Learning Disability! UK Changes Attitude!
It's important to begin this piece by saying this; just because someone does a stupid thing, does not mean they are stupid. The same can be said for those with learning disability. Education should never be only for those of average intelligence and above, and just because some people have problems grasping and developing what's being taught does not mean they're thick! Long gone are the days when learning disability care was so lacking that any student having problems was made to stand in the corner of the classroom and humiliated by wearing a DUNCE hat. This used to be the treatment for learning disability UK style, but thank god this degradation method is no longer used in classrooms.
It's probably accurate to say that I’m someone who has reached the soft side of middle age, and it's only recently that I've been accurately diagnosed as someone with a definite learning disability. The sad thing is that I had absolutely no idea! For all of these years I simply though I was dim, slower than the rest, below average intelligence. After all, the teachers said my inability to comprehend was simply down to laziness and I should get a grip of myself and try harder! I tried as hard as I could at the time, but the only person that believed that was me myself.
Without looking for blame, I do think now that in my days at school, there was a definite failure in the mainstream educational system. Not so much through lack of care but through lack of understanding. I never missed a single day of my schooling nor was I a disruptive pupil, yet when I left I could barely read or write, let alone do simple arithmetic. Such a failure wouldn’t be allowed to happen today. Playing musical instruments by ear, art and craft work, and physical education were my strengths, but oh how I wanted to be able to learn like the other kids but just couldn't seem to grasp things, yet I never knew why.
Identifying Learning Disability in Children
Any child learning disability that isn't addressed at a young age will undoubtedly become an adult learning disability, and we all know the kinds of menial employment jobs that such people end up taking as a consequence of an ill education and lack of qualification. It's such a waste and so unnecessary in many cases. The problem is that children with learning disabilities are all too often looked upon as lazy, or stupid individuals and no further time or effort is spent on helping them overcome their seeming inability to study and perform some or all of the common tasks required for educational and daily life.
Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which was previously known as just Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and is perhaps one of the most common causes of learning disability there is with around 5% of the population suffering from it as a result. So many kids in the past have slogged their way thorough the education system not knowing why they were always underachieving in just about every subject going. Many have gone on through life believing that they are dimwits, dunces, and the inadequates of society. Often they accept their lot and are resigned to thinking they are useful for nothing more than road sweeping, office cleaning, and other such unskilled, tedious employment options. It's nothing less than a tragedy for those who have lost out.
If you have a child, or if you are a child or an adult reading this article and believe you have some general learning disorder or specific learning problems, then please read and reread these following paragraphs if necessary, because there is a solution. ADHD is characterized by a persistent lack of concentration and/or hyperactivity, with other characteristics perhaps including forgetfulness, poor impulse control, and maybe distractibility too. Does this sound like you if you really think about it?
Thankfully, more and more care and thought is being given these days to kids who have some or all of the above characteristics, but there's still a tendency to brand young struggling learners as idle and unintelligent by some, when in fact they could be as good as, if not better than, many of their class mates with a little help and support in finding the root cause of their learning disabilities. A little psychological evaluation from a trained professional should soon give answers and then be able to offer effective treatments to those who have a genuine problem with ADHD.
A psychological assessment may warrant some modern treatments for students with learning disabilities such as stimulant medication. Stimulant medications, along with some recommendations for behavior modification, changes in lifestyle, and, in some cases, counseling too, could really help to boost the academic ability of those kids with a learning disability, and when children do better at school, their self esteem grows, which has a major impact on their attitude and outlook upon life in general. Never give up on the kids folks and don't always put disruptive behavior and low grades down to a personality trait.
For you adults who have suffered a learning disability all of your lives, there is help for you too. If you want to get an education or have a thirst for knowledge but seem unable to learn, then why not go and get an evaluation and see what can be done to help you get our of this rut. For me, after I was diagnosed with adult attention deficit disorder I was given some options and treatments which helped me to understand and deal positively with my condition. Working with computer training programs at my own pace has done absolute wonders for me, and next year I shall be starting on a bachelors degree online program, which is a far cry from someone who thought they were destined to be a low paid, unhappy general labourer until the day they retired.
