Coping With a Learning Disability, Essay Example

This paper discusses various sources relating to the topic of coping with learning disability.  There is a great deal of literature, both written, visual and oral, about learning disabilities and how they affect students who have various diagnoses such as ADHD, dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder.  This subject area has received more and more attention, and the knowledge base surrounding it has expanded greatly since the days when people with learning disabilities were isolated, kept separate from the general population and viewed as mentally retarded.  In fact, people with a diagnosis of learning disability are among the most intelligent of our society, and simply need to be helped to find other, sometimes unorthodox ways of learning.

The first source of information on learning disabilities that I will discuss is a video appearing on the Youtube website, entitled “My Life with a Learning Disability.” A student named Andrew Schneider narrates the film, in which actors portray both him and the other people in his life, but the words are his own.  He describes the various difficulties and inconveniences that occur for him when engaging in the daily activities of life, particularly attending school.  The video is shot in black and white, with Andrew’s voiceover relating his inner and outer life during the day.

This short is a particularly poignant expression of the feelings of stigma and being different that are experienced by many people with learning disabilities.  One of the strengths of the film is the mood that is set, both by the content of the Andrew’s words and by the setting; the black and white picture suggests sadness, a world that lacks liveliness and fun.  There is a heavy tone to the narration, which underscores the meaning of what he is actually describing: isolation, self consciousness, the great difficulty he has with things that are ordinary and simple for everyone else—or at least, that is how he perceives things.  In one scene, he feels bullied when outside the school, another student walks by and bumps into him, causing him to drop his books.  The expression on his face is one of defeat as well as fatigue, as if this is a bullying routine that occurs on a regular basis, and although he is weary of this sort of incident, he continues on because he has to.

Another one of the video’s strengths is that while the viewer feels sorry for Andrew and the difficulties he has to experience simply going through the routines that all students need to go through daily, he does continue on, demonstrating a strength and perseverance that one can only admire.

There were no apparent weaknesses associated with this film, as it presented an intimate picture of a student’s struggles with his learning disability.

Here, this student should add a few sentences summarizing his/her feelings about the video, with a concluding statement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqDq0fimXk&feature=related

The second resource that I explored regarding learning disabilities and how to cope with them is a government website that originates from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website.  The topic of learning disabilities is a separate section from other health issues that are covered on this website.  The NIH is a comprehensive source of material provided by the government, presenting American citizens with much needed information and resources about a diversity of topics relating to health.

A strength of this website is that it starts from that position of informing the reader from square one, i.e., the basics of learning disabilities: the definition, treatments,  prognosis, research, and even an updated list of clinical trials for which people might qualify.  There is a great deal to be learned from this website and I found some of it to be extremely surprising..  For example, according to the NIH, approximately 10% of American children under the age of 18 years have some form of learning disability.  That information is essential for school districts to have, since they are in the position of educating our youth.  In the past, due to a lack of information regarding learning disabilities it may have happened all too frequently that without the knowledge we have now about spotting them at an early point in a child’s education, many children were likely shortchanged, ignored, or misdiagnosed.  Since today’s children are the leaders of tomorrow, we all have an investment in making sure that their educational needs are being met adequately.  Clearly, that includes the diagnosis and treatment of learning disabilities when children are still young enough to benefit from early intervention.

Another strength of this website is the ease with which it describes both simple and more complicated concepts relating to learning disabilities.  It is written in such a way that parents who are seeking information about their children’s difficulties and possible diagnosis of learning problems, as well as students who are seeking information about their diagnosis of LD, will find that the information on this website is presented in a clinical, unemotional way that is likely to provide some comfort to the reader.  If there is so much information about a topic or condition, and obviously other people are having similar or even the same difficulties,  it is likely that people with learning disabilities will find some relief in the fact that so much is known about the condition and that they’re not alone.

The website is also very helpful because it assists people in going beyond the actual information online and contacting organizations that are relevant, as well as seeking publications about learning problems. In addition, there is information provided in Spanish, making it possible for a wide range of our citizens to utilize it.

