THE CHILD LEFT BEHIND

The professional and layman alike must distinguish between individual differences and educational disabilities. While a child with inadequate visual memory may develop poor reading skills with the ‘see and say’ type or system of reading instruction, the same child could acquire appropriate reading performance using a ‘phonics’ type reading approach. In acquiring reading skills, a child with an auditory discrimination deficit may find the ‘phonics’ approach unproductive, and even frustrating, but blossoms when instructed by a ‘see and say’ reading method. A review of both the popular and professional literature over the last 60 years provides a plethora of examples of failures turning to successes by merely switching reading instructional systems. This phenomenon is the probable explanation for the schools constantly cycling between these reading instructional systems. Unfortunately, educators and psychologists frequently misdiagnose children as educationally handicapped rather than merely suffering from an individual difference in learning. For example, these professionals would indicate a child unsuccessful with the reading approach currently in vogue, such as ‘phonics,’ as educationally handicapped rather than to an individual difference in learning that would blossom under a ‘see and say’ reading approach. Other factors confounding the situation: levels of mental maturity, motivation, attitudes, health or emotional problems, sensory deficits, and parental support to name the common ones. In addition, some children suffer a variety of deficits—not from a single deficit—that interact to make neither a ‘see and say’ nor a “phonics” reading approach effective as the sole remedial approach.

The professional must not only distinguish between individual differences and educational disabilities, but also identify the specific disability (ies) before an educational handicap develops. Factors--such as sensory impairment, limited intelligence, inadequate social or cultural environment, emotional disturbance, physical and health disabilities, communications disorders, and learning disabilities, as well as a combination of these factors--may result in an educational, social, or emotional handicap. Therefore, it becomes essential that the professional approach the diagnostic process in a systematic manner. Unlike attorneys, who recognize they cannot be equally expert in all aspects of the law, educators attempt to have expertise in all educational disabilities and haplessly may master none. More importantly, all educators must possess knowledge of the various types of educational disabilities but we need specialists who have the expertise in specific disabilities, and even at specific age levels such as preschool, elementary, secondary school, and even older age ranges. Because the research and literature in any area is so extensive, professionals find it is virtually impossible to be current in all disabilities and remedial strategies.  The author’s intent is not to cover all these areas in depth. However, he will emphasize learning disabilities (LD) or what the author refers to as brain inefficiencies (BI), specifically the identification of associated behaviors and problems. Unfortunately, education has taken a more generalized approach in diagnosing or classifying educational deficits. Instead of individuals with specific problems--such as educable, trainable, severe and profoundly mentally retarded, learning disabled, and emotional disturbance—professionals have lumped them all together as needing learning support classes.

Many times the knowledge discovered about LD seems to be only common sense when it becomes known. Perhaps, educators’ knowledge about LD is analogous to the knowledge the Wright brothers discovered about flight. Kelly3 states “A popular misconception is that the Wrights gained much of their knowledge of flight by observing flights of birds. But Orville Wright in a letter years later, said he could not recall anything usable that they learned first from birds, though they did watch birds to try to confirm some of their theories. Learning the secret of flight from a bird was a good deal like learning the secret of magic from a magician. After you know the trick and what to look for, you can see things you didn’t notice when you did not know exactly what to look for.”

Educational professionals should utilize both theoretical and practical approachs to children with learning problems that include one or a combination of five components:

1. the individual’s need for special education;

2. exclusion of other causes for learning difficulties;

3. discrepancies in developmental behaviors;

4. maturational lag;

5. biological basis for brain inefficiencies which interfere with learning.