Medical Model Of Learning Disability Essay

The Medical Model regards disability as an individual problem. It promotes a traditional view of disability, that it is something to be ‘cured’, even though many conditions have no cure. The problem is seen as the disabled person and their impairment, not society, and the solution is seen as adapting the disabled person to fit the non-disabled world, often through medical intervention. Control resides firmly with professionals; choices for the individual are limited to the options provided and approved by the 'helping' expert.

“The medical model is presented as viewing disability as a problem of the person, directly caused by disease, trauma, or other health condition which therefore requires sustained medical care provided in the form of individual treatment by professionals. In the medical model, management of the disability is aimed at a "cure," or the individual's adjustment and behavioral change that would lead to an "almost-cure" or effective cure.” (Langtree, 2012)

Learning disabilities are a life long struggle but if caught at a young age and early intervention takes place. The stress on the child and family is greatly reduced. Learning disabilities spread to every part of a child’s life affecting them socially. Teachers must remain professional and refrain from calling students lazy as in Adams case. A good teacher or specialist can demystify a learning disability and help a child’s

The medical model defines a disability as something that is physically ‘wrong’ with a person’s body. This could be an illness or acquired damage to the body in an accident for example. The medical model views the human body as something which can be fixed or repaired if there is a problem with it.

A learning disability is caused by the way the brain develops. There are many different types and most develop before a baby is born, during birth or because of a serious illness in early childhood. A learning disability is life long and usually has a significant impact on a person's life.

1. A learning disability affects the way a person learns new things in any area of life, not just at school. It affects the way they understand information and how they communicate. Around 1.5 million people within the UK have one. This means they have a difficulty:

The medical model of disability views disabilities as a problem that belongs to the disabled person. It is not seen as a problem that needs the concern of anyone else apart from the disabled individual affected, for example if a wheelchair user is unable to get into a building because there are steps then, the wheelchair is seen as the problem not the steps, according to the medical model.

There are many different types of learning disabilities; the most common ones are dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. (Jerome Rosner. –third ed. 1)

In the UK 2% of the population suffer from learning disabilities. A learning disability is the name given to any condition which drastically affects an individual’s ability to process and comprehend new information, acquire new skills, and successfully carry out everyday tasks without the aid of another.

Learning disabilities are defined as the inability to process information and the inability to communicate effectively. This can cause problems during the child’s years in school. It is often characterized by as having a below average intellectual functioning level as well as below average adaptational skills.

Samantha Abeel’s memoir My Thirteenth Winter is a prodigious example of how a learning diablility can affect someone’s life. “You have a learing diability?But you can’t be learning diabled. . . . .I mean. . . . . you don’t look it at all!”Many teachers like in the sentence above don’t know or understand the enormity of what a learning disability is.When she started kindergarten she knew something was wrong.She was different from everyone else.She couldn’t tell time or remember her schedule.she slowly started to fall behind in school.Causing her feelings to be formidable about it.Her learning disability caused her aloofness to increase,as she gradually became less closer to her friends and family.Since she was a savent in most classes especially

Growing, developing and learning are the facts of life for all children. Each day children are faced with many new concepts and various challenges. Can you imagine how it feels for a child to face not only new challenges life has, but to face these challenges while living with a learning disability? These challenges are met not just when they begin school either. Students suffer from learning disabilities from the moment they begin learning, not when they start school. Learning disabilities are real and they affect millions of people. “One such disability that affects over approximately 15 percent of the total American population is dyslexia” ( Nosek 5).

In this report, the Medical and Social Models of disability are explained, the relevance of both and their importance in society. My own personal views on both are contained throughout and within the conclusion, based on research, referenced and listed in the bibliography.

According to Paul Williams, ‘Learning Difficulty’ cannot be defined (social work with People with Learning Difficulties). Arriving at a generally acceptable definition of learning disability is a difficult

Under the Medical Model, disabled people are defined by their illness or medical condition. The Medical Model regards disability as an individual problem.  It promotes the view of a disabled person as dependent and needing to be cured or cared for, and justifies the way in which disabled people have been systematically excluded from society.  The disabled person is the problem, not society.  Control resides firmly with professionals; choices for the individual are limited to the options provided and approved by the 'helping' expert.