FREE ESSAY ON LEARNING DISABILITIES

LEARNING DISABILITIES

For centuries, the education of children with learning disabilities has been a problem and
a challenge. Many methods of teaching have been proposed, yet every day there are new
techniques and strategies on how to achieve the maximum success of these children. The
problem of educating a child cannot be solved quickly and easily, rather it requires much
careful analysis and research. Workers in this field are developing new theories on a day
to day basis. All the methods proposed seem to be the answer, yet the problem is not yet
solved. Meanwhile, we must determine the best strategies for the most effective method of
teaching a child with learning disabilities.
The term "learning disability" can be defined in several ways. Public Law 91-230 (dated
April 13, 1970) states, "The term 'children with specific learning disabilities' means
those children who have disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes
involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may
manifest itself in imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do
mathematical calculations. Such disorders include such conditions as perceptual
handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
Such a term does not include children who have learning problems which are primarily the
result of visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, of mental retardation, of emotional
disturbance, or of environmental disadvantage" (Weiss 249). A simple definition of the
broad term is "a condition or a series of specific conditions that interfere with the
normal learning process in a child who is of average or above average intelligence" (Lamm
1).
The children whom we are discussing are those who are sometimes thought to be
unprogressive or otherwise not achieving as well as they should at their age level in
school. They are usually average children who experience extreme difficulty in learning
how to read or to do mathematical problems, or who have difficulty in handling a pencil,
buttoning buttons, or tying shoelaces. They can be harshly teased by their classmates for
clumsiness or "stupidity," and are frequently labeled as "disciplinary" problems by their
teachers because they may act up in class in an attempt to blend in their lack of
preparation. Their disabilities are often not recognized and many times these children
grow up and go through life, still impaired, still making adjustments, never having been
helped because the nature of their disability had not been recognized (Lamm 1-2).
Children with learning and behavioral difficulties have a lot in common with all
children. They rarely exhibit any kinds of learning and behavior characteristics that are
not also seen in the typical child. For example, many times they cannot tell the
difference between similar letters or numbers. Many children also exhibit visual
perceptual problems during their early exposure of reading instruction, but most children
soon learn the appropriate visual discrimination and the associated letter sound, etc.
However, it is the children that continue to experience these problems that are diagnosed
as having learning difficulties (Gardner 43). 
The proper identification of a learning problem is only the first step in the redemption
process. Before the data obtained from testing and from subjective observations can have
prescriptive value, it must be properly interpreted and analyzed correctly. There are so
many cases where children are labeled as immature or unenthusiastic and they are given no
special attention or care. When the term "immaturity" is used by educators to describe a
child, the description does not in any way offer insight into the source of the child's
disability or problem. Today, there are so many terms that are used to refer to children
who have difficulties comprehending materials and who have atypical behavioral skills.
These include terms such as handicapped, disabled, exceptional, impaired, disordered,
special, and developmentally delayed. These are general terms, however, it is those terms
that actually specify the problem that often get confused. Placing a label on this child
is telling those around the child to treat him in a different way than other children.
There is substantial research that teachers act differently toward children for whom they
have low expectations. Over time, the child's behavior and achievement conforms to the
teacher's expectations. By labeling a child, not only will the educator deal with the
child differently, but other children will also immediately act differently toward the
child because they think something is wrong. By other children acting differently this
will eventually cause a change in the way the child perceives himself. The child will
look at himself in a different way. He will think of himself as bad. Now that he is
labeled, he is no longer an individual, his uniqueness is lost. Labeling the child does
not explain why he doesn't learn, and it does not indicate the actual problem. To label a
child is to take away his identity (Greene 24).
In order for the actual problem to be pinpointed, the child has to go through a series of
examinations and evaluations. Dr. Lamm states, "The primary purpose of each of these
tests is to identify any dysfunction in the central nervous system and to determine its
exact nature, so that we might design a course of remedial treatment" (Lamm 4). After the
child is tested he is directed to the type of class that will give him what he is
missing. It is at this point where we hope that there will be a successful remediation
and that this child will eventually be able to enter the mainstream (an attempt to keep a
learning disabled child with a peer group in the appropriate grade). The type of
classroom that the child is placed in, emerges from the reports of the various special
disciplines and from the actual evaluations and assessment tests. The child is looked at
informally; whether he is cooperative during sessions and the length of his attention
span. He is also evaluated formally; through a variety of tests. 
When placing a child there are many things to consider. The child's ability in language
skills is an important area in determining his intelligence; that is, being able to count
to ten or recite the alphabet, enumerate the days in the week and the months of the year.
