Hi, my name’s Sara. I’m in the special education program at UIC. I’m trying to learn more about the issue of labeling special education students, and wondering if I could get a few opinions from parents (because I know your views are more pertinent than those in a textbook) If anyone would like to write a little about their opinions on labeling (how its affected their child, whether or not you think its a good thing) or inclusion, please drop me a message!! Thank you so much!!
—Sara
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I believe there are pros & cons:
Pros:
Helps to identify the type of disability to modify for it. Gives teachers a heads-up to plan and understand.- oh yeah, John has ADHD, hes not getting out of his seat just to upset me.
Helps to identify other symptoms that go along with the disability - organization skills, day dreaming. Maybe a student can’t read & becomes disruptive at reading time.
Some High Schools require students to take a “test” to graduate. If the child has ld’s and does not receive modifications for the test, they may not graduate.
Basically, if the label is used to obtain information and provide support, I think it helps.
Cons:
The worst is what I call “Teacher Lounge Labeling”. Its the least productive and the most hurtful to students and their parents. This can happen to an LD child as well as any other student.
Another negative would be to use the label as an excuse to not teach or an excuse to not have any expectations from the student.