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Why All the Fuss About Labeling?
By Rebecca S. Blakeman, PhD Licensed Psychologist
I remember my grandparents telling me stories of the Great Depression. They lived above
a grocery store that had been flooded, such that the labels had been washed off of many of the canned goods. The store
owner was not allowed to sell the food without a label, so he gave the canned goods to my grandparents. Each night was
a "surprise," as they would simply open a can to see what was for dinner. As romantic as my grandmother made
that sound, I noticed that later in life she always labeled the vegetables she canned and always kept the labels on any food
she bought from the store...she obviously preferred the knowledge she gained when the foods were properly "labeled"
or identified.
When we are having physical symptoms (e.g., headaches, dizziness, pain, etc.), we go to
our medical provider in hopes that they will identify, or "label," the cause of our symptoms, so that they can then
treat those symptoms. Imagine your physician telling you that you have a "thyroid condition" but not specifying
whether it was hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism;
the specific "label" is necessary for knowing what treatment to implement. In a similar fashion, simply generalizing
that a child has "attention" problems is not enough to develop appropriate intervention strategies. Those
behaviors that look like "attention problems" can be the result of ADHD, sleep disorders, learning disabilities,
memory impairments, absence seizures, language disorders, anxiety, depression, just to name a few potential causes; obviously,
not all of these causes of "attention" difficulties can or should be treated with a stimulant medication.
Likewise, a "reading problem" may be due to dyslexia, visual processing difficulties, language impairments, limited
cognitive abilities, auditory processing impairments,etc. In order to know how to "fix" the reading problem,
we must know what type of reading problem it is.
I often have parents tell me they are concerned about having their child evaluated because
they are afraid of "labeling" their child. Many parents are especially concerned about sharing test results
with school personnel, as they are afraid the school will "label" their child. I even recently had a parent
tell me that representatives of a local tutoring franchise tried to discourage them from having their child evaluated, again
due to concerns of "labeling" the child. From a professional standpoint, this concern over "labeling"
seems unwarranted, assuming that the "label" is accurate and helps us to understand (1) the specific nature of problems
and (2) what interventions are most likely to be of benefit. Labels are used to provide information...not judgment.
For example, a "label" or diagnosis of dyslexia does not make a judgment about the individual...it simply indicates
that they have difficulty learning to read that is based on a specific pattern of weaknesses in phonological processing and
matching sounds with letters. The dyslexia "label" also communicates very specifically what type of reading
instruction will be necessary for teaching that individual to read. Likewise, a diagnosis of ADHD does not indicate
an individual is "bad,""lazy," or "incapable." Rather, it indicates that the individual
has impairments in specific executive function skills that are likely to impede organization, focus, and impulse control,
such that specific interventions are likely to be necessary for fostering the development of these skills.
If your child is struggling, do not be afraid of identifying the problem with a "label,"
as that label will empower you with the information you need to help your child overcome difficulties and reach their highest
potential.
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