Reasons for assessment: rhetoric and reality in the assessment of children with severe learning difficulties.

Date
1987
Authors
Dyson, Simon
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
DOI
Volume Title
Publisher
Open University Press
Peer reviewed
Yes
Abstract
This chapter is based on research carried out by Simon Dyson in the early 1980s into the problems facing the parents of children with mental handicaps, particularly in their contact with professionals. In the first part of the chapter, he identifies fifteen distinct functions which a professional assessment of a child may serve, apart from the purported aim of identifying the child’s needs. In the second part of the chapter, he analyses in detail extracts from the assessment of two children. He uses the exchange between parents and professional to demonstrate how remote these encounters are from the mythology of professionalism that remain such a potent force in special education.
Description
Part of the Open University series Curricula for All
Keywords
learning disability, professionals, case study, special educational needs, assessment
Citation
Dyson, S. (1987) Reasons for assessment: rhetoric and reality in the assessment of children with severe learning difficulties. In: Booth, T. and Swann, W. eds. Including pupils with disabilities. Milton Keynes: Open University Press,
Research Institute
Institute for Allied Health Sciences Research