by Aimee Schrader

Created on: January 29, 2009

Imagine yourself sitting in a dark closet. In the room next to you, there is light. Occasionally you catch glimpses of light, and can see things throughout the room. Slowly you gain a picture of what's around you. But just as you are getting a few things discerned, the room changes. What you knew from glimpses before was now not the same, and not enough. As time goes by, things change faster. More things are added to the room at an increasing pace, and soon, you see no resemblance between the room now, and the room then. You aren't even sure you are looking into the same room you started to.

Children with disabilities often feel the same way when sitting in a classroom. They are able to understand and grasp parts and pieces of a lesson, but depending upon their disability, maybe not the whole thing. As time goes on, more and more holes in their education are created. That is, unless the disability is diagnosed early, and an individualized education plan can be created to meet the needs of that student.

Education is built upon a foundation of knowledge. As a child learns, certain foundation skills must be completed in order to go on to the next level. The greater the disadvantages a child has in creating that foundation of knowledge, the longer it takes to build up each new level. For example, a student with a learning disability in math who cannot determine the differences between numbers will not be able to add or subtract correctly. This will in turn create greater problems as multiplication and division are introduced. Grades and the student's self-esteem will also be greatly effected. However, if a student is diagnosed with a learning disability early on, strategies and alternate assignments can be implemented to help the student understand the differences between numbers and keep grades and self-esteem in tact.

Many teachers and parents find themselves asking if the testing really necessary. In my opinion, as a special education teacher, I would rather test the student and find out there is no problem, then let him or her continue to struggle on through school, and create even greater holes in the student's learning. Many teachers and parents tend to believe that they can simply work around a student's disability, and that their own teaching abilities will miraculously bring a child up to speed. If a student has a true disability, this will more than likely not create a big enough help for the struggling student. It may simply become a band-aid that will fall off later to reveal an even greater hole in the student's learning. Though testing a student can be time consuming, and does cost the school district some money, I feel that it is a small price to pay for shedding light on an area darkened by disability.

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