A Teacher's Approach to Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Those who work in communities which are isolated or deprived often lack the ideal multi-disciplinary facilities for treatment of the handicapped child. This case study suggests that an ordinary remedial teacher, with some diagnostic help from consultants, can function successfully as the primary therapist for the child with difficulties in learning. This approach requires that the label of “learning disabilities” be extremely gross - that is, based simply on evidence that the child's achievement does not approach his potential. More refined definition of specific learning problems and abilities thus becomes the end product of continuous evaluation and diagnostic teaching. This approach postulates that neither lack of expert diagnosis nor the misdiagnosis “unreachable” can be accepted by the teaching profession as valid reasons for failure to help the handicapped child.