| Currently, there are no known causes for learning | | | | arts. A girl with a math disability may be exceptional at |
| disabilities. Recent brain research using magnetic | | | | designing clothing. I know a young man who struggles |
| resonance imaging (MRI) has linked the origins of | | | | in reading but who is the most socially skilled person I |
| dyslexia to the brain, but we have yet to determine | | | | know. He speaks eloquently, acts onstage, and is a |
| with certainty what causes the garden-variety learning | | | | leader in his school even though he reads three |
| disability we have been seeing crop up in schools | | | | grades behind grade level. One girl I know has invented |
| across the country. In almost every book, article, | | | | several ways to put stage flats together to create |
| research study, Web page, and film I have ever seen | | | | different scenes in a play, yet she cannot pass her |
| on learning disabilities, the problem always resides in | | | | biology exam. Somewhere along the line it was |
| the child, and the prescriptions almost always call for a | | | | determined that if students don't perform at a high |
| change in the child, the medication of the child, or a | | | | level in all content areas, the areas in which their |
| new or different understanding of the child. Every | | | | performance is weak should deem them to be |
| approach, it seems, suggests that the child is the one | | | | considered disabled. Somewhere along the line it was |
| with the weakness. | | | | determined that success means that every student be |
| As a result, dozens of illogical conclusions are drawn | | | | perfectly well rounded in all subject areas. |
| about teaching kids for whom the traditional system is | | | | A blind person is disabled in the seeing world. In the |
| a challenge. Here is one that is particularly curious: | | | | comfort of a dark auditorium, listening to a symphony, |
| many children with learning disabilities are told they | | | | that same person is not disabled with regard to his or |
| cannot learn a foreign language because they have a | | | | her ability to understand, appreciate, and experience |
| language-based learning disability. Except that they did | | | | the performance. In fact, it could be argued that the |
| learn a language. They learned how to think, speak, | | | | senses of some blind people will be heightened in this |
| write, and listen in their native language. So why not | | | | situation even more than those of sighted people. |
| another language? Schools tend to teach foreign | | | | A hearing-impaired person would have a hearing |
| languages very differendy from the way we learn our | | | | disability in the same situation and would not be able to |
| native language. The concentration on grammar | | | | experience the event with the same result as the |
| baffles me. I have no idea what the grammatical rules | | | | other audience members. However, in another setting, |
| of the English language are. I always tuned out in | | | | that same person might outperform the others. For |
| English class when we got to that part. It was boring | | | | example, someone with a hearing disability may be an |
| and felt useless to me. Had I been in an English class | | | | expert photographer. The label disability has as much |
| that devoted a lot of time to grammar, I probably | | | | to do with the setting and the requirements of the |
| would have failed. And were I to have repeatedly | | | | setting as it does with the person. The setting most |
| failed in English class, I would have turned off and | | | | responsible for the proliferation of the term learning |
| stopped learning. Luckily, that was not my experience, | | | | disability is the traditional school. If all public and private |
| and I have a master's degree in English. Not being able | | | | schools are working off the same model of teaching |
| to conjugate a verb does not seem to prevent me | | | | and learning, a student will be disabled in every school |
| from expressing myself well through writing. Not all kids | | | | that uses that model. The manifestation of the disability |
| need to learn the respective rules of grammar in order | | | | may vary somewhat depending on whether the |
| to learn a foreign language. And not all kids learn in the | | | | school has small or large classes, tons of money or no |
| same way. Of course kids with learning disabilities can | | | | money, or chooses to read one book instead of |
| learn foreign languages; we just have to figure out | | | | another. Therefore, schools most willing to depart from |
| how to teach them. That is our responsibility. | | | | the traditional methods used to teach and assess |
| We seldom discuss the possibility that learning | | | | performance will do the greatest service in addressing |
| problems have their roots in a variety of places other | | | | the issue of learning disabilities. Those schools will |
| than in the child's brain. We don't hear about a | | | | create programs that meet students where they are |
| "teaching disability," a "parenting disability," a "school | | | | and take them where they have faith they can go. |
| disability," or a "federal policy disability." I don't deny that | | | | The above is an excerpt from the book Your Child's |
| there is something very wrong that is grossly | | | | Strengths: A Guide for Parents and Teachers by |
| challenging the thousands of young people who are | | | | Jenifer Fox. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned |
| diagnosed every day with learning disabilities. I not only | | | | reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt |
| believe in their challenges, but I also think it is imperative | | | | has been proofread, occasional errors may appear |
| that we address them. The reality is that many | | | | due to the scanning process. Please refer to the |
| students who have been diagnosed with learning | | | | finished book for accuracy. |
| disabilities are extremely good learners outside the | | | | Reprinted by arrangement with Penguin, a member of |
| classroom. Many students with learning disabilities are | | | | Penguin Group (USA) Inc. |
| very skillful in other areas, such as in the performing | | | | |