We have learned a lot about learning disabilities in recent years, but a clear majority of parents think toddlers and preschoolers will outgrow symptoms, an idea that could delay critical help, a new poll found.
Two-thirds of surveyed adults think children between the ages of two and four will grow out of signs of learning disabilities, the poll by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation reported.
This attitude runs in the opposite direction of a growing body of research that shows how high-quality early learning can dramatically cut down the number of elementary school students placed in special education. Of course, the benefits of early intervention in helping children with developmental delays are becoming crystal clear.
“Early identification and intervention is powerful and possible,” Ben Foss, director of Access Technology at Intel’s Digital Health Group and an adult with learning disabilities, said in a statement.
“Assistive technology and special education programs can give students and others with learning disabilities the freedom and independence to learn so that they can stay on track and truly achieve their academic potential.”
The report highlights other gaps in the understanding of learning disabilities:
- “A majority of the public and parents mistakenly believe learning disabilities are often a product of the home environment.”
- “A majority (51%) think that what people call learning disabilities are the result of laziness.”
Why should early learning educators get involved?
“The data demonstrates that misunderstandings reinforce the stigma associated with learning disabilities, causing delays in diagnosis and the early intervention that could save a student’s educational career,” Annie Weber, a senior vice president for GfK Roper, which conducted the telephone survey of 1,000 adults, said in the statement.
Check out Early Ed Watch’s take on the report.
(And thanks to Early Ed Watch for highlighting this important new report.)