Reply to Why are so many UMC average students "Learning Disabled"?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

OP here.  I'm not saying that LD's do not exist at all and I would consider dyslexia to be an example of something that is more of a legitimate LD.  But if you look over on the teen board, there is a thread along the lines of "would you leave your kid alone if they were making B's and C's.  And the overwhelming consensus is no.  Pretty much all the posters are saying that they do not consider C's acceptable.  That's basically the issue.  If a parent has a C student, they see that as a sign that something isn't right.  They take the kid to a psychologist to get tested, and usually the kid will get some sort of diagnosis that could make them eligible for services.  It may not be dyslexia, but very often it's adhd inattentive or a discrepancy in some area of intellect.  My hunch is that if you dug deep enough, you can find some sort of label for almost any C student (especially the adhd label that could really apply to almost anyone).  I'm also the poster with the nephew with the roommate from Exeter who said that about half the kids there supposedly have ADHD.  The scary thing is that the parents probably aren't even trying to play the system.  They see their kids having difficulty keeping up in a very competitive environment, and they legitimately think that the kid has some sort of problem. [/quote]

Performing below their intellectual capability is a hallmark of LD and ADHD.  You may be hearing that the only thing the parents care about is the grades, but there is more to the story.  [b]If a student is bright and does well in tests but gets barely passing grades, there is probably something going on.  Or if the student is bright and has good knowledge of a subject but can't demonstrate that knowledge on a test, there is probably something going on.  It would be negligent for a parent of that child not to dig further. [/b] Sadly, having the time and ability to dig further is somewhat correlated to SES.

I will always err on the side of trusting the parents/child.  It's true that an average child with accommodations will see a slight improvement, but a very bright child with moderate to severe ADHD will have their potential wasted if they don't receive interventions and accommodations.  It's not just about medications and extra time on tests, but helping teach them how to succeed and find their strengths.  Schools know one way to teach and that way doesn't work for kids who aren't typical.  Students who fall outside of typical need individualized approaches, whether that is speech to text software or explicit instruction and coaching on self-organization.

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So what if a student performs poorly on both tests and classwork?  Wouldn't you say that there is probably something going on?  Would it be negligent for the parent not to dig further?  Have we completely given up on the idea that some kids (even ones that are bright in other ways) might just suck in certain areas - or is that something that is now automatically regarded as being a disorder? [/quote]

Not always. For example, when a child is bad at math and science we say, oh they are just bad at math and science.

But for some odd reason, when we see a child is slow at reading, can't spell or is a terrible writer we say they are not that smart. 
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