The current assessment system is indicative of a “fail first” ideology that believes that unless there is a visible problem of a child adjusting to the “traditional” classroom environment, there is no reason to look for any differences. Although many learning disabilities are based on physical deficiences, exceptionalities such as giftedness and ADHD are both cognitive disorders, and in the case of ADHD many children have executive function deficits. You are correct in stating that it is hard to access “when there are no behaviors indicators”. In the event of these disorders there are behaviorial indicators, and behavioral problems are usually indicative of a problem that has not been previously addressed. Unfortunately educators who are the ones who spend a great deal of time with the learner are the ones who are expected to “refer” learners for additional services, are not properly trained to recognize those indicators.
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