When one comes across a child who faces difficulty studying, should he or she be categorized as being lazy? What happens when children have trouble socializing with their classmates? Would their actions contribute to the categorization of being either shy or apathetic?
As per a recent study, causes for academic problems can be classified into four categories, namely “child-centred”, “parent-centred”, “teacher-centred”, and “environment-centred” (Venkatesan, 2011). The results reveal that there is a consistent attitudinal turmoil that occurs amongst three contenders (teachers, students and parents), which are the only parameters this paper will highlight. This series of blame games leads to a plethora of misconceptions. It is underneath this blanket of misconstrued opinions that one may find the hidden diagnostic key for a child’s academic plummet, a learning disability.
A learning disability (LD) has been described as a neurological disorder that reduces intellectual ability which may or may not obstruct daily chores and activities. Children suffering through such a disability may face problems with learning, time management, organization skills and more (Learning Disabilities Association of America n.d.).
To help manage their debility, specialized educational programs and schools have been established for children with “special needs”. However, having a stringent standard curriculum may not suffice as these children exhibit multiple symptoms with varied ranges. Well trained professionals who are highly adroit in the art of teaching must brace themselves for the challenges of teaching a classroom filled with students of varied intellectual capacities.
TEACHER – CENTRIC
Being a vital source of imparting education to a child, teachers receive their share of the blame when it boils down to a student’s learning disparities. As qualified educators, it is imperative that they understand the dynamics of teaching different types of learners. In the absence of such knowledge, the teacher inadvertently designs an environment wherein the chances to recognize any symptoms of a learning disability in a child is completely obviated.
Based on a study that measured the viewpoints of students about managing their learning disability at the post-secondary level, it was revealed by the 6 children that an early age diagnosis intervention was considered essential. Also, it was noted that fundamental information about learning disabilities is required for all educators to grasp via training programs (Burke, 2001).
Another reference introduces a study which essentially strives to understand the awareness and compassion of all adult companions of a child. Parents, school administration, teachers and psychologists were scrutinized with regard to their comprehension of learning disabilities in India. It was found that 695 of the teachers did not conduct any form of LD training programmes for the children they attend to. 37% of the teachers knew nothing about a child with learning disabilities and their varied academic challenges. 83% of the educational institutes did not have the facility of a resource room or a remedial educator. Also, 69% of schools do not have a counsellor and only 11 schools of the 35 interviewed send children to the hospital for certification and the remaining schools refer to any other source (S, et al. n.d.).
A statistic exploration organised to better understand the perceptions of teachers about learning disorder in a northern city of India exposed interesting results. Out of eighty teachers who were recruited, 57.5% had more than 5 years teaching experience; 56.3% of teachers believed they were well aware about LD, 67.5% of teachers were under the impressions that they do encounter children with LD in the school, 43.8% endorsed educating such children in special schools, while 36.3% endorsed integration to regular schools. Additionally, more than three-fifths of teachers were open to the idea of undertaking special training for LD intervention (Padhy, et al., 2015).
A crucial obstacle students with LD often encounter is the teacher’s lack of knowledge about their disability or about the innumerable school provisions offered and their underlining principles (Karande, Mahajan and Kulkarni, 2009). Parents require no mathematical indicators to highlight that most school teachers experience a definitive gap of understanding when it comes to identification of LD symptoms in a child. Insufficient knowledge about disabilities leads to negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities (Saravanabhavan, 2001). Therefore, teachers necessitate training to address the special needs of children (Rajakumar et al., 2005). Educators must learn to firstly identify LD students, understand modern forms of teaching techniques, and subsequently practice the same by accommodating LD children.
Another important aspect of education is engaging the child in a manner that holds his/her interest. According to opinions of a handful of children, they regard disinterest in the teachers as a pivotal reason for their own learning issues. Other concerns recorded were a constant fear of teachers and their methods of punishments. Since each classroom is filled with children demanding attention, many of the students feel isolated and neglected by their special educator and a result are overcome with a feeling of loneliness (Venkatesan, 2011). While teachers endure disparagement during school hours, parents on the other hand, are heavily censured for their limitations and innumerable restrictions as well.
PARENT – CENTRIC
Based on a survey involving 50 psychologists who reviewed 5000 cases it was observed that “parent-centred” explanations were the second highest cause of a child’s academic problems (Wright n.d.).While associating with a child’s school, many times the administration would pressure parents into participating as volunteers and lend a helping hand with “their” own child’s education. Due to such events, parents tend to feel victimized and patronized if in the off chance they fail to deliver such requests. Subsequently, these helpless parents turn defensive in order to salvage their position and identities as “good parents”. Befalling such humiliation, their attempts of changing the child’s school does not ameliorate the situation in any way. In fact, they tragically are given the harsh title of being “uninvolved parents” by teachers and educators.
In contrast to that, teachers also blame a disabled child’s parents for their stringent and prying habits and general distrust in the education system offered. They believe that many parents fail to provide the essential freedom to their child and the educator in charge to facilitate a wholesome learning experience. Other factors contributing to the complicated relationship of both adults for example family issues can also hamper the child’s mind-set while inside the house (Venkatesan, 2011).
