The Impact and History of Learning Disorders on Children

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The Impact and History of Learning Disorders on Children In his 1954 majority opinion in Brown v. Board, Chief Justice Warren laid out concisely the fundamental role that education would play in postwar America: “Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.” Dozens of factors merged on the American conscience after the war to elevate education to a position of paramount concern in American society, and to make it the battleground for some of the nation’s fiercest social battles in the decades to come. The need to compete with the Soviets in scientific and technological development, the necessity of inculcating the young with democratic ideals to fend off communism, and the demands of business and diplomacy for a large educated class to take part in the new globalized economy directed political focus towards public education. At the same time, domestic changes—the shift to a post-industrial, information-based economy, the wider acceptance of theories of human development that emphasized early childhood learning, the increasing affluence tha... ... middle of paper ... ...ldren.” Journal of Pediatrics. Apr. 1957: 463-74. Margolis, Ellen. “What makes some children ‘bad’?” Parents’ Magazine and Better Family Living. May 1969: 52+ Rapoport, J.L., Bucksbaum, M.S., et al. “Dextroamphetamine: Cognitive and Behavioral Effects in Normal Prepubertal Boys.” Science. 3 Feb. 1978: 560-563. Richardson, Theresa. The Century of the Child. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1989. Schrag, Peter and Divoky, Diane. The Myth of the Hyperactive Child. New York: Pantheon Books, 1975. Stouffer, G. A. “Just what is problem behavior?” Parents’ Magazine and Better Family Living. Sept. 1961: 58+. Unites States. President’s Council on Bioethics. Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness. Washington: 2003. Vonder Haar, T. A. “Chaining children with chemicals.” The Progressive. Mar. 1975: 13-17.

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