Embedded in an otherwise very interesting report about a novel with which I’m unfamiliar, a blogger who identifies his or her blog as “abpsych blog” made the simple mistake of using Learning Disabilities as a generic for special education. Describing the novel’s protagonist, the blogger wrote:
He has either autism of [sic] asperger’s syndrome. Christopher goes to a school for children with learning disabilities and his teacher, Siobahn, gives Christopher the idea to write about his investigation into the murder of his neighbor’s dog.
Not to be picky, but I left a comment on abpsych blog about the mistake. By the way, the book is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and, based on the blogger’s intriguing analysis of it, I think I’ll get a copy to read.
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Hi John, it is a remarkable novel on a number of levels. What I particularly enjoyed is the author’s use of Christopher’s point of view–Christopher’s voice, if you will–to create dramatic tension.
Why don’t you write a manifesto clarifying the terms
“learning disability”
“special education”
“developmental delay”
etc.
In your copious spare time, of course.
John,
The book is terrific. Haddon really captures autism. The author is English and the book is set in England. According to the MR text I use (Beirne-Smith, Patton, and Kim) “the term learning disabilities is used in the United Kingdom to refer to individuals with mental retardation.” If this is correct, the author’s use of the term “learning disabilities” is accurate for his context, and a big improvement over the previous British term “educationally subnormal.”
awelch