There are however many, many occasions when a label is, in my opinion, only a positive development in a child's life and educational experience.
Many children struggle with neurological diversity; the 'dys' group of labels.
This group describes specific learning difficulties in people with otherwise normal range intelligence. These problems affect only one (or maybe several, they often overlap) area of educational development or communication.
This diagram illustrates the complexity and diversity of this group of very common impairments:
I think I'll write a separate post about each 'dys' as I have experienced them in the next few blog posts, but I can guarantee that every person reading this has themselves, or knows someone, with a degree of specific learning difficulty. We read descriptions and recognise our own challenges, or those of our children our partners and friends. Importantly, we often recognise their strengths too as a feature of the diagnosis.
1 in 6 children have specific learning difficulties. That's 3 children in each average primary class and often a lot more. Therein lies the problem AND the solution simultaneously.
Teachers have come across children with these groups of difficulties before and many consequently have normalised the issues. The children can become low attainers in far too many cases and their neuro-diversity seen as an 'excuse'.
Children can become frustrated, perhaps bored, stuck in lower ability groups and can develop low self-esteem. Many children 'switch-off' from their learning, not valuing their own place in the class, not understanding themselves or feeling that their contribution is being recognised. They develop a poor image of themselves as a learner and, as many adult 'dys' learners have noted, they do not begin to value their contribution to society until they reach adulthood and find their own niche, which all too often is too late and many are not able to positively contribute to society.
It paints a damning picture, which, as we become more aware as a society, is hopefully less and less likely to come to fruition.
We can now recognise neuro-diversity early and children can receive the additional support they need in order to achieve. Once children receive recognition in the form of a written diagnosis, they can begin to better understand themselves and see their learning as different. They can better value their individualism and identify with others.
Teachers should be able to see the child not as low ability or poorly behaved, but be able instead to see a suite of simple support techniques which can be of support to the child without necessarily impacting on the teaching of the whole class, thus maintaining inclusive teaching. They can quickly access a wealth of information to effectively support the child rather than watch helplessly as the child fails.
Successful support of children with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia alongside autistic spectrum conditions starts with Quality First Teaching.
'Quality First teaching' starts with acceptance and understanding. It develops through increasing class teachers knowledge and simple adjustments to teaching or resources and it results in true inclusive practise. It can be (and I have seen this many, many times) life changing for the child at the centre of the diagnosis.
Parents can finally start to believe what they knew all along, that their child is struggling beyond that which is 'normal' during school life, that they do need help and that finally, they might actually get some.
A diagnosis does not 'cure' problems for a child. A diagnosis does not necessarily mean anything will 'happen', such as any individual withdrawal intervention or specialist 1-1 teaching (although it will in many cases where clear 'catch-up' areas are identified) but a diagnosis can mean that a child, their family and hopefully the child's teachers, can reflect more positively on their struggle.
Together, they can begin to even the playing field.
Check out this graphic. If ever a picture did say a thousand words, this is it:
Of course, a further solution would be to remove the barrier altogether.....
