Specific Learning Difficulties, Dyslexia - Assignment Example

Specific Learning Difficulties, Dyslexia Introduction There has been a growing concern across all sectors in the globe to address social disparities in every area of the society. Conspicuous among them have been the advocacy for recognition of the disabled group as part of the society and subject to entitlement of human rights. Education sector has often taken the center stage, with concerned persons, groups and institutions advocating for inclusive education for children with Specific Learning Difficulties. One of the areas of disabilities that the society has had to content with is dyslexia. Indeed, the dyslexia cases are not uncommon in the society and their place in the society can be indisputably labelled as socially marginalized. The entire situation can only be effectively described on the basis of social construction. This paper explores social construction as it pertains to dyslexia. Informed that hopes are not all gone with social construction of dyslexia, it also explores ways in which hopes for learners with dyslexia could be renewed such as through dyslexia management and intervention of the government policies, and other enabling strategies. In order to realize its objectives, the rest of this paper follows the following organization. It begins by defining dyslexia and examples of famous people with the conditions given and infers the role of media as it pertains to dyslexia. Next social construction is explored is described on how it relates to dyslexia. The relevance of the labelling theory in social construction is also explored. This is followed by a look at the management strategies, proposing the most appropriate intervention for the plight. Social Construction and how it relates with Dyslexia In understanding the relationship, it is also imperative to define social construction. As documented by Burr (1995), social construction is advanced by the social constructionism theory, which is a sociological theory that describes how the objects of consciousness or social phenomenon thrive in the social contexts. Thus, when dyslexia is described as a subject of social construction, it implies it is simply an attribute of contingent aspects of social perceptions, as opposed to the attributes that are possessed by Dyslexia. Social constructionism notions can be earthed based on reality because it is often biased form reality. It is as a result of stance that assumed and which takes knowledge for granted (Lamond & Wiseman n.d). As far as social construction processes and marginalization process is concerned, Bourdieu proposes that behaviours and patterns of human behaviours, as well as groups of people can be predicted because they tend to assume a certain trend. These assume a social structure that is hegemonic in nature. Consequently, certain groups of people or individuals become limited by such social structures. The social structures are reinforced and compel people to conform subconsciously (DiGiorgio, 2009). Another perspective of relevance regarding social construction is that perspective advanced by Foucault. Foucault theorizes that there are various notions that are considered to be worthwhile or that which represents truth. Such positions inform practices and are dominant in institutions such as hospitals (Leese, 2011). In the real sense, such notions are only social constructed and function to constrain their effectiveness and inconvenience other people. As far as Dyslexia is concerned, these views can be hardly disputed. They are a representation of reality in the events that play in areas of contact by the dyslexia people. It has also been evidenced in other areas such as those that touch on masculinity, as evidenced in Davies (2008) and genders issues (Skelton and Francis, 2009; Skelton, 2010). What is Dyslexia? To begin with, according to British Dyslexia Association (2013), dyslexia is defined as condition characterized by the capabilities and challenges in the learning process and can affect one or more abilities pertaining in writing, reading, spelling and even numeracy. It is a condition that is persistent. There are various associated areas of weakness that could be identified and these include organization, sequencing, processing speed, motor skills and even spoken language, as well as the short term memory (Lamond & Wiseman n.d). The condition can also be accompanied by the auditory and visual perception difficulties. Dyslexia is particularly associated with the difficulties in using or mastering the written language and this includes musical notation, alphabet and numerical notation (Goswami, 2008). Dyslexia is often accounted on the basis on neurology and genetics (Fiona and Singleton, 2009). Whereas Dyslexia is often described as a weakness, it could be argued that there are various strengths that it is associated with, and this is depicted by a large list of famous people who possessed the dyslexia condition. The list includes Albert Einstein (scientists), Thomas Edison (inventor), Richard Branson (renowned business figure), Winston Churchill (Statesman), George Patton (military leader), Jacky Steward (Sportsman), John Lennon (Musicians), Walter Disney (designers) and Agatha Christie (author), so on. These can be considered as figures who utilized their dyslexic advantages to succeed. In other words, this is a proof that dyslexia is not necessarily a disadvantage. What it implies is that there is the possibility for people affected with dyslexia to explore the underlying potential and emerge successful. However, in many cases, the presentation of dyslexia has often been constrained and has been presented as a disability condition, as advanced by the socially constructed notions, a case that has been evidenced in the media presentation of dyslexia. The relevance of labelling in social construction Social construction of dyslexia can be considered as that which begins with labelling. Labelling theory has to do with the view that behaviours of people are not inherent to how they act, but how they are perceived by the society. The theory concerns itself about how the behaviours, as well as self identity are predetermined by the terms that are used in describing them; thus, it is a theory whose manifestation