What’s the Harm in Trying? Let’s also be clear that science does not yet offer all the answers to what works to improve learning, attention and behavior for individuals with learning disabilities and other co-occurring disorders. And the only way to know whether a particular therapy or intervention will offer some benefit may be to give it a try. The problem is that choosing unwisely might, in fact, result in unintended harm:
“Do not harm” is not sufficient – wasting time and resources distracts from offering proven treatments which is especially important for young children. There are critical periods of time during which when learning is expected to take place. As the child moves through the grades, expectations for skill development move at a rapid pace and falling too far behind is often irreparable. (We know this from careful, longitudinal data in the area of reading – if a child does not read on grade level by 5th grade, the likelihood is that they will graduate from high school 3 or more years behind in reading.)
Unproven therapies can add to the stigma felt by a child; engaging in unproven interventions could result in the child developing an inaccurate understanding of the true nature of the type of disability or difficulty they have.
Adults rarely give children a choice of whether or not they want to engage in a particular treatment, so when we choose for them, it’s our moral obligation to ensure that it has the highest likelihood of being effective.
Gather Information, Ask Questions, and Then Ask More QuestionsIf you want to weigh the possible risks and benefits of controversial therapies, here are some tips and guidelines to help you navigate these murky waters:
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If it explains the reason it works in fancy words that you don’t understand, it probably has something to hide.
If it is designed to help all students and promises to result in improvement in all areas of performance, it’s probably not worth the time, effort or expense.
Providing isolated practice in an underlying aspect of cognitive functioning does not mean that a child will be better able to perform these skills in real-life settings.
If someone tells you that it worked for “their child,” there is no reason to doubt it, but also no reason to presume that it will work for your child, and no reason to assume that the “therapy” was what caused the reported improvement.
“It might not help but it won’t hurt so it’s worth a try” is not sufficient reason to jump, especially if it distracts from other things that you could be doing that have demonstrated better outcomes in a more systematic, scientific, reliable and beneficial way.
If you are ready to take a chance and try one or more of these therapies, make sure that it is safe and that there is no chance that it might cause your child any harm (this is especially true for treatments that involve drugs, herbs and diet, body manipulation, and that deal directly with vision and hearing). Know the questions you should ask about any therapy for your child.
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