Learning Disabilities
There are several concepts regarding learning disabilities that, if kept in mind, can assuage the abuse of learning disabilities educators.
Abstract
O usually thinks of a battered child as one who is physically abused, but abuse can also be inflicted through verbal and nonverbal communication. The abuse inflicted on the field of learning disabilities takes the form of unrealistic expectations that often place the learning disabilities professional in a position in which he or she is expected to perform miracles within a relatively short time with few resources. There are several concepts regarding learning disabilities that, if kept in mind, can assuage the abuse of learning disabilities educators. Last year I received a fairly typical request for a learning disabilities teacher from a special education director. The kind of teacher the director wanted to hire in terms of specific skills and characteristics was not unusual. However, his summary statement, " W e need someone w h o can walk on water," was not so typical . I thought it was my obligation to inform him that the university teacher training curriculum included many valuable courses, but it had not yet instituted a "water walk ing" course.