Muddle through with a Learning Disability: A Case Study

Abstract

A learning disability relates to a delayed development, disorder or retardation in one or more of the processes of language, reading, writing, arithmetic, speech, or other school subjects resulting from a psychological handicap caused by a possible emotional or behavioral disturbances or cerebral dysfunction (Kirk & McCarthy, 1962). The focus of this study is to understand the experience of a child with learning disability through the way that she muddles through with it, and to view the role of the child’s social–emotional domain specifically self–image, self–esteem, attribution style and social support. On the aspect of self –image, the following categories are the ways how the child copes with her learning disability: the child’s positive outlook about herself, the child’s state of incongruence whereas she neglect or deny the fact that she has such condition and having an introvert personality. However, on the part of self–esteem, the child demonstrated a positive global self –esteem, also the child is socially selective since the issue of bullying is very evident, and the child also exhibits self-isolation in school these coping styles help her to protect her self–esteem from stressful situations. The next domain is the attribution style whereas she exhibited a negative or internal attribution style and the last area is the social support which plays a significant role in the coping and stress process. The child receives social support from her parents, teachers and friends also, from the perspective of children’s coping, support from others is adaptive when their personal resources cannot keep up with the demands of the event. All these categories help her to cope with her learning disability and the four internal coping resources plays an important role in overcoming such difficulties.