Posted by S.A. Stapleton

: What all the people before me stated is true. I have a couple of things
: to add -- One does not usually obtain a diagnosis of Learning
: Disabilities. One meets the criteria for being Learning Disabled. Just
: the same way, a person does not out grow LD, but they no longer meet the
: criteria.

I would disagree here. One does not meet the criteria of LD like one
meets the criteria of being American or French. As far as nationality
goes, you are either born into a group of people or get the papers to
belong to another group.

It's not the same with LD. Socially, often one does have to pursue and
"obtain" a diagnosis, even though you may have had the condition
since birth. The whole process of recognizing and getting
recognized as having LD is a social and political process.

No one wants to have LD. People who seek the label often want it because
it provides some explanation to themselves and others for their problems, and
because it will mean some level of service (we hope) can be provided,
that will help end or remediate the difficulties. For some, making a big
case that they have LD is a political and personal act, similar to what
we saw with the deaf pride movement in the 1980's. I am proud to have
LD, in some ways, and I often use it to get acceptance for my students
and I. I tell students if I could do it, then they can too. That's a
powerful role model (I hope).

: One would expect to find LD equally in all populations, however, if one
: looks in a special education classroom -- for the Learning Disabled, one
: usually finds 80%+ boys. My theory is that LD girls, because of
: socialization skills, do not display the same behavior that LD boys do.

Not so much socialization skills I think, but because of socialized ways
of coping. As a teacher of handicapped youths, female LD students are
the ones who typically withdraw and give up, giving the appearance, to
some regular classroom teachers, that these kids are naturally slow or
depressed. Boys, however, are the ones who tend to act out, act tough,
and challenge authority. I'm seeing a shift, however, as LD becomes a
more acceptable 'excuse' for academic problems. By this, I mean I see
more boys and girls using LD as a reason not to try, and these children
are largely accepted by their peers. For example, I have seen students
refuse to try to learn reading, because, they say, they can't read.

: It is this behavior that usually draws attention to the condition. The
: same way Gifted/talented girls are under represented. Their behavior
: does not draw teachers to key in on them.

Again a matter of interpretation. Gifted boys are the ones who used to
score high in science and math skills, while gifted girls tended to score
in the devalued areas of language and social caring. This gap is
narrowing, to the point that it is statistically measurable, but socially
insignificant. The schools I have taught in seem to have equal numbers
of male and female gifted students, across all subject areas. However,
there are marked differences still in how boys and girls see giftedness
across the subjects.

: Understand, that just because one meets the criteria for being LD, does
: not guarantee her services. Most districts have a cap on services.
: This is usually, for example, the 5/6th grade for reading. What this
: means is that if she is reading at the 6th grade level (even if she is a
: senior) and the cap is the 5th grade -- no services. This cap changes
: from state to state.

Very true. Services and availability varies. But she get a diagnosis
for other reasons than to get services. One is to get social
acceptance. Many teens and adults prefer the label LD over 'slow
learner' or 'mental retarded'. In some social circles, having LD is
more acceptable than other conditions, being labelled as being plain
stupid or slow can be a death sentence to self- esteem and budding
friendships. It may even allow her to use her diagnosis to pressure
teachers to give her more time to do an exam, to allow a laptop into the
classroom, and to share notes from other students. Depending on the
social and political climate, getting diagnosed may help her in ways that
aren't direct or measurable.

--
Scott
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

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