rests upon stereotyping and self-fulfilling prophecy. As people are labelled, they adjust their behaviours to conform to the labels. Social construction of dyslexia as a disability is advanced by the applicability of tests, such as IQ that are biased (Glazzard, 2010). For instance, a dyslexia child may be classified as intellectually disabled based on the IQ tests, that requires one to score above 70 to be rated otherwise. On the social spectrum, the dyslexic students are condemned to accepting themselves as disabled and conform to avoid stigmatization. The society also goes further to reinforce the view about dyslexia through the social processes, including the treatment of the people with dyslexia. Indeed, the effect of labelling can be comprehensively supported by child development theories (DiGiorgio, 2009). One of these theories is the Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory, which presupposes that development is governed by an array of environmental systems, which can be categorized into five, which includes microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, Macrosystem and chronosystem (Evans and Lunt, 2005). Another theory is the Vygotsky theory of development. Vygotsky’s theory on perceives child development as a process consisting of a series of stages. These include infancy, early childhood, followed by pre-school and puberty age. The theory is also founded on the approach that the process of child development is subject to nature and form of environment. This gives allowance for explanation of roles of social and cultural aspects in the processes of child development. What can be derived from these two theories is that the environment plays a crucial role in shaping developmental and serves to justify that the impact of social labels is indisputable. Usually, the intervening social environment makes people with dyslexia to lose self-esteem, which eventually constrains success in the lives (Evans and Lunt, 2005).The social environment that takes effect in the social construction and reinforcement of dyslexia includes media presentation, education perspectives, governmental policies and even misinformed intervention approaches. The theme of social construction of dyslexia in education institutions is reflected by the accountability regimes, which include teaching quality assessment and research assessment exercises (Glazzard, 2010). One of the examples is IQ are the biased tests. These are hardly inclusive of the needs of the dyslexia learners. The eventuality is that the dyslexia learner’s performances are considered as outliers. Such systems may make them attract the labels such as ‘poor performers’, ‘thick-headed’ or ‘academically unfit’ from teachers and peers. Social construction has been also been cited to be advanced by the media. Here, the language that is employed by the media in is still negative, especially for hidden impairments such as dyslexia. In all these, the perpetuation of these stigma results in the establishment of the vicious cycles where persons with impairments that are hidden are compelled to isolate from the rest. They decide against declaring their impairment. Since they cannot be understood, they eventually lose their identity and become segregated. The truth is that is that dyslexia learners have certain capabilities that could effectively enable them rise above the challenges (Glazzard, 2010). Diagnosis/ Treatment The diagnostic criteria of dyslexia are informed by a set of two tests. These are the language test and the short-term memory tests. Language tests are concerned with pronunciation verbal naming and word retrieval. Short term memory tests are concerned with assessing auditory sequential memory, which include visual sequential memory, repetition of digits and the coding skills. Examples of these tests include Kirklees Reading Assessment Schedule, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and National Foundation for Educational Research assessment approaches (Lamond & Wiseman n.d). However, even such approaches have been rated to comprise of certain weaknesses that may constrain the objectivity of the process (Gerd 2010). One of the underlying impediments in such approaches is that standardized tests have the allowance of constraining the pragmatic assessment tests. This is because the nature of social skills is such that it even defies the approaches that are founded on the standardized test structures. On the other hand, pragmatic assessment tests are aimed at standardizing the assessments for the pragmatic languages. The eventuality is that the tests need to feature additional social and superficial knowledge, as opposed to complex variables that underlie the pragmatic language that is needed for spontaneous discourses. The exhibition of desirable social skills is also associated with the intelligence. More often than not, children characterized by high levels of dyslexia also reveal low IQ test scores. It has also been shown that IQ performance and speech and language social abilities are positively correlated. However, also challenging is the fact that it is not uncommon to find bright children exhibit limited social skill capability and this constrains even the tests that are to perceived to be reliable (Clough and Garner, 2003). What can be inferred from these is that even these biased tests may misinform dyslexia interventions. Enabling Strategy It cannot be disputed that any treatment or management approach to general dyslexia conditions would go a long way in addressing the complication in children with Dyslexia. However, this should begin by acknowledging the negative implication of social construction and seek deconstruction, a process that would undoubtedly entail various enabling strategies. As proposed by Clough and Garner (2003), one of the enabling strategies for children with dyslexia is by fostering inclusivity. This point is concurred by DfE (2011) and that inclusivity can be achieved through an array of approaches as embracing the Legislation and Government guidelines (for instance the Equality Act 2010), classroom practices, whole school approaches and curriculum designs and implementations. This is also a point concurred by Lamond and Wiseman (n.d). In regard to curriculum design, focus on