Here, the student should add a short section concluding the discussion of this resource with their own opinions and reactions.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/learningdisabilities/learningdisabilities.htm

The third source of information I selected regarding learning disabilities is from the New York Times, and describes a relatively recent diagnosis among the spectrum of learning disabilities: auditory processing disorder.  As described in the article, this disorder has come to the attention of the public following the efforts of a celebrity whose adopted child was diagnosed with this disorder; after the condition was diagnosed, she has made a tremendous effort to publicize or bring to the public’s attention auditory processing disorder to educate parents and teachers who might be exposed to children with this but have been unable to pinpoint what the problem is.

Because of the lack of familiarity with auditory processing disorder, this article had many strengths since so few people have even heard of this disorder. As a result, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how to help the children who are suffering from it.  The article was very specific about the kinds of behavior that Rosie O’Donnell experienced with her child during the period prior to the condition being diagnosed.  As with many learning disabilities, it sometimes appears that children are being oppositional or stubborn when in fact, they simply don’t hear or understand what is being asked of them.

In this article, Ms. O’Donnell educates the public to a large extent by describing what the condition looks like, what  methods can be used to respond to the child’s seemingly oppositional behavior, and most importantly, the empathy that is needed to help the child both understand what is being asked of him/her, and that they are not simply being “bad.”

In many ways, auditory process disorder overlaps with some features of childhood autism, in particular, the inability to screen out background noise in order to concentrate on the current task.  A strength of the article was how well it describes the various signs that a child might be suffering from auditory process disorder, so that teachers and parents alike might find some familiar behavior in their children and then be able to respond accordingly with the school system.

The article was very engaging and easy to read, in part because it focused on a specific person who is recognized by many of us.  The fact that someone so well known is having this sort of difficulty with her child will make it easier for many parents to acknowledge that their child might have a learning disability and to pursue the appropriate assistance from professionals.

One aspect of the article that was a weakness was that it didn’t really address what parents with limited financial resources would be able to do, besides within the school system.  Like their children,  parents might have difficulty approaching authority figures to ask for their help, and it might have been useful for the article to talk about ways in which parents can find advocates for themselves and their children.

Here, the student should add a short section concluding the discussion of this resource with their own opinions and reactions.

April 26, 2010, 4:55 pm

Little-Known Disorder Can Take a Toll on Learning

Parents and teachers often tell children to pay attention — to be a “good listener.” But what if your child’s brain doesn’t know how to listen?

That’s the challenge for children with auditory processing disorder, a poorly understood syndrome that interferes with the brain’s ability to recognize and interpret sounds. It’s been estimated that 2 to 5 percent of children have the disorder, said Gail D. Chermak, an expert on speech and hearing sciences at Washington State University, and it’s likely that many cases have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

The symptoms of A.P.D. — trouble paying attention and following directions, low academic performance, behavior problems and poor reading and vocabulary — are often mistaken for attention problems or even autism.

But now the disorder is getting some overdue attention, thanks in part to the talk-show host Rosie O’Donnell and her 10-year-old son, Blake, who has A.P.D.

In the foreword to a new book, “The Sound of Hope” (Ballantine) — by Lois Kam Heymann, the speech pathologist and auditory therapist who helped Blake — Ms. O’Donnell recounts how she learned something was amiss.

It began with a haircut before her son started first grade. Blake had already been working with a speech therapist on his vague responses and other difficulties, so when he asked for a “little haircut” and she pressed him on his meaning, she told the barber he wanted short hair like his brother’s. But in the car later, Blake erupted in tears, and Ms. O’Donnell realized her mistake. By “little haircut,” Blake meant little hair should be cut. He wanted a trim.

“I pulled off on the freeway and hugged him,” Ms. O’Donnell said. “I said: ‘Blakey, I’m really sorry. I didn’t understand you. I’ll do better.’ ”

That was a turning point. Ms. O’Donnell’s quest to do better led her to Ms. Heymann, who determined that while Blake could hear perfectly well, he had trouble distinguishing between sounds. To him, words like “tangerine” and “tambourine,” “bed” and “dead,” may sound the same.

