Abstract
In the world of today, at least in the industrialized nations, ever-higher levels of education are an important prerequisite for economic and social success. Thus the child who fails in school is at a disadvantage. The term “learning disorder” refers to a failure to meet society’s expectation of academic achievement so necessary not only for social and economic success, but also for the respect of parents and teachers, for prestige among peers, and for the child’s own self-esteem.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Recommended for Further Reading
ADAMS, J. “Clinical Neuropsychology and the Study of Learning Disorders”. Pediat. Clin. N. Amer. 20–3: 587–98, 1973. —this review of clinical neuropsychological studies does not support the notion that learning disorders represent behavioural disorders of brain dysfunction, although methodological and conceptual limitations do not rule out the possibility of more complex neurophysiological disorders than those studied so far. The best rule of thumb is to disregard any diagnosis unless its use provides clear treatment or educational implications for the child.
ASHER, E. J. “The Inadequacy of Current Intelligence Tests for Testing Kentucky Mountain Children”. J. Genet. Psychol. 46: 480–86, 1935. —one of the original articles dealing with the impact of culture on intellectual functioning.
BRUTTEN, M.; RICHARDSON, S.O.; and MANGEL, C. Something’s Wrong with My Child. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973. —a book for parents about children with learning disabilities.
COHEN, A.K. Report of the National Institute of Mental Health on Juvenile Delinquency to the United States Congress. February 1960. —a clear statement of the disadvantages faced by the lower-class child on being exposed to a basically middle-class school system.
DRICHTON, J.; KENDALL, D.; CATTERSON, J.; and DUNN, H. Learning Disabilities: A Practical Office Manual. Victoria, B.C., Canadian Pediatric Society, 1972. —another textbook.
DAVIE, R.; BUTLER, N.; and GOLDSTEIN, H. From Birth to Seven:The Second Report of the National Child Development Survey. Humanities, 1972. —recommended for those interested in reading more about the prevalence of learning disorders in the general community.
DE HIRSCH, K. Learning Disabilities: An Overview. Bulletin, New York Academy of Medicine: April 1974. —describes methods of predicting future reading disabilities in young children.
DE HIRSCH, K.; JANSKY, J.J.; and LANGFORD, W. S. Predicting Reading Failure. New York, Harper and Row, 1966. —an excellent review article.
EISENBERG, LEON. “Reading Retardation 1 : Psychiatric and Sociologic Aspects”. Pediat. 37: 352–76, 1966. —a special article dealing with both the psychiatric and sociologie sources of reading retardation.
HAWKE, W. A. “A Six-Year Study of Development of Jamaican Children” (in preparation). —illustrates problems in using tests of intellectual function with children raised in a different cultural environment.
KINSBOURNE, M. “School Problems”. Pediats. 52: 697–710, 1973. —very clearly written and at times controversial article. The author feels that the terms “minimal brain damage” and “dyslexia” are potentially harmful. He stresses the harm that can be done through group assessments of intelligence, the importance of the concept of developmental lag, of deriving a management program suited to the specific difficulties and areas of strength of the particular child, discusses techniques of assessing neurological development and the selective use of medication.
KINSBOURNE, M. “The Hyperactive and Impulsive Child”. Ont Med. Rev. 42: 657–60, 1975. —maintains that it is not the hyperactivity per se but rather the impulsivityand inability to attend—i.e. the distractibility—that interfere most with both learning and socialization. Stresses the important role of stimulants in increasing the child’s accessibility to behavioural intervention.
KAPPELMAN, M. M.; LUCK, E.; and GANTER, R. L. “Profile of the Disadvantaged Child with Learning Disorders”. Amer. J. Dis. Child. 121: 371–79, 1971. —in-depth study of 100 disadvantaged children, attempts categorizing the causes of learning disabilities. Discusses the contribution of family adequacy and family motivation.
HELLMUTH, J., ed., Learning Disorders. Vol. 1 (1965) to Vol. 4 (1971); Special Child Publications, Seattle. —a good periodic review of the area.
LESSER, S. R., and EASSER, B. R. “Personality Differences in the Perceptually Handicapped”. J. Amer. Acad. Child Psychiat. 11: 458–66, 1972. —children whose development from birth has not followed normal pathways because of perceptual handicaps are bound to be psychologically affected by their different experience. Presents the need for a greater understanding of the psychological consequences of primary perceptual handicaps.
