Attaching labels to students with disabilities ("mental retardation," "learning disability," etc.) has often been criticized for stigmatizing children unnecessarily. Despite this concern, educators continue to categorize and label students who have special needs. IN three short paragraphs, discuss three reasons why categories of special needs continue to be used.
Despite the disadvantages, most educators continue to classify students with special needs because of the advantages in doing so. Although emembers of the same category are in some respects very different from one another, they also tend to have characteristics in common; these similarities allow educators to make certain generalizations about how to foster the academic and social development of students in any given category. In addition, special needs categories provide a rallying point around which social and political forces can promote the interests of these students. For example, over the years such organizations as the American Association on Mental Retardation and the Autism Society of America, sand such journals as the Journal of Learning Disabilities and Gifted Child Quarterly have emerged to support these students. Special interest groups are often instrumental in collecting information, supoorting and publishing research, and facilitating federal and state legislation to help students with special needs.
Despite the disadvantages, most educators continue to classify students with special needs because of the advantages in doing so. Although emembers of the same category are in some respects very different from one another, they also tend to have characteristics in common; these similarities allow educators to make certain generalizations about how to foster the academic and social development of students in any given category. In addition, special needs categories provide a rallying point around which social and political forces can promote the interests of these students. For example, over the years such organizations as the American Association on Mental Retardation and the Autism Society of America, sand such journals as the Journal of Learning Disabilities and Gifted Child Quarterly have emerged to support these students. Special interest groups are often instrumental in collecting information, supoorting and publishing research, and facilitating federal and state legislation to help students with special needs.
