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The social misperception syndrome in children with learning disabilities: social causes versus neurological variables
1American International College, Springfield, MA 01109-3189.
Insights
Children with learning disabilities often face social challenges due to communication deficits. Emerging research suggests neural dysfunction, not family issues, underlies these social misperceptions in learning disabilities (LD).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Social misperceptiveness in children with learning disabilities (LD) has traditionally been attributed to family shortcomings or psychological deficits.
- Previous research often emphasized family dysfunction, school failure, or personality disturbances as primary causes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize research on the social problems of children with LD, focusing on communication deficits.
- To explore constitutionally based hypotheses of neural dysfunction as a cause of social challenges in LD.
Main Methods:
- Literature synthesis and review of neurophysiological, vision, and language research.
- Analysis of research on neural aberrations and their impact on language processing and social interactions.
Main Results:
- Neurophysiological advances challenge traditional views, suggesting neural dysfunction is a key factor.
- Deficient language processing, stemming from neural aberrations, is linked to social interaction difficulties.
- Family, school, and environmental factors impact personality development and life adjustments in individuals with LD.
Conclusions:
- Neural dysfunction, particularly affecting language processing, offers a more plausible explanation for social difficulties in some children with LD.
- This perspective shifts focus from family-centric models to neurobiological underpinnings.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for improving life adjustments for individuals with learning disabilities.
Abstract:
Family shortcomings or other intrinsic psychological deficits are frequently viewed as contributing factors to the social misperceptiveness frequently seen in children with learning disabilities. This article attempts to synthesize research defining the social problems of some children with learning disabilities. Particularly emphasized is the role of communication skills deficits. Breakthroughs in neurophysiology negate, to a large extent, traditional emphases on family dysfunction, school failure, or personality distrubances as primary causes of the social problems of some children with LD. Advances in vision and language research allow departure from the social paradigm of the "misperceptive syndrome" to consider constitutionally based hypotheses of neural dysfunction. Neural aberrations are viewed as triggering deficient language processing, which in turn may lead to unsatisfactory social interactions. Several correlates and characteristics of family, school, and environmental systems are discussed in the context of their impact on personality development and on changes in the life adjustments of both children and adults with learning disabilities.