In addition, the evaluators often prefer to get an idea of whether the child is familiar
with his/her surroundings. Questions such as, determining the day of the week, are often
helpful to see whether or not the child is alert. Many of the informal tests are
dependent upon the child's age. A child who is five would surely be expected to know less
that a child who is ten years of age. Another factor that interests many evaluators is
the child's ability to identify shapes, colors, and body parts. (Lamm 45)
The final part of most of the informal testing techniques is to test the child's writing
abilities. First the child is asked to write simple things such as his name, address,
birthday, telephone number, etc. The smallest facts that would be considered the least
important usually end up determining the child's placement. If his writing is extremely
large or small, it is often an indication of an emotional problem. Questions about the
family and the child's background may give the evaluator a good idea of what type of
environment the child is growing up in. Often it is ascertained that one's environment
has a large affect on his own performance. Lastly, the child is asked to either repeat a
story that he saw on television or on the street. If the child is unable to do this it
indicates to us that either the child doesn't understand what he is watching or what he
understands, or that he is just unable to express his recollection and thoughts.
The formal tests are more clinical. The child is asked to complete a puzzle so that the
evaluator can get a sense of the child's visual-motor skills. The complexity of the
puzzle used is determined by the age of the child and the reason for referral. Then the
child is usually given all sorts of visual and mathematical tests. After the testing,
both formal and informal, is complete, then, depending on the child's performance, he is
either continued forward or backward to assess the exact grade level of what he has
accomplished. He may be lacking in some areas and ahead in others. There are often many
problems in pinpointing the exact method of teaching which would best fit the child's
needs. Many schools work together to find the best methods, and they share information
which they feel might help other schools to successfully teach these children.
Today, throughout the educational system, there are many techniques used to teach
children with learning problems. A Chinese Proverb states, "I hear and I forget- I see
and I remember- I do and I understand" (Weiss, 110). This proverb is the basis to
teaching learning disabled children. Things cannot just be taught to them, rather they
must be fully presented to them through visual materials. It is important to allow for
all kinds of expression, not just the basic reading/writing techniques. There are so many
ways to teach them, there is no one simple solution to the problems of the learning
disabled child.
The teacher is where it all begins. His/her attitude toward the children and his/her
desire to teach have been proven to be the factors in the success rate of the students.
The teacher must want these children to achieve their best. If the teacher doesn't care,
it is basically guaranteed that these children will be unsuccessful and develop a
negative attitude toward themselves. If the teacher does not expect a lot from the
student it could result in reinforcing the child's learning and behavior problems. The
focus in a special classroom should be much different than the focus in a normal class.
In today's school the focus is the outcome, not the effort that the child puts in. It is
said, "The twelve-year-old full-time vocation of being a student is measured in
impersonal letters and numbers. If we continue our bias against nonbook learning, we will
"turn these kids off" through our unconscious attitudes and our classroom approaches"
(Weiss, 111). When teaching special education children we must take a different approach.
We must focus on their strengths; on those areas in which they are most successful. If a
child is not successful academically, however he is a good athlete, we must give him the
confidence that he needs by praising his athletic abilities. Everyone needs positive
feedback in order to build self confidence and in order to be successful.
Throughout the development of the educational system, children with disabilities were
placed in special classrooms. However, lately, the trend has been changing and it has
been moving toward integrating the children into a regular classroom. Programs that
integrate children seem to eliminate the stigmatizing effects of segregated programs, and
follow the least restrictive feature of the law. The immediate problem in providing an
integrated setting for preschoolers is that most public schools do not offer programs for
3- and 4-year-olds. Therefore, preschoolers with disabilities are generally placed in
segregated classrooms. Some investigators report that integrated classrooms are
effective. Others think that more research is needed to evaluate the quality of services
for young children with disabilities in integrated settings.
There are so many other means of teaching children with learning disorders. Programs that
are home-based, where the parents become the child's primary teacher, have been suggested
and have many advantages. Here the parent must be fully involved and much time must be
dedicated. In center-based programs, the parent (or school-arranged transportation)
brings the child to a central facility. The services at the facility are geared
specifically toward children with disabilities. Combination services are flexible
programs that provide services at home and in a center. These are only a few examples of
the types of services that are offered to learning disabled children. As technology
advances more programs have been devised and are continuously progressing.
Overall, it may be concluded that the method of teaching and assessing a learning
disabled child is determined by the capabilities of the child himself. There is a growing
concern for children and youth with learning disabilities who have extreme difficulty
both academically and in other areas despite their mental capability. The inquiry of the
youngster who encounters extraordinary difficulty in learning, however, is not in anyway
new. Throughout the years, children from all different surroundings and backgrounds have
experienced difficulties in learning. Researchers and investigators have been trying to
solve this problem. However, as of now, we may only come to one conclusion, that the best
way to teach these children is to bring them up in a surrounding where they learn to
develop a positive attitude toward themselves. The child must want to thrive and achieve
his best. Whichever teaching method is chosen, whether it be mainstreaming or home-based,
the educator must have high expectations in order so that the child will gain
self-confidence. This is only a guide, for it is clearly not a solution. It is most
likely that a solution will never be found but rather we must work with each child as an
individual so that he/she may reach his/her potential and achieve maximum success.