Special education labels DO matter. A label/placement can determine what teacher a child sees. Different special education teachers may have different certifications.
In the not too distant past I was involved in a discussion on an email list on Down Syndrome. Let me say at the start that it is a great mailing list. If you are interested in issues related to Down Syndrome, the Down Syndrome List is the place, and I highly recommend them.
That said, the discussion I'm referring to lasted a week or more and shifted between a couple of focus points, depending on who was contributing at the moment and what their exact interests were. The focuses included:
The role of IQ (and, probably more importantly, IQ testing) in determining the eligibility category of a special education student.
The importance of inclusion for mentally impaired students (something the people on the list placed a higher value on than most special education parents)
And a classification distinction my particular state makes between students who are mildly mentally impaired and those who are moderately mentally impaired.
The discussion was animated. With several people replying to several people as they checked their email, it was sometimes like being at a table where everyone was talking at once. And, to be honest, I'm not an average member of the list; I'm a teacher, while most members of the list are caregivers for a child or adult with Down Syndrome.
At times in this particular discussion I felt like I got slapped around a little. (But, like I said, it's a good list and, hey, that's okay.)
The question of the validity of IQ tests -- what they really measure and to what extent they accurately gauge intelligence -- I leave for some other day (like when I do my doctorate, or something). But, like it or not, IQ ("general intellectual functioning," in the words of the policy) is specifically used in my state's policy to determine whether a student is mentally impaired. To be classified as mentally impaired, the student has to have an IQ of less than about 70. My state goes on, following the American Medical Association's model, and classifies mentally impaired students into sub-classes for eligibility purposes:
Mildly Mentally Impaired if their IQ falls between about 55 and about 70
Moderately Mentally Impaired if their IQ falls between about 40 and about 55
Severely Mentally Impaired if their IQ falls between about 25 and about 40
Profoundly Mentally Impaired if their IQ is less than about 25
But why does it matter whether a student is classified as moderately mentally impaired or mildly mentally impaired? Because teachers get certified to work with mildly mentally impaired students or they get certified to work with moderately mentally impaired students, etc. That means that if a student is classified as moderately mentally impaired (as Down Syndrome students often are) they become the educational responsibility of someone certified in working with moderately mentally impaired students -- and in my county we don't have someone with that certification at every school.
It's possible to be certified in more than one area of mentally impaired; but I don't know anyone who is (and the academic work involved would be considerable). And if an eligibility committee decides that Johnny is moderately mentally impaired instead of mildly mentally impaired, that may ultimately affect which school Johnny attends, what his program of study looks like, whether he is required to take the same high stakes test that most of the school's students take, etc. At the very least it would mean that the student would have to attend school somewhere in the county where a teacher certified to work with moderately mentally impaired students was available - and there's no teacher like that at my school!
Why doesn't my county place a teacher certified in teaching the moderately mentally impaired at every school? They don't exist. We don't have that many teachers certified in teaching the moderately mentally impaired. There's a shortage. Just like there's a shortage in my area of math and science teachers for the middle and high school grades.
At one point some of the participants in the discussion drew the conclusion that we segregated moderately mentally impaired students in my county. Of course, that's not the case (it would be a gross violation of the student's civil rights). And while a moderately mentally impaired student that lived near my school might have to take the bus to a different elementary school so that someone properly certified would be around to be responsible for their educational experience, that school would be a perfectly normal elementary school. But I don't think some of the people in the discussion ever bought that. And, as I said above, Down Syndrome parents seem to place a higher value than most special education parents on seeing their children taught in an environment where they are with their non-disabled peers...
But as you can see, whether a child is classified as moderately mentally impaired or mildly mentally impaired could possible make a big difference in their educational experience. Labels do matter.
The copyright of the article Why Labels Matter - Part II in Special Needs Education is owned by Greg Cruey. Permission to republish Why Labels Matter - Part II must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Apr 25, 2006 6:31 AM
W. T. Shehan IV
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As a child I had my IQ tested by a psychologist and was very high but because I learn in a different way than the school system wanted me to I was labeled a learning disabled, put into a class with truly mentally handicapped children and sent to school on the 'short school bus'. This did wonders for my social life and devastated me. Well needless to say I did not do so well there either, so my parents sent me to a private school. I was tested again and the IQ tests were once again high! The new school ignored the label and put me in an experimental, for the 70’s, that used different learning styles. I bloomed! Today I am a college professor with a Ph.D. and homeschool my kids to avoid such issues. That said I do agree that the schools need more funding and that teachers need better training and if children are properly tested and carefully labeled it can assist the schools, but be careful that the correct label is applied.
