Eric,
As you may be aware the linquistic terms have serious material consequences.
"Developmentally delayed" will get you a certain type of funding where
"cognitively delayed" will get you another. What may appear as simply
gymnastics matters in very material ways in how real children can be helped.
Which is to say "what looks best on paper" is not some academic PC, but
needing to come to terms that if it does not look good on paper there is no
money to carry out any services for the child.
For me, another example why its important to have an historical approach to
the problems of education. I personally despise the labels - dd, ed, ld, cd,
een, adhd, etc but as much as I despise them I know they are what permits
one to meet the needs of children.
Nate
-----Original Message-----
From: MnFamilyMan@aol.com [mailto:MnFamilyMan@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 5:09 PM
To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
Subject: Linguistic Gymnastics
In a message dated 3/29/2001 1:55:30 PM Central Standard Time,
dhodges@ceo.cudenver.edu writes:
well, in academia, of course, there is good textual evidence to support
any position or idea, from the most absurd to the most obtuse, - i mean,
if anything, there is an excess of evidence substantiating particular
(popular) positions, and a lack of analysis to interrogate 'who
benefits'
from all this evidence.
perhaps i'm misunderstanding (lordess knows it's happened before eh?)
but mightn't a critical-historical perspective provide more space for
innovation, as opposed to retreading the worn trails of unquestioned
practice?
I would just like to applaud this comment diane. Sometimes, it appears
that
theorist get so cought up in their liguistic gymnastics that they forget
the
real purpose for conducting research: to provide solid proof of best
practice. What other method does the field of social science have but
historically proven methods for providing effective service? I would just
like to reiterate my point that in my opinion Vygotsky's 'crisis in
psychology' has not been resolved. Practicing linguistic exercises
because
one term sounds better then another serves no purpose. Is anyone familiar
with what the field of education is now using for the developmentally
disabled? Which used to be mentally impaired, which not to long ago was
referred to as retarded. The term now being used is developmentally and
cognitively delayed. Parents of these children don't need the
linguistical
nightmare involved with the academic community trying to decide what looks
best on paper, they want to know what they can do and what the school is
going to do to provide effective service for their child.
Just trying to keep it real,
Eric Ramberg
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