“Indefensible, Illogical, and Unsupported”; Countering Deficit Mythologies about the Potential of Students with Learning Disabilities in Mathematics

Authors

Rachel Lambert, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-17-2018

Abstract

This paper describes two myths that circulate widely about the potential of students with Learning Disabilities to learn mathematics: (1) that students with Learning Disabilities cannot benefit from inquiry-based instruction in mathematics, and only from explicit instruction; and (2) that students with Learning Disabilities cannot construct their own mathematical strategies and do not benefit from engaging with multiple strategies. In this paper, I will describe how these myths have developed, and identify research that counters these myths. I argue that these myths are the unintended consequences of deficit constructions of students with Learning Disabilities in educational research. Using neurodiversity to frame disability as diversity rather than deficit, I assert that students with Learning Disabilities can learn mathematics to the highest levels, and that these limiting mythologies hold them back.

Comments

This article was originally published in Education Sciences, volume 8, in 2018. DOI: 10.3390/educsci8020072

Recommended Citation

Lambert, R. (2018). “Indefensible, illogical, and unsupported”; Countering deficit mythologies about the potential of students with learning disabilities in mathematics. Education Sciences, 8: 72. doi: 10.3390/educsci8020072

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The author

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.