I sat across the tab...
I sat across the table from Dawn, an eight-year-old girl with open eyes and mats, preparing to tell her the news.
I told the students that in my 20 years as a school psychologist, they had hundreds of learning difficulties. But something in his serious and waiting face stopped me.
Would she stigmatize and defeat her if she were given an official label?
Do the benefits of accessing more specialized services exceed the cost of your academic self-esteem?
In pictures, I explained carefully how his brain worked with visual help from his brain. I told him where he was strong and where he had to make "punches" to strengthen himself. And I told him I had something like dyslexia.
And he jumped up from his chair, smiled from ear to ear, shouting "YES!" And he made a move that I've seen several times at sports festivals: the striking pumping of the victory arm.
The waiting time?
It turned out that a few years earlier he had tried his brother and suffered from dyslexia. He told her that the knowledge that he had dyslexia did not make him stupid and that he really helped his teachers understand how his brain worked differently. Dawn said to me, "That means I'm not stupid!"
According to the labeling theory , a problem arises when you rate a student with learning difficulties: he has lower expectations of himself and others of lower expectations. In return, the student can meet these low expectations. However, research supporting this claim is controversial. Although students with learning difficulties tend to be of lesser quality and have negative beliefs about their academic ability , some researchers stress that it is difficult to determine the cause of these problems. It's getting dark: would Dawn stand behind her classmates while reading because she had dyslexia because she had no access to quality support programs or because her teachers and her parents did it now? less expectations for you?
We really do not know. However, the reality is that in our public schools, access to specialized services sometimes depends on a diagnosis or a label, and it is possible that the way we treat students with these labels prevents them from doing so. Here are some research-based tips for educators and parents to reduce the negative impact of labels and the associated stigma.
1. Do not focus on tags
The language is powerful. Even a subtle change in language can affect how students see each other and how they feel stigmatized. An article published in 2018 by researcher Mark Weist and his colleagues suggests a number of suggestions for reducing label stigma:
- If a label is required, describe to the student why these labels are used. For example: "Beacons help us to understand why reading is difficult for you and what research tells us about how we can help Tags can also offer you more specific help that you may not get without the day, but we will All focus on what we do to help, not what we call. "
- Use a person-centered language. Instead of talking about a student as a "dyslexic student," you call him a "dyslexic student."
- If possible, especially for the youngest, use a less stigmatizing language to describe their problems (eg "learning differences" versus "learning disabilities" or "severe dyslexia").
With this language, we try to prevent students from overreaching their challenges and weaknesses.
2. Focus on the "Sea of ​​Fortresses" around the "Islands of Weakness"
What would happen if only you were defined by your greatest weakness? Focusing on strengths is not just a good thing. It is important that students with learning difficulties (and all students) feel comfortable as learners.
Sally Shaywitz, a renowned dyslexicist at Yale's Center for Dyslexia and Creativity , said, "Dyslexia is an island of weakness, surrounded by a sea of ​​forces." When students view their weaknesses as "islands," their problems become more specific and manageable (eg, "I need help decoding long words") as global and difficult to handle (eg, "No, I'm good at reading ").
Using a particular language can also promote a "growth state" that is more conducive to learning. Instead of thinking, "I do not have a mathematical brain because of dyscalculia," students might say, "I have to do brainpumps in mathematics, and so do adults when it comes to students, instead of saying," There is a significant deficit in reading and learning ", we can make it more precise and manageable by saying" there are strengths and weaknesses in learning to read that we can approach through phonetic teaching ".
Research in the sea also springs from the "hidden forces" of dyslexics with other learning disabilities:
As educators and parents, we can highlight these strengths with students like Dawn (who actually did the charts in visual logic tests). In fact, all students should focus on their unique talents and abilities, not just their main weaknesses.
"Often we focus on the problems, but they have these amazing superpowers," says psychologist Tracy Alloway, the new set of children's books transforms the learning difficulties of children with superpowers. Highlighting these "superpowers" is an instrument that helps people with learning disabilities to help themselves and other children appreciate the unique talents of their classmates.
3. Promote self-confidence and self-defense skills
Not only can we focus on the extraordinary strengths that these students already have, we can also help them develop the other strengths they need to succeed.
The diagnosis of a learning disability should not force students to lead a life of struggle, frustration, and poor performance. In a 30-year study conducted by the Frostig Center , students with learning disabilities achieved better outcomes in their school and in their personal lives if they had these six skills and resources:
- Self-knowledge: Recognize your unique talents and embrace their challenges.
- Proactivity: Believe in the power to make changes, to take responsibility for your actions, to make decisions, and to act accordingly.
- Endurance: Learn difficulties and do not give up when tasks become difficult.
- Set goals: Set realistic and achievable goals, taking into account strengths and needs.
- Support Systems: Identify who can provide support and actively seek support.
- Emotional coping strategies: Identify the stress factors that lead to learning difficulties and develop effective ways to deal with them.
As parents and educators, it would be in our interest to develop these socio-affective and behavioral skills so that students with learning disabilities can successfully complete their pedagogical experiences at school and in life.
Several researchers offer practical ways to support this resilience through brain-based research. In her book, The Yes Brain: How to Boost Your Child's Courage, Curiosity and Resilience , Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson Psychotherapists explain how parents and educators can help students strengthen their sense of balance. Resilience, understanding and empathy This "balanced brain" helps students of different learning profiles be more flexible, more risk-averse and more prone to error, and deal with adversity and great emotions. All of these qualities are essential to students, especially those experiencing additional frustration due to the difficulties associated with their learning differences.
Use the potential of our students
At home and in the classroom, educators and parents can easily come across this language to use for students with learning disabilities. A strength-based goal and finished scripts can make a big difference in how the students we interact with see themselves as learners.
We could all teach my student Dawn a lesson with a positive attitude. Later, when I shared Dawn's reaction to the diagnosis of dyslexia with her mother, we both cried a little bit. Dawn has given me hope that as an educator and parent, we can promote this resilience and strength in all students with different learning needs.
