Labeling Learning Differences

If your child is struggling academically, you are probably feeling worried, frustrated, and confused. It took me years to get answers about why my son wasn’t learning to read, though he was clearly bright and seemingly capable. I blamed myself for not being a good enough parent, I blamed his teachers for not being able to teach him appropriately, and most humbling of all, I blamed him for not trying hard enough. If your otherwise bright child is struggling in one or more academic areas, then he or she may have a specific learning difference such as Dyslexia or ADHD.

While most Americans use the term “Learning Disabilities,” I prefer to use the term, “Specific Learning Differences,” or SpLDs, for short. While it is a mouthful, Specific Learning Differences is the preferred terminology in other parts of the world, like the UK and Singapore, as these countries recognize the demoralizing effects of calling an individual’s differences a “disability.” Learning Differences is in my opinion a more accurate description of what students actually experience, since they aren’t necessarily disabled (though it may at first feel that way); rather, these students simply learn differently and need to have information presented in a way that engages different parts of the brain than may be required for the “neurotypical” learner.  Once a student has had the opportunity to learn in a way that is fitting to his or her particular learning styles and needs, that student can then accomplish just as much as the typical student, and while the learning difference never truly goes away, remediation, compensation, and accommodation can have profound effects on the student’s ability to achieve.

For example, once a child with dyslexia has learned to read just as well as other students the same age, would we still call that child “learning disabled,” or would we prefer to refer to that child’s specific needs as learning differences?