A Narrative Approach to Supporting Students Diagnosed With Learning Disabilities

The prevalence of school-age students receiving exceptional education and related services increased significantly over the past 20 years (McEachern, 2003). According to the U.S. Department of Education (2006), approximately 12% of students between the ages of 6 and 17 years are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] of 2004. Moreover, the percentage of students receiving exceptional education and related services for specific learning disabilities was 6%. Although these numbers represent students diagnosed with disabilities who are eligible for services under IDEA, they do not include students with disabilities who were not eligible for exceptional education services. The potential for poor academic, career, and social-emotional development increases with the diagnosis of a learning disability (LD; Rock & Left, 2007). Putnam (2007) suggested that students diagnosed with LDs are at greater risk for social maladjustment and involvement in risk-taking behaviors (e.g., suicide, substance abuse, sexual activity) than are their peers without a disability. Furthermore, Vernon (2004) noted that students diagnosed with an LD often have poorly defined self-concepts; low self-esteem; and an increased propensity to be involved in gangs, legal infractions, and substance abuse. Much existing research examines students with disabilities in general, and therefore results specific to students diagnosed with LDs are not always distinguished. That is, research results related to the broad category of students with disabilities might include students diagnosed with an LD and students who have physical disabilities, behavioral disorders, or more severe cognitive disabilities. Nevertheless, because approximately half of all students served under IDEA have LDs (U.S. Department of Education, 2006), research results addressing students with disabilities in general are relevant. McGarvey and Waite (2000) found that more than 40% of incarcerated juveniles were eligible for exceptional education services as compared to 10% of juveniles in the general population. Furthermore, they found that approximately 50% of the incarcerated juveniles scored at least 6 years below their chronological age on language achievement, a result suggesting that they might have an LD. According to a study by the U.S. Department of Education, approximately one third of students diagnosed with disabilities will be arrested within 3 to 5 years of graduating from high school (as cited in Block, 2000). In addition, students diagnosed with a disability fail to complete high school more frequently than students without disabilities (22% compared with 9%), and, as adults, they are more likely to live with their parents/guardians, to be unemployed, and to be socially isolated (Kochhar-Bryant, Shaw, & Izzo, 2007). Furthermore, Welter, DiLollo, and Apel (2006) noted that students diagnosed with language-literacy deficits tend to develop "defeatist and hopeless dominant narratives" (p. 170). Legally, as stipulated in IDEA (2004), students diagnosed with LDs need to be provided by their educational institution with individually tailored services to support their development. IDEA (formerly the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975) requires all schools receiving federal funding to provide children (ages 3 to 21 years) who qualify for special education services with a free appropriate public education that is made available in the least restrictive environment. More specifically, the purpose of IDEA is "to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living" (Sec. 601 .d. 1.A). As noted in IDEA, "related services" include counseling services (Sec. 665.b.2.C). According to Cambron-McCabe, McCarthy, and Thomas (2004), counseling services should be included in a student's individualized education program (IEP) when he or she requires such services to support his or her learning and should be provided by a qualified helping professional (i. …