A Stepwise Diagnostic Model of Learning Difficulties in Schools

Academic difficulty is one of the greatest concerns of students and their parents. Even though teachers are expected to recognize the possibility of their students' academic difficulties and plan appropriate interventions as early as possible, current teacher education does not seem to be well prepared for equipping the teachers with knowledge of diagnosis and intervention for learning difficulties including learning disability. The present article is to develop a diagnostic model which would be useful to the school teachers. Because the teachers have to make intervention plans as well as diagnosis of learning difficulty, the diagnostic model should be designed to suggest intervention strategy. Previous studies have focused on the differentiation of learning disability, academic under achievement, academic retardation, etc., but the discussions over emphasized the conceptual differences rather than practical classification and teaching. Diagnostic differentiation becomes meaningful only when it helps clinicians and teachers effectively plan their intervention strategies. A comprehensive literature review showed in a stepwise model which has four steps: (l) Differentiate the students with academic problems, in general; (2) Determine the types of academic problems and hypothesize the possible causes; (3) Plan and execute interventions; and (4) Feedback. The first and second steps are important because various academic problems appear with common symptoms regardless their causes and types. Teachers should mow who experiences academic difficulty first ("in general") and then should differentiate the subtypes and possible specific causes. Feedback from interventions is also important because the diagnosis can be always erroneous and the feedback should modify the first diagnosis and intervention plans. Thus, this stepwise model will be a circular model of diagnosis