English Education

Pedagogical Literature Review

For my paper, I am taking a general look at Special Education issues. There are two conflicting views that are addressed in my paper – the first being the idea that there are too many students that are put into special education, and the second being that integration into the system that allows parents more information will help make the special education system more effective. The first premise builds off the idea that students of color are disproportionately being put in special education – such as the sons of African immigrants, African American children, and Latino children – from the perspective that it is and isn't necessary. The second builds off the idea that teachers trying new strategies and an increase in parental involvement help to make special education more accessible and effective. Both premises come to form the conclusion that changing the parameters of how we think about and work within special education create maximum benefits for teachers, parents, and students.

Elements of culture and tradition that shape the perceptions and expectations of Somali refugee mothers about autism spectrum disorder

Shanna Miller-Gairy and Saul Mofya, DVM, MSc

Int J Child Aolesc Health 2015; 8(4): 425-438

            This is a study that looks at 25 participatory mothers through observation and face-to-face interviews. The mothers feel a disconnect from the traditional western view of looking at learning disabilities, feeling that Autism is a result of stringent vaccination administration, the environment and processed food. The research they have down shows that these families are more likely to have children who receive a late diagnosis of Autism compared to English-speaking families – a fact that the researchers believe indicates that they are not receiving the adequate care that they need. The researchers used participatory observation during summer camp and face-to-face interviews with adult participants. They also required that the children (under 5 years old) have developmental evaluation / psychological evaluation and have seen a therapist within the past year.

            They found that the mothers saw Autism as an "American or European disease" due to vaccinations, the environment, and food. The mothers looked at the behavior of their children, seeing it as "unruly behavior" that the children would grow out of, and also saw the child's behavior as contributing to the deterioration of their marriage. The professionals involved with the parents cited the "parent's inability to understand the specifics of a conversation and provide feedback" as well as the "failure to follow through with recommendations or referrals" The researchers come to the conclusion that changing the language of these diagnoses to the cultural understanding of Zimbabwe will help in the mothers getting help for their children. The article makes it sound as if their culture does not understand our diagnoses due to a lack of understanding, giving the culture less of a sense of cultural autonomy than minorities within the United States.

Overcoming Obstacles: African American Students with Disabilities Achieving Academic Success

The Journal of Negro Education

Volume 55 No 2, The 36th Annual Charles H. Thompson Lecture, Why Black Lives (and Minds) Matter Race, Freedom, Schools and The Quest for Educational Equity (Spring 2016) pp. 129-142 Branty T. Gatlin and Cynthia L. Wilson

            The researchers express concerns over the overrepresentation of minority groups in special education, especially African Americans, and they look at how two African American student with disabilities have demonstrated academic success. What they discovered is that African Americans "are systematically marginalized and miseducated in an educational system that seeks to only highlight what they lack and disregard what cultural wealth they have to bear" (Lynn et al. 2010, pg. 291). When their education is both cultural responsive and involves parental / teacher involvement, they have fund that the students feel more encouraged about their work and are more likely to go to go to college. They also have found that "if a parent expects the students to learn, they will learn. If the parent doesn't show concern, then the child will not care about his or her education" (pg. 136) – which confirms their belief that adjusting the expectations of teachers and students will raise the outcome of those students in a similarity to the two students they have studied. While it seems as if they address the topic of stigma when it comes to special education, they really did not address the overdiagnosis of learning disabilities in any way that suggests you can turn around from it but rather that you must pull through with raising the involvement and expectations of teachers and students.