At the home front, things can prove to be equally challenging for a parent to sustain. When initially informed about their offspring’s neurological disability, parents have to overcome a range of obstacles before they can even begin to help address their child’s requirements. To start with, significant decisions such as those concerning physical, emotional, financial, educational matters and more must be planned and accounted for. Getting overwhelmed by such responsibilities can throw the entire household environment into disarray and consequently damage relationships (GreatSchools Staff, 2015).
Although a little quarrelling is considered a healthy dose to keeping a marriage alive, (Dumas, 2012) the same may not be true when coping with a child’s problems. Due to the initial shock, parents find it immensely difficult to adapt and accept that the lives they once envisaged which will now change drastically. These adults also experience an array of feeling from anger, sorrow, self-criticism, disappointment and last but not least blame (GreatSchools Staff, 2015). Not only do they need to tend towards their child around the clock, they must find a way to do so by bridging the gap between their own differences. For the same, parents must ensure that their relationship is strong enough to withstand the turbulent and stressful scenarios for the well-being of their child.
This can be especially tasking if one or both spouses are employed and are, therefore, unavailable at home otherwise. Due to their time away, the child faces another scenario where he has been sequestered. Children with LD have also complained about the preposterous high standards parents set for them to achieve (Venkatesan, 2011). Setting such impossible goals for them not only induces unnecessary pressure on these kids, but also sets the expected frequency of their failures. The forcing of one’s own ideals on an innocent child can be acknowledged as officious.
CHILDREN – CENTRIC
The overall results from popular studies concluded that children-centred sources were the prime cause for all academic problems.
From the educational space, school psychologists shed light over the prevailing causes for child centred problem as mentioned by Dr Alessi her article “Diagnosis Diagnosed: A Systemic Reaction”. A great share of the worksheets and results presented at a school’s psychology event only showcase the child as a problem. Possible issues within the administration of the educational institute remain unaddressed. In fact, most of the graduate schools have been strategized in a way that highlight problem with the child himself/herself rather than the prevailing schooling system.
Textbooks issued under school psychology emphasise a prominent bias towards child-centred issues. Alessi discovered after scrutinizing carefully several “mainstream” psychology text that when assessing children’s reading problems, school factors were mentioned as a factor between 7% and 0% (zero) of the time. “Child factors” were held responsible for their reading problems from 90% to 100% of the time. (Wright n.d.)
Taking the example of Arter and Jenkins (1979) who point out the interventions designed to tackle the issue of learning disorder, Alessi perceived the prominent infusion bias of child-centred problems in current day research practices. Additionally, it was also observed that “Parents trust school psychologists not to adopt assessment practices that are inherently biased in ways that could hinder, rather than help, their children (Wright n.d.).
Looking at Venkatesan’s study, he made an interesting observation regarding the mental model of teachers and special educators. Based on his inferences from the study, it was understood that educators would reject the notion that establishes them as being an obstacle to a child’s learning and intellectual growth. However, they never had a problem of shifting the blame over to the other two parties, students and their parents.
Both parent and teachers had overlapping insights when questioned concerning their position on the subject matter of academic difficulties. One of the most common and frequently communicated notions was that kids are “more interested in play”. With growing technology, it is safe to say that children have been gifted with an entire world of distractions with ease of access. Due to negative impacts of technology, children tend to become inactive, dull, lazy and inattentive as they become more and more engrossed in their gadgets. Ever changing classroom dynamics also affect young minds and social skills. With friendships being forged day in and out, inferiority/superiority feelings start emerging amongst peers. (Venkatesan, 2011)
Both studies clarify some interesting discoveries and relevant flaws in the schooling environment. Faculty members be it teachers or psychologist, seem to face a moral dilemma of whether they need to be loyal to the institution that provides them with a steady job support or the students they dedicate their careers to.
The presence of Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) can be extremely frustrating for a child as he/she experiences varied levels of resilience, depression, anxiety and stress. Family members coexist with one another by thriving in an interdependent atmosphere. A child’s personality and skills when linked to those of his/ her parents along with their individual behaviour sets, creates the overall charisma of their family. In order to strengthen the foundation of their relationships, parents must take charge and support the child so that he/she may develop their own persona.
To begin this process, parents need to become consumers — to educate themselves about the nature and manifestations of their child’s difficulties (GreatSchools Staff, 2015). Acquiring rudimentary knowledge about the existence of a LD in one’s child will not suffice in the long run.
Conclusion
All in all, the blame game persists as long as its contenders remain in their own realm of perceptions. Teachers, who deny all ownership of responsibility, will always find fault in the things around the child or the child himself/herself in order to connect the dots as to the general causes of learning disabilities. Parents may partake in sharing some of the blameworthiness out of pure guilt; however still continue to coerce both the education staff and the child. On the other hand, children retaliate and justify that it is the adults in their lives whose impractical expectations affect the child’s ability to learn. As a means to quell commotions, there is a dire need for an intervention with all participants to deconstruct and eliminate prior misconceptions. This can be achieved by organizing programmes that particularly target attitudinal differences of the three parties.