Most of us are conversant with obvious “physical” disabilities in people and this may vary from person to person, it could be as common as eye problems to more severe problems that may even render the individual as handicapped. We all have definitely encountered individuals with one or more forms of these disabilities in our environment. However, there seem to be an unsolved puzzle with individuals that appear perfectly normal in their physical appearance yet do have serious challenges with learning. Such individuals are often labelled as “dumb”, “stupid”, “lazy”, “slow”, “nitwits” and are usually being made fun of as a result of their poor academic performance. Eventually, the weight of these labels on the individuals gradually affects many more aspects of their lives, erodes their self-esteem/self-worth and may lead to depressive tendencies on the long run.
A typical example is seen below:
Joseph is often best described by his classmates as “awkward”
His struggle with literacy and numeracy tasks over the years
has taken a huge toll on him.
This has also affected his relationship with his peers as he is often aggressive and irritable.
Although he puts in his very best efforts to get good grades, frustration is all he gets at the end of the school year.
When counseled by the school’s counselor, he becomes emotional and reveals that he really wants to get good grades and be as good as other kids.
“What could be wrong with me?” He asks….
Today, many students are just like Joseph, struggling with one or more aspects of school work and not understanding why or what the reason may be. Parents/guardians are also not left out as they are frequently at the edge with school authorities regarding the unsatisfactory performance of their children.
This may be a clear cut case of an undiagnosed learning disability/ learning difficulty.
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