Some students simply learn differently

February 27, 2007

BY SHARON EICHER AND DANIEL QUINLIN

Human brains all have the same basic design, but there are variations among individuals in how some of the neural processes work.

Generally, we term the most common patterns as “normal” and the less common patterns as “abnormal,” which is a poor way to describe human diversity.

Learning disabilities represent a different physical way that the brain processes information in a minority of people.

In their ignorance and cruelty, people may associate being different with a lack of intelligence.

Actually much evidence points to the contrary — many people with learning disabilities score well above average on intelligence tests.

One of the key indicators of a learning disability is when there exists a great disparity between intelligence potential, as measured by an IQ score, and actual achievement, as measured by grades.

One of the most common and most well-known learning disabilities is “attention deficiency disorder” (ADD or ADHD).

There is not one type of ADD; it has at least six different varieties. It is believed that ADD may affect 10-15% of school-age children, although some students are not diagnosed until college, as intelligence helps to compensate for areas of weakness in school.

Learning disabilities indicate a different kind of neural processing. We can see how anthropologically and biologically genetic diversity, including how people respond mentally to challenges, worked to our advantage.

For example, the more alert and active homo sapien would perceive and react to a threat more quickly than less alert and less active peers. Before the Industrial Revolution, many people who would today be described as “hyperactive” probably performed better than their peers.

It is in the post-Industrial Revolution world, with its labor specialization and lack of physical labor, which causes a problem. Modern work requires repetition and is much more sedentary than labor previously was. The social evolution of work seems to be making these types of hardwired behaviors less necessary and more inconvenient.

The challenge to society is, how do we use the advantages of this minority rather than focus on the instances in which it does not succeed as well as the majority?
If we seek for everyone to conform to a specific archetype, we lose the benefits that this mental diversity offers us.

Nevertheless, the reality for college students with learning disabilities is they have to learn in environments that traditionally are not conducive to their strengths and learning styles. Because of this fact, such students are included under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This act allows for accommodations that can assist students in their efforts to learn and succeed.

All institutions of higher learning are required by law to make accommodations available to students.

These allow students to work around any problems created by their learning style.

Many students are often hesitant to take advantage of these accommodations. Sometimes this is due to embarrassment about their situation — they do not want peers or faculty to know.