Article 1: Language-Based Learning Disabilities
T Christy Brockhausen, Ph.D. Director of Lower School The Gateway School
o the casual observer, Jackie’s early childhood was relatively unremarkable. She was a happy, social child who got along with her peers and was curious about the world around her. By the time she reached preschool, she hit all of the expected developmental milestones for a child her age and was even ahead of the curve on a few. Aside from the occasional daydreaming, which sometimes led to missed directions, her teachers had no reservations about her classroom behavior and were confident she would thrive in elementary school. The summer before Jackie started kindergarten, her baby brother was born. She was a doting big sister who was quick to comfort the baby at any sign of crying and who never missed an opportunity to tell people how proud she was of her sibling. Surprisingly for her family, the transition to kindergarten proved challenging for Jackie. Conflict resolution with her classmates was difficult for her to manage, and her daydreaming became more frequent. Jackie’s parents were worried, but family friends reassured them that so much change in such a short time was bound to lead to some acting out. When she began to ignore their own directions at home, however, Jackie’s parents consulted with her pediatrician who recommended a hearing test. Jackie showed no signs of difficulty hearing, and her parents resigned themselves to the fact that she was simply moving through a “rough patch.” After all, Jackie was still on target academically, and she even showed a real passion for zoology and art. By the time of her parent-teacher conferences in first grade, Jackie’s teachers shared a new concern with her parents. Jackie was quickly falling behind her classmates in reading. Her inability to resolve conflict with her peers had also deepened, and she was prone to outbursts. Jackie’s parents reported that the tantrums were happening at home, as well. Taking all of this into consideration, Jackie’s teachers recommended she receive a neuropsychological evaluation from a consulting school psychologist. Jackie’s parents were taken aback. Sure, Jackie had developed a bit of stubbornness, but she was still the curious, social, and bright child she had always been. Why would she possibly need to see a psychologist? Jackie’s teachers confirmed what her parents believed: Jackie was still the curious, social, and bright
child she had always been. Their recommendation for a neuropysch wasn’t because of concerns about her behavior; they had suspicions that she might be showing signs of a language-based learning disability. The term “language-based learning disability” describes a spectrum of challenges and difficulties related to the use of spoken and written language. These challenges are the result of an individual’s neurobiology and the impact of their environment. In other words, the brain of a person with a language-based learning disability functions in a way that makes tasks like writing, reading, and speaking more difficult than they are for a person whose brain acts according to expected patterns, or neurotypically. When placed in a learning environment or setting that is designed only for neuro-typical learners, the difficulties faced by a child with a language-based learning disability can be compounded and become pronounced. Language-based learning disabilities can be receptive, expressive, or a mix of both. Receptive language delays cause difficulty understanding what others are saying. A person with expressive delays has difficulty expressing their own thoughts, emotions, and ideas. One well-known diagnosis within the spectrum of language-based learning disabilities is dyslexia. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) describes dyslexia as, “... a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language this is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” According to the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association (ASHA), a language-based learning disability has nothing to do with how smart a child is, and most people with a language-based learning disability have average to above-average intelligence. Moreover, as Dr. Christy Brockhausen, Director of Lower School at The Gateway School, explains, “The term language-based learning
Language is the way we connect to our feelings, communicate with those in our lives, and express our ideas.
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