Written by Kimberly Rehbaum
This article was originally published in 2015.
Let us know what you think.
- Can you share an experience (no names, please) when labeling a student resulted in benefits for the student’s learning?
- Can you share an experience when labeling hurt a student?
- In your experience, do the advantages of labeling a student outweigh the disadvantages?
The process of labeling is currently one of the most controversial topics in the field of special education. Should students be labeled with such disabilities as autism, ADHD, IDD, and EBD? According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), in order to receive public government funding for special education, students must have a label. Some educators believe these labels have more disadvantages than benefits, but I am led to believe that labeling leads to accommodations that will enable students to succeed in academics and understand their specific abilities.
Disadvantages of Labeling Students
One of the main reasons for complaint is that with a label comes a negative connotation leading to low self-esteem. Some people believe that students with learning disabilities tend to look at their disability as an excuse for poor grades. They know they are disabled and as a result, they put minimum effort into classes that seem difficult to them. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In essence, the students cease being individuals and become a label.
Rather than waiting to see students’ strengths and weaknesses, some educators may categorize them based on their labels. As a result, they expect that the students will automatically struggle in school and other areas of life. Oswalt (2008) supported this idea in her article Criticisms of Disability Labeling: “The use of such labels may also inadvertently push well-meaning families and teachers to lower their expectations of a child once labeled with a disability” (p. 1).
One last disadvantage of labeling may be the mislabeling of students. Students who are slow to mature or to develop cognitively as young children may need special intervention in order to catch up with their peers. Unfortunately, cognitive delays may be misinterpreted and labeled as disorders. If the labels are not removed while the children are still young, they may grow up believing that they are disabled and therefore may not reach their full academic potential.
Advantages of Labeling Students
Understandably, for these reasons many parents and educators are opposed to the process of labeling, but without the labels, the students will still have the disabilities and will need the same accommodations and specialized education. Kauffman (2010) compared the negative connotation of labels to the unfavorable associations surrounding the word cancer: “The stigma of cancer has abated because people were encouraged to confront it for what it is, treat it, and prevent it” (p. 196). Educators can help students become aware of their disabilities by offering classes such as social skills and study skills.
A second factor of labeling benefits both the labeled individual and peers. Rather than being called disabled, the labels show them they are differently-abled. The labels help students understand themselves and who they are. The label is not saying, “You cannot succeed.” It is saying, “There is a different way for you to succeed.” In the same way, these labels can help peers understand their classmates with disabilities. In fact, Oswalt (2008) asserted, “Sometimes children will be more comfortable and more welcoming to a child with disabilities when they can learn about and understand what makes their peer differently-abled. Thus, labels help children to comfortably talk about how they are different from each other, and how they are the same” (p. 1).
A more obvious benefit of labeling is that labels allow the students to be educated by teachers who are specially licensed and trained to teach students with specific disabilities. Special education teachers like April Lewandowski have taken classes in writing individualized education plans (IEPs) that fit the needs of each child. Lewandowski believed that this is one of the most positive aspects of labeling. These IEPs contain specific goals for each individual’s education. The special education teachers keep track of these goals and keep a record of their students’ progress. They have also studied the characteristics of the disabilities and know the special accommodations required for each one of their students. When questions do arise about the various disabilities, these teachers know other people within the same discipline that can help them answer their questions.
Labeling in WELS Schools
Whether or not the WELS adopts a labeling system in Lutheran elementary schools, one thing is certain: Each student is a chosen child of God, specially formed and molded individually by our perfect Creator and bought with the blood of Christ. With this comes a unique set of challenges and abilities. As ministers of the gospel, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). In order to carry out our ministry to all people, Martin Luther College now has a special education program to prepare teachers who understand the uses of labeling. Soon these teachers will be qualified to instruct students with numerous disabilities. Christ’s love compels us to teach our students both academics and the truths of God’s Word in the most appropriate way possible. Therefore, it is imperative that we consider various options of assessment as we faithfully carry out our calling.
Kimberly Rehbaum (’18) is currently serving as an ECC Teacher at Zion LES—Egg Harbor WI.
References
Heward, W. (2006). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education (Eighth ed., pp. 13-16). Merrill: Pearson Education.
Kaufman, W.L. (2010) Labeling and Eligibility for Special Education, Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/labeling-eligibility-special-education/
Oswalt, A. (2008). Criticisms of Disability Labeling. Retrieved from http://www.sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=36216&cn=1275
I have had experiences on both sides of this issue.
Two boys that I taught had ADHD. Both used used their labels as an excuse to not do what was expected of them academically. The one was a large boy who had been in the special ed classes at public school until he came to our LES in 7th grade. One of his things besides ADD was that he was told he had a hard time controlling his gross motor movements. He used that as an excuse to run over smaller children on the playground, and one kid in particular.
More recently I have had two girls who are autistic. Both greatly benefited from special ed.
Because I knew of the autism in the one girl, I could educate myself by reading articles and watching webinars. I was able to hear what the special ed teachers said in the IEP meetings. All of that helped me to help the one girl. She was also on a special diet that helped her. I knew I had to make sure she had her snack in the morning and that nearing lunch she would have trouble concentrating. She didn’t always recognize that she needed food and would be upset that she couldn’t think. I knew it was able to tell her to stop working and finish her assignment after lunch.
The other girl came to our school in 4th grade after being at public school in another state. Another teacher and I suspected she was autistic the first time we met her. It became obvious to us after more interaction with this girl. But her parents didn’t tell me or anyone at our school about her autism. I was very frustrated that a fourth grade girl couldn’t use glue or a scissors or follow simple directions or give an opinion verbally. In my experience, those are usual skills for fourth graders. Finally after Christmas, I called a meeting with her parents. I wanted her to be tested. Her mother finally admitted that she had been diagnosed when she was three and had been in varying degrees of therapy since then. She had “graduated” right before they moved, and her parents wanted her to have a fresh start with no label. Also her previous teacher had greatly lowered her expectations of this student. The parents didn’t like that at all. They wanted her to have as “normal” a school experience as possible. After I knew this about her, most of my frustration went away. Her mom told my some ways to help her with certain things. Her mom said she would work on skills I thought she needed at home. The rest of that year and the next were so much more pleasant for me because I knew what I could do to help this child.
In my experience, how the parents treat the disability has a lot to do with how that label affects the child. The boys I mentioned were both allowed to use their disabilities as excuses to not do things to the best of their ability. The girls were expected to do their best and they did.