Apr 25, 2006 8:10 AM
ReneeBlixt
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Hi--My name is Renée over in the homeschooling section, and although labels are necessary for proper services, they need to be kept secret for the sake of the student. I know of a child in Chicago who was the TOP student in the school, but someone slipped and told someone who told someone...and so on...that she was mildly autistic. Talk about wonders for her social life... So, some teachers need to be more responsible. I've been a teacher as well, but have now decided to homeschool my child. Not everyone has that option, I understand, but what is more important than your children?...Renée http://homeschooling.suite101.com
Apr 26, 2006 7:55 AM
Greg Cruey
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Hi PhiloProf,
I don't know how you were labeled. But that sounds like a classic example of today's definition of learning disability: normal (or high) IQ but problems learning (as measured by achievement). And the goal becomes to teach in a way that helps the student learn. And that's evidently what they acomplished with you... :)
Apr 26, 2006 8:31 AM
Greg Cruey
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Hi Renee,
Thanks for the post. You said: "<I>...although labels are necessary for proper services, they need to be kept secret for the sake of the student.</I>"
I agree that the details of a child's label and services is hard to keep secret in the context of a school. FERPA (The Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act) requires that. But if the student receives any services at all the other kids figure it out. And, obvioulsy, you can't keep it secret from everyone or having the kid is psecial ed serves no purpose. What I mean is that when a child is placed in special ed they are usually given a list of accommodations that are applied to their circumstances. I have to go around with a list and make sure that the music teacher, the art teacher, the health teacher, the PE teacher, and the general classroom teacher all know that Johnny is entitled to be tested orally if he feels he needs that on a particular ocassion...
You said: "<I>Not everyone has that option, I understand, but what is more important than your children</I>?"
I think it is Psalms 127 that says that children are a gift from God. :)
May 1, 2006 2:11 PM
William Robb
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Rather than labeel one as LD EMH MR and so wouldn't it be more baneficial to the student to have one discover how he learns mot how he can't learn.
I am a survivor of TBI and I used to be a contributing author here in suite 101 until I reentered grad school and didn't have the time to write for the suite. If I had been labeled long ao I would not have come as far as I have bewcause those darn labels tend to follow one throughout their lives not just in school. Here is my sory:
Striving to be Normal after Traumatic Brain Injury;
The Never Ending Journey:
Part I
Introduction:
Before beginning my Story, there are several terms which need to be defined so that readers will know what I'm talking about... there are two terms which I need to define so that readers will understand what I'm talking about. These terms are the following: I. Traumatic or acquired Brain Injury. II. What does it mean to be considered Normal?
A. What is Traumatic Brain Injury?
What Is a Head Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury or Acquired Brain Injury? This is a specific type of injury that result in unseen damage to one's on board computer-the brain. If massive damage to the human computer called the Brain is sustained pre adolescence then the person may not display any of the outward signs of TBI. However this doesn't mean that they don't have limitations. It only means that these limitations are not visible to the human eye. They are still there, and they may still cause problems especially if the survivor received his injury post rehabilitative help. This was generally before 1980. Not before 1980 was TBI considered to be a disability, therefore its survivors generally received no type of professional help or rehabilitative help.
TBI post adolescence may be hard to diagnose because it will take specialized tests to uncover the many times deep-rooted, and undiagnosed deficits. These tests are called complete Neuro-psychological evaluations and should be demanded if a child has been diagnosed as having sustained Traumatic Brain Injury. Although their deficits are deep- rooted, these individuals will still require extensive rehabilitation and life long supports if they are to gain and maintain employment.
A massive insult the to the human computer (THE BRAIN) post adolescence can be just as devastating, to the survivor as if it had occurred during birth and left him with a severe case of Cerebral Palsy. The survivor only appears to have CP but he doe
May 18, 2006 12:51 PM
Barbara Pytel
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Wow. That is quite a frustrating story. I was hoping for a big, happy ending. I find that in local schools, "labels" are not that big a deal. Reading and Math are taught in small groups so kids are pulled out all day for something or other. Modifications are made for a few with nothing being said. Perhaps, we have very unusual schools in this locality. I do think that labels must be in place to ensure modifications at the college level. If a need is not established in high school--on paper in the form of a 504 or IEP, a college is not obliged to modify. So, as much as labels are not wanted, they may open doors in the future.
May 18, 2006 8:01 PM
Lynn Byrne
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I think there's an inherent danger in labeling, especially in districts/states where there's a tendency to label early and quickly--without appropriate outside assessments from persons trained to specifically evaluate a specific disorder/condition.
When parents ask for feedback, as an educational consultant I advise (1) make certain you seek assessment from a source other than a school/district employee and (2) make certain you seek a 2nd (and sometimes 3rd) opinion if any of the parties involved have questions/issues with the outcome of the assessment.