“The child hears ‘And the girl went to dead,’ and they know it doesn’t make sense,” Ms. Heymann told me. “But while they try to figure it out, the teacher continues talking and now they’re behind. Those sounds are being distorted or misinterpreted, and it affects how the child is going to learn speech and language.”

Blake’s brain struggled to retain the words he heard, resulting in a limited vocabulary and trouble with reading and spelling. Abstract language, metaphors like “cover third base,” even “knock-knock” jokes, were confusing and frustrating.

Children with auditory processing problems often can’t filter out other sounds. The teacher’s voice, a chair scraping the floor and crinkling paper are all heard at the same level. “The normal reaction by the parent is ‘Why don’t you listen?’ ” Ms. Heymann said. “They were listening, but they weren’t hearing the right thing.”

The solution is often a comprehensive approach, at school and at home. To dampen unwanted noise, strips of felt or tennis balls may be placed on the legs of chairs and desks. Parents work to simplify language and avoid metaphors and abstract references.

The O’Donnell household cut back on large, noisy gatherings that were upsetting to Blake. Twice-weekly sessions focusing on sounds and words, using rhyme and body gestures, helped him catch up on the learning he had missed.

Help inside the classroom is essential. One family in Westchester County, who asked not to be named to protect their son’s privacy, met with his teachers and agreed on an array of adaptations — including having his teacher wear a small microphone that directed her voice more clearly to a speaker on the student’s desk so he could better distinguish her voice from competing sounds.

Nobody knows exactly why auditory processing skills don’t fully develop in every child, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Scientists are conducting brain-imaging studies to better understand the neural basis of the condition and find out if there are different forms.

Reassuringly, the disorder seems to have little or nothing to do with intelligence. Blake has an encyclopedic knowledge of animals — he once corrected his mother for referring to a puma as a mountain lion. The Westchester child is now a 17-year-old high school student being recruited by top colleges.

“He’s in accelerated Latin, honors science classes,” said his mother. “I remember I used to dream of the day he would be able to wake up in the morning and just say, ‘Mommy.’ ”

Not every child does so well, and some children with A.P.D. have other developmental and social problems. But Ms. O’Donnell says that treatment is not just about better grades.

“It definitely affected his whole world,” she said of her son. “Not just learning. It cuts them off from society, from interactions. To see the difference in who he is today versus who he was two years ago, and then to contemplate what would have happened had we not been able to catch it — I think he would have been lost.”

A version of this article appeared in print on April 27, 2010, on page D5 of the New York edition.

The fourth source of my discussion on coping with learning disabilities appeared as a Time magazine article, and discussed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, its prevalence and whether or not the signs of ADHD have their origins in the hunter/gatherer role in the origins of human evolution.

This article claims that possibly one in 20 American youngsters suffer from ADHD.  In a book by author Thom Hartmann, the speculation is that the qualities that define this learning disability were important assets in early hunting societies.  The thought is that when in a dangerous environment where at any moment, one might be in a perilous situation, being able to be easily distracted was an asset.  As we know, distractibility is one of the key features of ADHD.

This article maintains that in a situation where people were extremely vulnerable and could be harmed in an instant, being extremely aware—hypervigilant—of their surroundings, any noises, changes and other unexpected movements or appearances of danger could potentially save their lives.

It is a strength of this article that such a novel understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as an adaptation to environment was presented.  Instead of the disorder being viewed in a negative way, as it generally is, it finds an explanation that makes it simply an adaptation to the very dangerous, ancient environment that helped one to survive.

While this certainly presents a creative explanation for why attention deficit disorder developed, I found it to be a weakness that it is not supported with any evidence, and is purely a matter of speculation.  (realistically, given that the theory involves an era that was so long ago, it would not be possible to find actual evidence.) While it might be helpful for people who are diagnosed with this disorder to view it as a sign of strength and flexibility, and there certainly is nothing wrong with enhancing one’s self esteem, there just doesn’t seem to be any basis in fact.

