I think assessment is important for potential learning disabilities such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Without assessment, children, under the current system, are not able to get the additional help that they need such as an individual education plan. It is important for some children to have additional accommodations, such as taking a test in a resource room, where there are no distractions. Other accommodations might be seating a child toward the front of the class or providing additional sensory stimulation, such as swinging on a swing set during the school day. I have a family member who went through assessment for four years before the professionals got to the bottom of the learning issues this child has. This young student wouldn’t have been doing nearly as well in school as they are doing without all the assessment tools that were used and as a result, an individual education plan to implement address the learning issues.
I chose to look at the way Canadian children are assessed for learning disabilities. It seems somewhat similar to the experiences I hear about in the
My only real concern with assessment is that it tends to label children. That is a double edged sword. Labels are needed to gain the education support that is necessary. However, labels can also erode a child’s self esteem and be a reason why children are teased and shunned by other children. Even with the potential negative impact, I believe the good in having assessment as a tool outweighs the potential harm.
Resource
Langlois, C. (2011). Kids living with learning exceptionalities. Canadian Living. Retrieved from http://www.canadianliving.com/family/kids/kids_living_with_learning_exceptionalities.php
Sometimes parents of young children are not ready to hear that their child is differently able. I think a teacher can make a huge difference in a parent’s understanding of a specific concern. For example if a preschool teacher sees a behavior that raises a red flag, and considers it necessary to talk to the parents, her approach, sensitivity and terminology used can contribute to the parent response. I do believe early intervention is the key to help children with disabilities. However, there needs to be a kind, meaningful, informative approach when providing information to the parents. This could be an emotional situation for both the parents and the child with direct impact on a child’s wellbeing.
ReplyDeleteShelley,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with how test scores tend to label children. I think what makes me sad is that testing is supposed to have a positive intention, and in many cases it does (as you stated in your example); however, the negative effects that testing can have on a child are critical. I can remember a time when all of the students (including myself) in elementary school were tested for the "Talented and Gifted" program. Almost all of my friends and I qualified, but two didn't. Within the next few months, these two girls began to isolate themselves, sitting at a different table at lunch, and by the end of the year, we were no longer friends. Looking back, it makes me wonder, was it the girls who were excluding themselves or was it us (the group in TAG) who excluded them? This is an example of when testing and labels can be misused.
Thank you for sharing your post!!!
Shelley,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the importance of having educational assessments in school which could catch learning disabilities early enough to help support student learning. But I also agree with you about labeling a child as a "double edged sword," especially when children at the age of 5 are diagnosed with ADHD it seems that rather than make learning changes within the classroom, instead there is such a rush to medicate. This is the greater concern, because parents become afraid to have their children diagnosed when they themselves know there is a problem. I think all other options need to be exhausted before parents feel they have no other option than to medicate, and once medicated the child still needs extra supports in the classroom. Thank you for sharing, I enjoyed reading your post.
I do agree that assessment should be done as far as to determine if the child has a disability. I've seen children purposely do what they need to do to have a label assigned to them to get what they thought would be benefits from that label.
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