should be laid on what should be done for the dyslexia learners to be to be successful, and this touches on choice, ages and levels, modern languages, involvement of staff, student and parents, removing barriers to achievement. Whole school approaches include checking learning, cumulative approach, building blocks; multi-sensory teaching/learning; use of phonics for younger children; embracing technologies and making learning enjoyable. Higher education could be made inclusive to the dyslexia learners through the introduction of the Disabled Students’ Allowance, Technology, exploring the Coping strategies, introducing learning choices and adopting exam concessions, among other ways. As far as the enabling strategies are concerned, it is imperative to address the views of the parents and the individuals, modify the learning environment, adopt new teaching skills and offer support to the coping strategies to shun negative social construction of dyslexia. These should be coupled with appropriate and supportive government policies. In the class settings, teachers should also adopt certain strategies to accommodate the dyslexia children by ensuring that they are engaged in class sessions and are also encouraged (British Dyslexia Association (2013). The insights that are offered by Bausch (2006) are also important in assisting for the inclusivity of children with dyslexia; that collaboration of various parties, including parents and professionals, can be very important in making easy the lives of individuals who are exceptional. Collaboration across professionals, such in psychology, human services, and counseling, will also relieve the families of the exceptional individuals (Bausch, 2006). Indeed, this is because such form of collaboration does not only support, but strengthens the professionals’ work as well through sharing of information that would determine the extent of the interventions. In regard to the challenges associated to the diagnostic and assessment criteria of dyslexia, I propose that there is the need for the dyslexia diagnosticians to rise above the traditional view that that may be biased to fuel social construction. In its place, diagnosticians should seek to explore complex and functional components underlying dyslexia skills in the most objective sense. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that that the subjects of social construction and dyslexia are what can be hardly treated as separate entities. Dyslexia is comprehensively described as the condition characterized by the capabilities and challenges in the learning process and can affect one or more abilities pertaining in writing, reading, spelling and even numeracy. However, it has been social constructed in the sense that it is considered as a disability condition. I contend that the reality is that it is associated with certain capabilities, as evidenced by the cases of figures who became famous yet had dyslexia. When dyslexia is described as a subject of social construction, it implies it is simply an attribute of contingent aspects of social perceptions, as opposed to the attributes that are possessed by Dyslexia. I find that Bourdieu and Foucault perspectives of social construction effectively fit the presentation of dyslexia in the society. Social construction has to do with the labelling, which deprives the dyslexia learners with self esteem and condemns them to social exclusion and feelings that they are incapable. I suggest that this situation can be effectively addressed by seeking to counter social construction views and this includes seeking to foster inclusivity in education delivery. I further suggest that inclusivity can be achieved through an array of approaches as embracing the Legislation and Government guidelines, classroom practices, whole school approaches and curriculum designs and implementations. This is multifaceted and requires the concerted efforts, including introduction of government policies and working with the parents, professionals, students, media and other participants in the social system. It also includes learning about the condition and adopting effective and objective dyslexia assessment approaches, as opposed to the traditional, misinformed approaches. This would go a long way in deconstructing dyslexia. References Burr, V. (1995) An introduction to social constructionism.. London: Routledge. Bausch, M. (2006). Special education Technologies and Teacher Education. Retrieved from http://www.ataporg.org/senate%20final%20sept%2030.pdf British Dyslexia Association (2013). Dyslexia Research Information. Retrieved from http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/further-information/dyslexia-research-information-.html Clough, P. and Garner, P. (2003) Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education: Origins and Current Issues. in Bartlett, S. and Burton, D. (eds) Education studies: essential issues. London: Sage, pp.94-120. Davies, B. (2008) Constructing and Deconstructing Masculinities through Critical Literacy. in Hall, K., Murphy, P. and Soler, J. Pedagogy and practice: culture and identities London: Sage, pp.177-192. DfE (2011) Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability. Cm. 8027. London: The Stationery Office. DiGiorgio, C. (2009) Application of Bourdieuian theory to the inclusion of students with learning/physical challenges in multicultural school settings, International Journal of Inclusive Education,13(2),pp.179-194. Evans, J. and Lunt, I. (2005) Inclusive education: are there limits? in Topping and Maloney (eds.) The RoutledgeFalmer reader in inclusive education. London: RoutledgeFalmer, pp.41-54. Gerd, S. (2010). The Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Dyslexia. Dtsch Arztebl Int 107(41): 718–727 British Dyslexia Association (2013) Help with handwriting. [online]. Retrived from http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/parents/help-with-handwriting.html. Fiona, R. and Singleton, C. (2009). The mathematical strengths and weaknesses of children with dyslexia. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs 9(3):154–163 Glazzard, J. (2010).The impact of dyslexia on pupils’ self-esteem. Support for Learning · 25(2):60-69 Goswami, U. (2008). 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