preview

Learning Disability History

Decent Essays

The way that society defines differences and exceptionalities has changed throughout history because people are gaining more insights about differences and exceptionalities through scientific facts, data, and new experiences every day. The idea of cultural pluralism which says that “people should not abandon their home culture but rather maintain their various ethnic languages, cultures, and institutions, while still participating in society as a whole” (Smith & Tyler, 2010 p.74) is part of what influences our culture of acceptance. We no longer make the assumption that people with disabilities do not have the same wants and desires as people without disabilities; they are included in our society as a whole. Additionally, laws like the ADA …show more content…

Additionally, the characteristics of a person’s learning disability can vary greatly, making it difficult to diagnose since while there are some common characteristics of learning disabilities, each individuals most common deficit may be different. Dr. Karge’s power point, Learning Disabilities, she point out that it is almost impossible to provide a typical profile for individuals with learning disabilities “because a person’s unique characteristic is their unique difference” (slide 16). For many people with a learning disability, their diagnosis doesn’t come until elementary school, as an adult, or not at all (Theories & Strategies for Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, Pierson, slide 3). Since late diagnosis is often the case for those with learning disabilities those around them may believe that their deficits are caused by failure to pay attention is class or a misunderstanding of the material. This can lead to frustrations for the student, their parents, and teachers. If their learning disability is not diagnosed, one attempted solution might be to have the student repeat the grade, making the student younger than his or her peers the next year, and possibly feeling self conscious or socially ostracized. The student’s parents and teachers may feel frustrated because having a student repeat the grade, while providing no additional help will result in the same deficits. Until the student’s learning disability is assessed and diagnosed, no steps can be taken, or services provided to help them

Get Access