Children are individuals. Not seeing children, who have labels, as individuals, can lead to unacceptable behaviors that affect their mental health. Labels are a way to signal that something is off and suggestions for compensation skills or some sort of intervention can then be sought.
Neuroplasticity is a wonderful new science that brings with it discoveries of how to successfully repattern the brain. Labels describe symptoms and are good for getting services that qualify a child for insurance or school accommodations as well as individualized learning environments.
After 30 years of working with children under various labels, I believe that a teacher (as well as parents and others) must be aware of individual differences in his or her students. I also believe that all behavior is communication. It is a sign that something is off, something is not well, etc. When I would send a child for Craniosacral work, which is about balancing the hydraulic and electrical flow in the body, I would get reports that, for example, the occipital lobes were tight.
Once released, symptoms of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) would subside. If the occipital lobes were found to be compressed and then released, the symptoms of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) would subside. Most labels are issues of neurodevelopment, bio chemistry, and sometimes permanent damage.
Although with our new understanding of neuroplasticity we now know that the brain can easily create adaptations.
Looking at the body from a chemical/nutritional point of view has been beneficial in understanding various special needs labels, which are so freely given to children these days. For some children their ADD is caused by a blood sugar imbalance for others ADHD occurs when that imbalance is so extreme that their adrenal glands need to overproduce in order to keep a very toxic, suppressed system up and running. Certain children can work out of such a label with consistent, proper nutritional and biochemical treatments balanced with learning and neurodevelopmental therapies.
A stressed neurological system creates overwhelm. It does not take much to overwhelm a sick, weak or inefficient system. A weak sensory-motor system can alter I.Q. scores.
Intelligence is a concept that we usually correlate with cognitive and academic ability. Since these areas of development are reliant on neurodevelopmental perception…and I.Q. tests measure perception, neurodevelopment can interfere with this type of measurement. This might be one reason for the unreliability of I.Q. scores in young children. Children under special education labels are no different than young children. I remember working in a group home with young adults who were ages 18 to 21. My highest functioning client had the cognitive ability of a 7-year-old. He was able to handle a knife in the kitchen. The other residents functioned around age 2 and had many tantrums throughout the day.
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Children, especially those with learning and/or behavioral challenges, cannot tell you why they react to life the way they do. I feel it is necessary to create an environment for opportunity and help parents remove some of the major obstacles that stand in the way of their child’s success. It is important to look beyond symptoms and labels for what is really going on. Labels are useful for qualifying for services, especially within the school system and for insurance reimbursement.
Children, especially those with learning and/or behavioral challenges, cannot tell you why they react to life the way they do. I feel it is necessary to create an environment for opportunity and help parents remove some of the major obstacles that stand in the way of their child’s success. It is important to look beyond symptoms and labels for what is really going on. Labels are useful for qualifying for services, especially within the school system and for insurance reimbursement.
Labels aren’t people.
People-first language is a concept I strongly believe in. You can now Google it cuz, finally, it’s a thing. After working as a Special Education teacher in private practice, I have come to appreciate the importance of people-first language. If you are wondering what I’m even talking about, here is a great example… Pretend that you are walking down the street with your child, you see a man using crutches due to a broken leg. Your child says, “Look, Dad, there’s a broken-legged man!” What would you say to your child? You would probably correct your child’s grammar by saying, “No honey, that’s a man with a broken leg.”
A man dealing with a broken leg
A child dealing with Down’s Syndrome A child with Down’s Syndrome
A person dealing with Autism A person with Autism
A person dealing with learning challenges
A person with learning differences Not…
An Autistic person An ADHD child
A Dyslexic child A Learning-Disabled child
A handicapped person
Please help me promote People-first Language. Thank you!
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