They do not have a disability... that is the label given to them by some professionals somewhere who didn't really understand what was happening in their above average intellectual brains.
I agree 100% that auditory processing makes it more difficult to hear in a regular classroom environment. Throw in neat little things like open classrooms, co-teaching and group projects and we have a regular nightmare for those who struggle with auditory processing.
I also agree 100% that the processing part makes it difficult for my kids to learn in a traditional setting where the teacher lectures and the kids take notes. My kids were created to get their hands down and dirty with learning. If you want them to understand how something works, please allow them to take it apart and put it back together. (wait... wouldn't they all learn better that way?)
I will also concede 100% that my kids have brains that work like an electrical wiring system. If you give them a random piece of information, it won't stick. Just like if you were wiring a building, you start with a base wire that is hooked to electricity and send the signal out to where it needs to go... that is what my kids need. They need a spark to build on. They need new information linked to what is already in their brains to have it make sense. Just like you would not just put an outlet on the wall with no wires going to it and expect it to work; don't throw out random information and expect them to file it in the right place... (once again... don't we all do better this way?)
We do our kids a disservice when we label their 'superman' hearing as a disability. They hear the term and start to think that something is wrong with them. It is not wrong, it is different. We, in the field of education, need to understand how this wiring system in the brains of all those kids we have labeled as 'learning disabled' really works and then figure out how to bring out the best in every child with every wiring system. Their differences are not 'disabilities' just because the standard way of teaching is not the best way for them to learn.
As parents, when we figure out what is going on with these smart kids, we need to see the label as an explanation, not a crutch. If my child has a 'learning disability' (and for the record, I do not like this term) I need to educate myself as to the ways my child will struggle and teach them how to succeed as best they can in the traditional classroom setting that works for 90% of the learners out there. Then I need to figure out how my child's brain works and find ways for my child to shine so that he/she can become the best, most self-confident and successful adult he/she can become.
