Third-party
research (also called independent research) adheres
to scientific principles, can be replicated and repeated,
and is conducted by professionals who are not affiliated
with the organization or individuals who have developed
the product or theory. Many organizations claim to have
proven their products' usefulness with scientific methods,
but in fact have generated much of the ÒresearchÓ themselves.
Be aware that prominent use of terms like "scientific,"
"research," and "proven" may say
more about an organization's savvy marketing strategy
than about a program's true worth. What complicates
this issue, from a consumer's viewpoint, is not only
that so few LD therapies are based on research, but
that even the ones that are research-based don't necessarily
work for every child. There are standard treatments,
or protocols, for many medical or psychiatric conditions.
This is not true for learning differences. Learning
differences are widely misunderstood and vary from child
to child. One size–even a gold-standard, research-based
one–simply doesn't fit all.
It's
completely reasonable for parents to be confused and
frustrated by the lack of answers, and many choose to
exit the traditional system, putting their faith in
unproven methods promising cures and rapid improvement
in learning. Some of these programs are extremely well-funded
and attract wide visibility in the media, in advertising,
and on the Internet. Others are quite small. Some are
very expensive; others involve nothing more than a book
purchase.
It's
easy to think that if these unproven therapies or programs
are not physically harming the struggling learner, then
there's no risk to trying them. Consider, however, the
less obvious damage: the loss of money, the lost time
and energy that could have been spent on more promising
interventions, and, most importantly, the effect on
the child's self esteem as he fails one more time with
one more program. Children with LD have lots of experience
with struggle and failure. Research on self-esteem and
resilience in LD kids focuses on the importance of recognizing
and supporting strengths and identifying "islands
of competence."
Where
is the logic–not to mention the compassion–in
putting such a child in a program that will probably
fail? Not only does it have the potential to break down
precious self-esteem, but it's also likely to make a
child feel that she –and the skills and strengths
she does have–are not valuable or important in
her parentsÕ eyes.
Difficult
as it may be to accept, learning differences are a lifelong
issue. Children with LD do succeed in learning and life,
but they will always have differences. There are no
cures. Things just aren't that simple.
As
a parent, your best bet is to keep up on research, to
know your child's strengths, challenges, and learning
style, and to be able to ask hard questions of any remedial
program or provider.
Questions
to ask:
- What
are the expected outcomes of the program?
- Has
any independent research been done on this program?
Are the results from research available to potential
clients?
- What
are the total program costs?
- How
much time will be involved? Each week? How many weeks?
- What
is the refund or guarantee policy?
- Can
you determine whether the program will be of help
to your own unique child?
- On
whose assessment is the treatment recommended? Independent
or by the vendor?
- Are
there entrance and exit screening criteria?
- What
are the program's success rates? Are numbers documented,
or are you provided only with a few "testimonials"?
Are there side-effects or downsides to this program?
- What
is the standard or conventional treatment? How is
the program different or better? What do experts in
the field say about the program?
- Are
the product's claims unreasonable or too good to be
true?
- Does
the product promise a cure, quick fix or radical improvement?
- And
when choosing any program, keep in mind that learning
disabilities are lifelong issues!
