Erin ,
The issue of stigma is huge with this population. I agree that other students learn from example, and the approach of the instructor will be emulated by the students. All the more reason to make sure it is nonjudgmental.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Given the fact that mental illness seems to be everywhere these days, it would be silly for a person to make a snap judgement on a person with a psychological disability. For many, there seems to be a root cause for the mental illness. Since most people have no clue what someone with this disorder sufferes from, then we cannot judge. Also, if the instructor stigmatizes the student, other students will do the same. Furthermore, treating psychological disabilities with judgement and bias will only lead to a self-fulflling prophecy among these students.
Jeff,
I think my answer would lie somewhere inbetween. You are right -- you aren't an expert in this area and you are not qualified to "diagnose" someone as having a psychological disorder. Moreover, students have the right NOT to claim their disability and request special treatment -- and you shouldn't be giving it if they didn't request it. But perhaps the better response is to deal with what you SEE (what you observe) and respond as you would to anyone else engaging in that behavior. No more and no less!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
The obvious answer is that I'm not a doctor and if i were wrong, the out come would not be a good one!!! but the answer i'm going to go with is.. the law requires the student to self identify, they have to come to us and request acomodations for their disability. I also feel that if this is a new class of students (I get 30 every 3 weeks) I havent known them long enough to even attempt to draw conclusion on something like that.
Timothy,
Hmmm... I think I agree with what you said, but not the way you said it. "Disabilities have very different levels of impairment." Does that mean that STUDENTS with disabilities can have very different levels of impairment? I would agree. Or does it mean that someone's disability may impact very differently in different situations? Again, I would agree.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Disabilities have very different levels of impairment. Student’s behavior in the classroom could be very different outside the classroom then in the classroom.
KATHERINE,
Absolutely correct. We cannot see the disability OR the cause (the trigger), so the best bet is to stick to what you see/observe.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Don't we all? Since we cannot necessarily 'see' the disability then I am working from the premise that I cannot make an assumption about that individual and only base my responses on what I have seen concerning achievemnt in the classroom.
KATHERINE,
Yes... but! It is always encouraging to hear reports of individuals with disabilities who are successful in their endeavors. But there is a fine line between respecting someone for their achievements, and idealizing their success as the exception to the rule, or the result of some outside force. People with disabilities ALWAYS achieve because of what they CAN do, not what they CAN'T do (that is, "...in spite of their disability").
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Is it not inspirational when any one of us overcomes some obstacle no matter what our abilities?
octavia,
You are right. Not only can we not determine the "why's" -- we can't even determine the "if's." Know what? It isn't important. Our job is to figure out what to do with/for students based on their behavior, not our suppositions.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
It is important because our job as teacher is to ensure the student learning. we are not doctors to determine why a students has a psychological disability.
francisco,
It is always gratifying to see a student achieve, especially when others doubt their ability to do so.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I have witness the same results, to see a young man or a young lady master the task on their own and to see the joy that it brings to them just amazes me.
LE,
The bottom line, as you have noted, is to deal with the behavior that you see, not what you THINK the cause behind it might be. It is not the instructor's job or responsibility to "treat" the student in some way, but rather to consider the student with a disability as a member of the class, with the same potential anticipated from others. If they cannot perform, that will become apparent as time passes. We should EXPECT that there will be problems.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
There are many disorders which may drive different behaviors and these may also be intermittent or inconsistent. So, the observations that you make today will not be appropriate or valid tomorrow. Each day we need to look at the student and try to understand how well they are functioning that day. We should expect variation.
About the "drawing of conclusions" we do not want to create a Pygmalion Effect where the student's potential could be compromised.
Overall, we have to take what we get and deal with it as we go along. If we have a set of accommodations in place we should try to be consistent but if they are not working over an extended period a review may be in order. As an instructor I try to focus on the class not a specific individual.
Carol,
While you cannot draw conclusions about CAUSE, it is not wrong to respond to the behavior you see in the classroom. The trick is to NOT assign a reason for it. The reason doesn't matter. You are right, though, in suggesting that not all students with psych disabilities will have visible symptomology, and not all visible suggestions of instability are the result of psychological disability.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
You cant draw conclusions based on the classroom because certain behaviors may or may not be present in the classroom. Some psychological disabilities may be exaggerated in the classroom environment.
Amy,
Knowing about the student can help you to understand why they behave in a certain way, but it doesn't excuse inappropriate behavior that is disruptive to the learning environment. We always need to be wary of overcompensating.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I realized this early on when I had a student whose behavior was really rubbing me the wrong way. A week later he told me that he had Aspergers syndrome. I immediately felt guilty for my internal feelings of frustration about him, but it led me to learn more about the syndrome, and once I understood it, then I was able to understand my student more fully.
