomfortable for the worker. When I slowly repeated back the directions he gave me to get to isle 9, you could tell he was trying to be nice and patient, but you could also tell he was getting frustrated when I would stumble upon words with a "l" or "n" in them and also because I was processing everything for a while before speaking.

This is one of the disabilities that I hadn't thought much about. In early field last year we learned you're supposed to wait 7-10 seconds before calling on a student to answer the question you just asked, and now I know why. When I was in the elementary classrooms I would do this, but it is awkward just sitting there for 10 seconds that feel like 10 minutes, but now I personally know why that is so important. 7-10 seconds is hoe long it takes for the average student to process the information, those with learning disabilities will take longer. This is something that I definitely want to implement in my classroom. I want all students to have an opportunity to think of an answer, because every student deserves that opportunity to learn. So it may be a little awkward at first, but it will be worth it. I have gained respect for those who have learning disabilities and how frustrating it can be to have someone else getting frustrated with you.