There are many advantages to your child's identification with an SLD. The most prominent advantage to the diagnosis includes legal protection. Once identified as having a learning disability, your child has legal protection throughout life. The most prominent laws include: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), The Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
In elementary, middle and high school, students have an individual education plan (IEP). This plan outlines services the school provides for your child. Teachers and staff must abide by this legally binding document and provide all services outlined. If there is a problem, a parent may work with the special-education teacher, supervisor or school administration to correct the issue. If the problem persists, a parent may file a due-process complaint with the department of education. After secondary schooling, students continue to have legal rights both in college and in the workforce.
Provision of instructional supports and preparation for independent living after secondary schooling come with identification of a specific learning disability as well. IEPs examine your child's strengths, weaknesses and instructional supports needed to be successful in the classroom. Written goals then improve your child's performance and allow for accommodations or modifications to the curriculum if needed. IEPs also allow for assistance in state achievement testing, providing for accommodations, such as small group setting, scribes or even alternative testing. Individualized education plans prepare your child for life after high school. These plans begin at age 16 and map your child's educational path throughout the remainder of high school and beyond. These plans allow students to attend secondary school until age 22 if necessary and permit specialized instruction.
Disadvantages of being diagnosed with an SLD are both social and educational in nature. These disadvantages include issues with labeling, self-esteem and permanence of the diagnosis. Your child may feel singled out if she needs to attend a different class or go to a resource room. She may feel different from her peers and have feelings of lower self-worth. In school, labels may focus on the disability and weaknesses of your child, rather than on her abilities. General educators may assume that your child is the same as other students with the same diagnosis. The diagnosis may also become an excuse for your child's negative behavior and underperformance. Labels are also fairly permanent. Unless your child's ability improves dramatically or you revoke consent for services, your child remains labeled throughout her educational career.
As a parent, you may fear that the label of a learning disability will define your child. If you worry about the labeling of your child, know it is the school's responsibility to keep the disability private. Diagnosis of a learning disability is revealed only to those involved in the IEP team and remains private. Ensure that your student has continued academic growth. Whether you choose to have him tested or refuse consent, communicate regularly with his general education teacher to allow him to be successful in the classroom. Although students struggle with self-worth because of the label, keep in mind that continued "failures" in the classroom can also bring about the same feelings, while educational supports can bring about success and a more positive feeling of self-worth.