Special Education Classification and Labeling

Special Education

CLASSIFICATION and LABELING

Florian, L., Hollenweger, J., Simeonsson, R.J., Wedell, K. & et al. (2006). Cross-Cultural Perspectives on the Classification of Children With Disabilities: Part I. Issues in the Classification of Children With Disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 40(1):36-45. Retrieved Sept. 29, 2009, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID: 1034213801).

This article is a synthesis of six (6) papers that address extensive issues relating to disability classification and categorization, cross-national comparisons on disability in education, and proposals for new approaches to classification. One of the highlights is the importance and purposes of disability classification in education. As well, it discusses future directions in classification in light of recent developments in disability conceptualization, which challenge traditional ways of thinking about categories and labels.

Hendriksen, J., Keulers, E., Feron, F., & et. al. (2007). Subtypes of learning disabilities: Neuropsychological and behavioral functioning of 495 children referred for multidisciplinary assessment. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 16(8), 517-524. Retrieved Oct. 3, 2009, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID: 1412708981).

This large sample-sized study demonstrates that the three subtypes of learning disabilities in children -- verbal, non-verbal, and attention with/without motor function -- can be reasonably distinguished based on behavioral and neuropsychological functioning. A multidisciplinary approach can contribute in diagnosing uncommon learning disabilities. The study also emphasizes the need for further research on non-verbal learning disabilities to enhance early detection and reduce secondary consequences.

3. Jordan, K. (2005). Discourses of difference and the overrepresentation of black students in Special Education. The Journal of African-American History, 90(1/2), 128-149. Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID: 852549131).

The author looks at the language and practices in schools that lead to the labeling of disproportionate numbers of culturally different African-American children as "disabled." Contributing factors include poverty, racial issues, teachers' assumptions and social positioning, and culturally-deficit instruction. Among these, teacher's assumptions appear to be the most significant. Additional research is recommended to explore these assumptions as they often result in an unwarranted diagnosis of disability and special education placement, especially among male African-American students.

4. Walther-Thomas, C. & Brownell, M. (1999). An interview with...Mara Sapon-Shevin: Implications for students and teachers of labeling students as learning disabled/gifted. Intervention in School and Clinic, 34(4), 244. Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID: 39366792).

Sapon-Shevin, an expert in special and gifted education, talks about the implications of labeling in children. Labels in schools affect both the opportunities for children and their subsequent performance in class. Instead of labeling, she suggests to describe students as being "good at some things" and "having difficulty with others." Noteworthy is a brainstorming activity she usually conducts during trainings for pre-service and in-service teachers: to think of the many different ways in which children differ. As the teachers come up with 40-50 differences including race, religion, language, physical size, skills, etc., she reminds them that that the presence of a disability represents only one dimension of who a student is.