Learning Disabilities

Definitions

The term learning disability has replaced mental retardation and refers to both intellectual and social disabilities. It is used to describe a wide range of disabilities, from severe and profound to mild and high functioning. Thus, a child with a high IQ can still be “learning disabled” in the context of, for example, social skills and communication. The term special needs is also frequently used and defined in terms of what the child requires beyond those normally required for all children. In 2007 the World Health Organization (WHO) published new standards for assessing children's learning disabilities. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) is used as a tool to identify children with learning disabilities at an early stage in order to intervene with education and therapies. Studies have shown that the rate of intellectual disabilities is higher in the developing world, in particular in rural areas and in low-income groups. This is explained by poor health facilities as well as lack of adequate nutrition and education. The WHO has highlighted the need for better care for mothers and children in order to avoid unnecessary causes of learning disabilities.

International Research

Most international studies on mothers of children with learning disabilities are to be found within the fields of psychiatry and psychology. The majority of this research has until recently been mostly quantitative and dominated by measuring mothers' stress and depression on scales. Furthermore, genetic research with a focus on personality traits has contributed to maintaining a “mother-blaming” professional attitude, in particular within the field of autism. However, contemporary researchers now focus on qualitative studies to a larger extent and offer cultural, personal, and temporal accounts of the mothers' own life experiences.

Some researchers have acknowledged the social construction of motherhood and how the notion of “good mothering” influences the self-perception of the mother and consequently her relationship with professionals. In this context, mothers insist that what they are doing is what any ordinary “good” mother would do anyway. They are reluctant to express their own needs, as they are afraid of being perceived by professionals as selfish. This scrutiny of good or bad mothering can also increase the resistance among mothers.

Extraordinary Maternal Work

While mothers in third world countries primarily worry about the health and nutrition of their children (disabled and nondisabled children alike), their peers in the Western world face other challenges regarding their children's development. These mothers search for therapies and methods to foster growth and independence and increase the ability of their children. This maternal thinking and work, as defined by Sarah Ruddick, is based on the same principle as the work involving all children. However, these mothers are forced to reflect on their practice as a whole to a larger extent, and more frequently, as their children's needs are more complex.

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