MULLIGAN, W. “A Study of Dyslexia and Delinquency”. Acad. Ther. 177–87, 1969. —discusses the high correlation between dyslexia and delinquency, stressing the importance of early identification and remedial treatment of the dyslexic child.
MYKLEBUST, H. R., and JOHNSON, D. J. Learning Disabilities: Educational Principles and Practices. New York, Grune and Stratton, 1967. —a sound textbook.
MYKLEBUST, H. R., ed., Progress in Learning Disabilities. Vol. 1 (1968) to Vol. 3 (1975). New York, Grune and Stratton. —also a comprehensive periodic review of the field.
PAGE-EL, E., and GROSSMAN, H. J. “Neurologic Appraisal in Learning Disorders”. Pediat. Clin. N. Amer. 20: 599–605, 1973. —discusses the neurologic indicators of learning disorders, suggesting both standard tests and special procedures which will assist in an office evaluation. Questions the usefulness of the term “soft” neurological signs.
Report of the Conference on the Use of Stimulant Drugs in the Treatment of Behaviorally Disturbed Young School Children. Sponsored by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Washington, D.C., January 11–12, 1971. —a brief, tightly organized summary which touches upon the lack of clarity in diagnosis, and then raises a number of concerns related to the use of stimulant drugs before concluding that “there is a place for stimulant medications in hyperkinetic behavioral disturbance, but these medications are not the only form of effective treatment”.
ROHWER, W. D. “Learning, Race, and School Success”. Review of Educational Research. 41: 191–210, 1971. —attempts to differentiate school success from intelligence. Presents some of the problems black children face in our school system.
SAFER, D.; ALLEN, R.; and BARR, E. “Depression of Growth in Hyperactive Children on Stimulant Drugs”. New. Eng. J. Med. 287: 217–20, 1972. —dextroamphetamine and ritalin caused suppression of growth in weight and height in a group of twenty-nine hyperactive children. The growth inhibition was greater with dextroamphetamine, and rebound weight gain occurred when medication was abruptly stopped.
SDHULTZ, C. B., and AURBACH, H. A. “The Usefulness of Cumulative Deprivation as an Explanation of Educational Deficiencies”. Merrill-Palmer Quart. Behav. Devel. 17: 27–39, 1971. —explores these questions: Do the learning disabilities of disadvantaged children represent deficiencies in skills and knowledge required by school or are they the result of a genuine arrest of intellectual development? Is this arrest permanent? Does the lower-class environment merely correlate with the learning retardation or cause it?
SPRAGUE, R. I., and SLEATOR, E. K. “Effects of Psychopharmacologic Agents on Learning Disorders”. Pediat. Clin. N. Amer. 20: 719–35, 1973. —Cites figures indicating that in some areas up to 25 per cent of all children are given stimulants for so-called hyperactivity.
THOMPSON, L. J. “Learning Disabilities: An Overview”. Amer. J. Psychiat. 130: 395–99, 1973. —another competent overview of the field.
WALZER, S., and RICHMOND, J. B. “The Epidemiology of Learning Disorders”. Pediat. Clin. N. Amer. 20: 549–65, 1973. —this epidemiological study stresses the contribution of biological, socio-cultural, and psychological factors, stressing the degree to which these are concentrated in the socio-economically disadvantaged child.
WEISS, G.; KRUGER, E.; DANIELSON, U.; and ELMAN, M. “Effect of Long-Term Treatment of Hyperactive Children with Methylphenidate”. Canad. Med. Assoc. J. 112: 159–65, 1975. —consistent use of stimulants in hyperactive school children over a five-year period, while decreasing impulsivity, hyperactivity, and aggression, did not result in improved psychiatric, academic or psychological functioning as opposed to a no-drug control group.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1977 Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hawke, W.A., Lesser, S.R. (1977). The Child With a Learning Disorder. In: Steinhauer, P.D., Rae-Grant, Q. (eds) Psychological Problems of the Child and His Family. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-81464-0_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-81464-0_12
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-81466-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-81464-0
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)