Aubry ThrelkeldH860: Reading Difficulties

Institutional Approaches◦ Quick overview of policies and decisions affecting

students with disabilities◦ Discussing students through common frameworks

“At-risk” Reading Difficulties Reading Disabilities

Individual Approaches◦ Calibrating our lenses◦ Implications for practice

Labor rights movementCivil Rights movementSocial ActivismIdentity Politics

Civil Rights Act of 19641967 – Hobsen v. Hansen 1970 – Diana v. BOE, CAFERPA of 1974EAHCA later IDEA of 1975 1979 – Larry P. v. Riles,

CA1988 – Honig v. Doe, CAADA of 1990NCLB of 2001IDEA of 2004

At-Risk:Children not currently classified as having a disability but are considered to have a greater-than usual chance of developing one

Multiplicity of Usage:◦ Reading Difficulties (Snow ed. 1988)

“a fair number of children who will have reading difficulties do not obtain low enough scores to merit an at-risk designation on the basis of the kinds of kindergarten measures that were used (most typically literacy-specific knowledge, phonological awareness, etc.)”

◦ For School Problems (Smith et al. 2006) Students from minority cultures Students from low-income homes Teenagers who become pregnant Students who speak English as a second language Students who are in trouble with the legal system

Pianta and Walsh (1998)Morrison and Cosden (1997)

Argue that “At-risk” designations have not changed outcomes

Resilience is product. Consultative Model Systems Theory

◦ Children◦ Homes◦ School

Learning Disabilities are a risk factor.

How do they problematize models and ways of discussing risk?

Not a term students usually use to describe themselves

Often used by non-profit organizations for fundraising campaigns: “our organization works with at-risk children”

Often used as a euphemism for people of color, socioeconomic status in a way that does not sufficiently recognize protective factors

At-Risk:Children not currently classified as having a disability but are considered to have a greater-than usual chance of developing one.Reading Difficulties:Children with reading difficulties struggle with various aspects of learning how to read and reading to learn.

- “failure to learn to read adequately is present among children of low social risk who attend well-funded schools”

- “much more likely among poor children, among nonwhite children, and among nonnative speakers of English”

Reading Specialists in charge of intervention◦ Required to work with

classroom teachers◦ Intervention should

not be instead of instruction but in addition

◦ Clear definitions of responsibilities

◦ Child Study protocols

Not a term students generally use to describe themselves.

Avoids using disability classification and thus could reach a broader audience of parents, teachers, administrators, etc.

Students could need a disability classification in order to receive the services or interventions they need.

Should be explained further; Should not be ambiguous/monolithic; Starts the conversation.

At-Risk:Children not currently classified as having a disability but are considered to have a greater-than usual chance of developing one

Reading Difficulties:Children with reading difficulties struggle with various aspects of learning how to read and reading to learn.

Specific Learning Disabilities: Any restriction or lack (resulting from impairment) of ability to learn in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

(10) Specific learning disability—(i) General. Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. (ii) DISORDERS NOT INCLUDED. Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. Sec. 300.307 Specific learning disabilities.

(a) General. A State must adopt, consistent with Sec. 300.309, criteria for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability as defined in Sec. 300.8(c)(10). In addition, the criteria adopted by the State-- (1) Must not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, as defined in Sec. 300.8(c)(10); (2) Must permit the use of a process based on the child's response to scientific, research-based intervention; and (3) May permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, as defined in Sec. 300.8(c)(10).

2004 Reauthorization of IDEA

1. Mental Retardation2. Learning Disability3. Emotional Disturbance4. Deafness5. Hearing Impairment6. Visual Impairment7. Deaf-Blindness8. Orthopedic Impairment9. Other Health Impairment10. Autism11. Traumatic brain injury12. Speech or Language Impairment13. Multiple Disabilities

Emotional Disturbance Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder

"...a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance--

(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems

(IDEA 2004)

Aggression to people and animals bullies, threatens or intimidates others often initiates physical fights has used a weapon that could cause serious physical harm to others (e.g. a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife or gun) is physically cruel to people or animals steals from a victim while confronting them (e.g. assault) forces someone into sexual activity Destruction of Property deliberately engaged in fire setting with the intention to cause damage deliberately destroys other's property Deceitfulness, lying, or stealing has broken into someone else's building, house, or car lies to obtain goods, or favors or to avoid obligations steals items without confronting a victim (e.g. shoplifting, but without breaking and entering) Serious violations of rules often stays out at night despite parental objections runs away from home often truant from school (Source DSM-IV)

Labor rights movementCivil Rights movement

Social ActivismIdentity Politics

Keep “isms” in mind to reduce bias in assessment and classification:• Classism?• Racism?• Ableism?• Sexism?• Ethnocentrism? Xenophobia? Heterosexism? etc.

Civil Rights Act of 19641967 – Hobsen v. Hansen 1970 – Diana v. BOE, CAFERPA of 1974IDEA of 1975 (reauthorized in

2004)1979 – Larry P. v. Riles, CA1988 – Honig v. Doe, CAADA of 1990NCLB of 2001

Discussion of Mary Jean Hughes

Implications for Practice◦ Avoid using jargon/euphemisms◦ Know your ideological stance and its assumptions◦ Avoid disentangling identities◦ Maintain “ruthless skepticism” of research◦ Self-knowledge/knowledge of practice◦ Advocate for students