Supporting nursing students with learning disabilities: a metacognitive approach.
As more students with diagnosed learning disabilities (LD) enroll in college nursing programs, nursing educators must increase their understanding of ways to support these students without compromising their academic standards. This article describes a framework for understanding LD including issues in diagnosis, intervention, and accommodation and is designed to assist nursing faculty in maximizing the likelihood of success of these students. Specifically, this article examines the characteristics of students with LD from a metacognitive perspective, identifies curricular issues specific to a typical nursing curriculum, reviews legal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), and provides examples of classroom and clinical modifications including teaching approaches that can benefit all students.