Students with learning disabilities often require special attention (in terms of accommodations and modifications) and may also need access to assistive technologies in order to keep up with their classmates. As you know, students with LD are often as smart as their peers, but since they process information differently, they need additional support to compensate for their disability. If a student has been formally diagnosed with a learning disability, the accommodations that he or she needs should already be listed in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). As the student's teacher, you are an important member of the IEP team, providing observations and information about the kinds of specialized instruction and additional support that the student needs.

Accommodations and assistive technology are not meant to lower expectations of what a student with LD can learn and accomplish. They are intended to "level the playing field" in order to give the student a realistic chance to succeed in school.