The theory that a learning disability developed as a matter of survival is very interesting, however.  If it does result in people with ADHD gaining a sense of enhance self-esteem,

because what was previously thought of as a disability is now explained as an intelligent adaptation to one’s environment, there’s certainly no harm in that.

Here, the student should add a short section concluding the discussion of this resource with their own opinions and reactions.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981099,00.html#ixzz0o2BX1EYE

Behavior: Hail to The Hyperactive Hunter

Monday, Jul. 18, 1994

Why is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder so common? is there an evolutionary reason why these traits are found in as many as 1 in 20 American youngsters? Such questions have prompted intriguing speculation. Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey finds no mystery in the prevalence of ADHD in the U.S. It is a nation of immigrants who, he notes, “risked it all and left their homelands.” Characteristics like impulsiveness, high energy and risk taking are therefore highly represented in the U.S. gene pool. “We have more Nobel laureates and more criminals than anywhere else in the world. We have more people who absolutely push the envelope.”

But why would adhd have evolved in the first place? Perhaps, like the sickle-cell trait, which can help thwart malaria, attention deficit confers an advantage in certain circumstances. In Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception, author Thom Hartmann has laid out a controversial but appealing theory that the characteristics known today as adhd were vitally important in early hunting societies. They became a mixed blessing only when human societies turned agrarian, Hartmann suggests. “If you are walking in the night and see a little flash, distractibility would be a tremendous asset. Snap decision making, which we call impulsiveness, is a survival skill if you are a hunter.” For a farmer, however, such traits can be disastrous. “If this is the perfect day to plant the crops, you can’t suddenly decide to wander off into the woods.”

Modern society, Hartmann contends, generally favors the farmer mentality, rewarding those who develop plans, meet deadlines and plod through schedules. But there’s still a place for hunters, says the author, who counts himself as one: they can be found in large numbers among entrepreneurs, police detectives, emergency-room personnel, race-car drivers and, of course, those who stalk the high-stakes jungle known as Wall Street.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981099,00.html#ixzz0o2BX1EYE

The fifth and final resource I utilized to research coping with learning disabilities is a website called helpguide.org, and includes a large and varied range of topics pertaining to coping with a child with learning disabilities.  I found this to be an extremely helpful resource with a variety of strengths.  To begin with, its purpose is to help parents prepare their children with learning disabilities to become functioning adults who can face and conquer the challenges that are associated with such disabilities.  In addition, the website emphasizes the need for parents to make sure that as important as it is to cope with their children’s disabilities, it is vital that they make sure that they take care of themselves as well.

This website presents many practical issues, including the tendency of parents to want to keep their child’s learning disability a secret from those who care about them, both inside and outside the family.  In a very beneficial way, parents are encouraged to communicate with those around them so that the other important people in their lives can participate in positive ways to help their child develop in the best manner possible.

A strength of this website is the way it offers many practical tips for helping the children.  For example, it discusses ways in which to emphasize healthy lifestyle habits for your child, such as eating healthier foods, sleeping enough hours each night, and engaging in physical activity, all of which will make your child at happier and healthier person, and will also provide them with ways in which to interact with other children.

A specific point that was emphasized on this website which I found to be very positive and productive was the way in which it encouraged parents to take charge of their child’s education, acting either within the school system or finding ways on their own outside of the system in order to get their child’s needs met.  For example, they will benefit by finding a tutor or extra help from people who specialize in working with children with learning disabilities, in particular if the school system itself cannot provide exactly what the child needs educationally.  This includes that parents work with the child separate from school, learning to ways in which he or she processes information, and doing everything possible to ensure that the child’s future reaches its highest potential.

Here, the student should add a short section concluding the discussion of this resource with their own opinions and reactions.

http://helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities_treatment_help_coping.htm