The Hidden Disability: Emotional Impact

There are a number of social and emotional challenges caused by the fact that a learning disability is not always easily apparent and can be hidden. Many students have experienced learning challenges throughout their lives, yet they have not known they have a learning disability. Students can experience ease of success with certain subjects or types of tests and failure on others. This can lead to frustration, lack of motivation, self-doubt, anxiety. For example, if a student has studied very hard and feels like they understand the material, but the student does poorly on a timed test that does not reflect their knowledge of the material, the student is very likely to feel anxiety about the next test or to lose motivation. Many students with learning disabilities also face challenges with anxiety and motivation. It can be powerful to find out what is happening, gain access to accommodations, and learn strategies for academic success. 

Some students are concerned about the negative connotation that the label often brings because misconceptions about learning disabilities are still widespread. Most students reveal their learning disability only when they must, and sometimes regretfully late in a course. Some wait until after midterms, or even just before finals. This makes it difficult for instructors and ASC to effectively help the student. The ASC staff recommend that students meet privately with instructors early in the semester or even before the class has first met in order to discuss their accommodations and individual needs.

Some students with learning disabilities say they want to “hide out,” at least part of the time. Those students fresh out of high school often want to “start over” - to be “regular” students in their new college environment because they may have inadvertently been humiliated or embarrassed by faculty or staff in front of other students. Students report a wide variety of reactions from faculty, but the most common are puzzlement and even amazement:

“But she seems so bright, how can she have a learning disability?”

“He’s so articulate and responsive in class; what is he trying to put over on me?” (Garnett & La Porta, 1984, p.14)

Some students with learning disabilities also want to achieve success in their classes without special help or accommodations - they may view accommodations as having a special privilege or extra help and, therefore, not want to take advantage of them or identify themselves as ahving a learning disability. It can be important to learn that accommodations are designed to provide equal access so that students have the same opportunities as oher students. 

The ASC staff hear about positive and negative experiences of students when talking about their learning disability with their instructors or other students. Some comments from students with learning disabilities:

“I could not have made it through this class without the sensitivity and knowledge about learning disabilities which my instructor showed the whole semester.”

“We can do just as well as other students given the proper support and accommodations, it’s just so frustrating when that doesn’t happen.”

“I get so frustrated and angry with myself.”

“Why can’t I simply learn like everyone else?”

 

PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES

Aside from the nature of the “hidden disability,” there are other emotional issues which students with learning disabilities must face in order to make the best use of their educational experience. However, it is only in recent years that professionals have dealt with the psychosocial issues of post-secondary students with learning disabilities. There is now a lot of research showing that students with LD are at risk for mental health and physical health issues. This relationship is not well understood. There may be some overlap of neurocognitive mechanims that may it more likely for a person to have symptoms of multiple disabilites. There is also the lifelong stress of living with a "hidden disability" that creates daily challenges and requires you to work harder than others to be successful. It is important that students with LD have access to referrals and resource for mental health symptoms and intervention in one area may be helpful across both. 

It is understandable that low self-esteem is experienced by many students with learning disabilities. Much of the educational experience of these students has been negative. Some students, when interviewed regarding their educational history, relate difficult or traumatic experiences as students in elementary, middle or high school. These experiences can include being judged by others, criticized, or feeling stupid. As a result, students can feel anxiety, anger, frustration, and stress – negative feelings which prompt students to become self-critical, develop poor self-concept, anxious in school settings, or unmotivated.

Adults who suffer from low self-concept may have difficulty maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships. Visual or auditory miscues and/or an inability to properly read body language can lead to misunderstandings and discomfort, resulting in a desire to withdraw from social interaction. Socialization problems and experiences in childhood may persist in adults, and studies have shown that this is a problem area for some adults which can worsen without professional attention.

One of the “problems” with overly protective school programs and services for students with learning disabilities is the possibility that students become too dependent upon these support services, and fail to become students who can learn independently. Sometimes parents can be overprotective or fail to help their children learn self-advocacy skills. Thus, the support of others can sometimes lead to overdependence and may make it difficult for young adults with disabilities to become independent, advocate for their needs and gain pride in themselves as learners and workers. In the world of work, there is o often no support for adults with learning disabilities.

Students who have experienced a lifetime of not knowing why they are experiencing difficulty in school or who do not have access to accommodations and support can be at risk for school failure and difficulty finding employment. They can also be at risk of emotional challenges such as anxiety and depression. These experiences are important to acknowledge. While not all students with learning disabilities experience these issues, it is important to understand that they may need additional support to cope with the emotional difficulties of these experiences. Student Health Services Links to an external site.offer free therapy to students. Therapy can be helpful to understand the past school-related traumas and to gain skills that help students to have more positive emotional experiences in college. 

ADJUSTING TO A LEARNING DIABILITY LABEL

When students discover that they have a learning disability, the reaction is often one of relief: “Oh, that’s why I have so much trouble!” “Wow, it isn’t my fault after all.” “I always thought I was just stupid.” Sometimes the student simply is receiving confirmation of what he or she has long suspected. At times, dismay and/or anger are displayed by the student. Whatever the reaction is, there are some common experiences that students go through after hearing the “news.” 

RELIEF-ACCEPTANCE:

Many LD Specialists at the community college level would cite relief as the first reaction because most undiagnosed adults have suspected that they had learning disabilities for years and years, and their problem is finally being recognized and named. Students may accept the diagnosis immediately, but later experience discomfort with having a label “learning disability” and what this might mean for them.

DISBELIEF-ANGER:

Some students will continue to experience failure in a certain subject area even with appropriate support services and accommodations. Some students will experience anger, frustration, or disbelief about the severity of their disability, or the possible consequences. For example, a student is unable to complete the math requirements that accompany a B.A. degree in marine biology; or, the student whose heart is set on being a special education teacher, cannot pass the National Teacher’s Exam, even with test accommodations, because part of the criteria for becoming a teacher is excellent written language skills. Who would want to face such a devastating “limitation”? A natural reaction might be to deny the consequences of the severity of the learning disability by blaming the institutions, regulations, or other people.

ACCEPTANCE & MOVING ON: 

Acceptance does not mean lowering expectations but rather accepting the consequences of having a disability, working on strengths, seeing what is possible and moving on. Some people with learning disabilities never reach this point. However, acceptance means working to let go of anger, hurt, and unrealistic expectations that the problems will go away. Acceptance means that moving on is possible. Moving on means that the person has faced up to the challenges that having a learning disability means, has accepted them, and agrees to take personal responsibility for making the best of a “raw deal” (Hayes, 1993, pp. 71-76). Usually, when a person makes it through to the point of finding out they have a learning disability and accepting what this means for them, a whole new world awaits; students are happier and academic progress takes place at a much faster pace.