Ironically, people have learnt plenty of misconceptions surrounding learning disabilities. These assumptions can be rather harmful, not just to someone with a learning disability, but also to those that are close to them, such as friends and family.
A misguided opinion, even with the best intentions, can easily lead to improper treatment or responses when caring for or socialising with someone with learning challenges.
With that in mind, here are several assumptions about learning disabilities, why they’re wrong, and how we should alter our perspective for the better.
“All Learning Disabilities Are Visually Obvious”
While it’s true that certain learning disabilities have physical characteristics that distinguish it – such as some facial features – this is by no means a definite indicator.
In fact, many learning disabilities are not always visible. There is a reason why professional diagnosis is required to properly determine how one’s cognitive and processing ability is impacted, assuming it even is.
For example, to determine if a child has a learning disability, a full medical examination is required, which includes a neurological test.
Academic and psychological tests are also done in tandem with a review of the child’s history, namely their social, developmental and school performance.
The fact that a thorough check up is even required should make it clear that assuming one’s disability primarily on appearance is both unwise and inaccurate.
“Learning Disabilities Can Be ‘Cured’”
Some people with learning disabilities exhibit social and developmental skills that are outwardly indistinguishable when compared to the average person.
This does not mean they have resolved their learning disability. Unfortunately, learning disabilities cannot be unlearnt or fully resolved.
Instead, some people utilise coping mechanisms or certain social and learning strategies to minimise the impact of their learning disability.
Such coping mechanisms and strategies can differ wildly from person to person. After all, no two people are alike, even if they have similar learning challenges.
“Learning Disabilities Indicate Low Intelligence”
Do learning disabilities affect someone’s IQ? It could. But there are countless cases in which there is little discernible difference between the intelligence of an abled individual and someone with a learning disability.
It’s easy to assume that a learning disability results in slower learning and a lower intelligence. Yet in actuality, learning disabilities impact how someone processes information, which doesn’t necessarily correlate with their intellect. Many people with learning disabilities don’t think worse; they simply think differently.
By allowing such individuals to harness their own unique perspective and thought process, many of them can showcase intellect to match – or even surpass – the average person.
“Learning Disabilities Foster Laziness”
Many children with learning disabilities may seem inattentive during school, but that’s not necessarily because they’re lazy or lack motivation.
By extension, many adults with learning disabilities may often disengage socially, but that’s not likely because they’re too lazy to interact with or befriend someone.
Such individuals often have difficulty processing information within a social or academic context, which may result in them not responding to certain social cues.
The key is to figure out what strategies can be employed to prompt engagement from someone with a learning disability. In other words, it’s not that they’re lazy; they may simply require the right interaction to get them focused and engaged.
“Learning Disabilities Can Result From Bad Parenting”
Some people assume that parental neglect can result in a child developing some form of learning disability. While it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause behind learning disability, there is no research that indicates bad parenting to be one such cause.
A child that has been emotionally deprived due to neglect could develop certain mental disorders, such as social anxiety, but that is not the same as a learning disability. Such disorders are very treatable, while learning disabilities – as mentioned earlier — can only be managed, not cured.
The only exception where parental neglect can result in learning disability is when physical abuse is involved. If the abuse leads to a traumatic brain injury, this can certainly have significant repercussions on a child’s cognitive and developmental ability.
That said, traumatic brain injuries can happen for any number of reasons, the majority of which are unrelated to parental abuse. Making any of these assumptions about learning disabilities can have far-reaching negative consequences.
You could inadvertently alienate people facing these challenges, or even discourage them from seeking the help they required to manage their disability. So if you harbour any of these false perspectives, you’ll do a lot of good simply by unlearning them.
References
LD Explained (2024) 7 Common Learning Disabilities Myths and Facts [Accessed 20 April 2024] Available at: https://www.ldexplained.org/learning-disabilities-lp/learning-disabilities-myths-and-facts/
PBS (2012) Five Misconceptions About Learning Disabilities [Accessed 20 April 2024] Available at: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/five-misconceptions-about-learning-disabilities
Ategi (2023) 6 common myths about people with learning disabilities [Accessed 18 April 2024] Available at: https://www.ategi.org.uk/news/posts/6-common-myths-about-people-with-learning-disabilities
Devon Frye (2022) 10 Damaging Myths About Learning Disabilities [Accessed 21 April 2024] Available at: https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/what-are-learning-disabilities/
NIH (2018) How are learning disabilities diagnosed? [Accessed 21 April 2024] Available at: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning/conditioninfo/diagnosed