he just can't seem to learn!

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 8

he just can't seem to learn!

Although SPELD describes itself as working in co-operation with the Education Department, the two do not always see eye to eye. “Specific learning disability is the only category not helped by the system,” says Dr Seabrook. She would like to see the category recognised in the education act. She would also like to see teachers trained to recognise the problem so that children could be referred to a specialist teacher. “If kindergarten teachers could be trained to pick it up, minor cases could be well on the way to cope by the time they go to school,” she maintains. SPEED’S emphasis on intelligence is deliberate,

although Dr Seabrook admits there are those, including the Education Department, who have criticised it as exclusive. “If we took children of low intelligence, we wouldn’t be fulfilling our constitutional definition,” she says. Specific learning disability, SPELD maintains, is quite different from intellectual handicap, or any overall backwardness. With appropriate specialised help, SPELD maintains these children can benefit from a full education, even to tertiary level: without help they may well become illiterate. More information about SPELD can be obtained by telephoning 66-430 (SPELD Canterbury) or 554-424 (National Centre).