Classmate, let's chat: Learning disabilities

Author: (USA) Portfield
Translator: Hong Mei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Research on learning disabilities in foreign countries has been going on for over twenty years, while research on this issue in China has just begun. This is precisely why we can draw some inspiration from the various special services provided for individuals with learning disabilities in American society and the rights of individuals with learning disabilities as introduced in this book.
Excerpt: Learning disabilities and their causes Most learning does not take place in school, and it is important to understand this. In fact, long before we start school, we have already learned some of the most crucial lessons. For example, helpless newborn babies must rely on others to meet all their needs. They cannot sit, stand up, or move around. They cannot tell others what they need—whether they are hungry, in pain, or need a diaper changed—and they also cannot make others meet their needs. The only thing they can do is cry. However, this state of helplessness does not last long, because babies have an astonishing ability to learn. Within six months, they learn to sit, then crawl, and soon after, they can stand up with support. Around the age of one, they can usually stand and walk on their own. Next, without realizing it, they begin to talk. As a joke, ask your parents if they remember the first words or sentences you said. I think you likely started speaking between ten and fifteen months old. Like other babies, your first words were probably names of people, your favorite toys, or common objects around the house that you could point to or hold. Then, you likely learned words for things that are invisible and intangible, such as "come," "run," or "hungry." Within two or three months of starting to speak, the toddling baby quickly begins to form two-word sentences, such as "milk" or "where is the toy?" Over the following months, the baby gradually understands and learns more and more words. This process of learning to communicate is called language development. Language development is not simply a natural physical growth process; it is also something acquired through learning. It is just one of the many skills that babies must learn. This learning is not as easy as we might imagine—it can almost be considered the baby's homework, and this homework is not easy. Language is made up of symbols, and vocabulary represents concrete things. For example, the word "cat" represents a four-legged small animal with fur, whiskers, and a tail, but the word "cat" itself is not the animal. Some words are more symbolic or abstract than others. It is difficult to draw pictures to illustrate words like "good," "bad," or "fair." So, how do children learn words with such abstract meanings? If the language you learn is different from the language you first learned as a child, you will understand how complex the process of learning to speak and understand others can be. To understand what others say and to make others understand you...