LABELING

THEORY
By: Rannieh Ghienne L. Estomata
BSED-Math 1B
 What is Labeling Theory?

- is like labeling someone on how they look or

how they act, such as, if the person is
mentally retarded or physically disabled or
in simple words person with disabilities
(PWD).
 Stigma of a Label
- most of the time people will think about
how weak or vulnerable a person is when
they are disabled. They will think that the
certain person can’t do that much, people
won’t expect too much from that person.
PROS AND CONS
IN LABELING
 PROS OF LABELING
• Categories can relate diagnosis to specific
types of education and treatment.
• Labeling may lead to "protective" response
in which children are more accepting of the
atypical behavior by a peer with disabilities
than they would be if that same behavior
were emitted by a child without disabilities.
• Labeling helps professionals communicate
with one another and classify and assess
research findings.
• Funding of special education program is
often based on specific categories of
exceptionality.
• Labels enable disability-specific advocacy
groups to promote specific program and to
spur legislative action.
• Labeling helps make exceptional children's
special needs to visible to the public.
 CONS OF LABELING
• Because labels usually focus on disability,
impairment, and performance deficit, some
people may think only in terms of what the
individual cannot do instead on what he or
she can or might be able to learn to do.
• Labels may cause others to hold low
expectations for and to differentially treat a
child on the basis of a label, which may
result to a "self-fulfilling prophecy ".
• Labels that describe a child's performance
deficit often mistakenly acquire the role of
explanatory constructs.
• Labels suggest that learning problems are
primarily the result of something wrong within
the child, thereby reducing the systematic
examination of and accountability for
instructional variables as the cause of
performance deficits. This is specially damaging
outcome when the label provides educators with
a built-in excuse for ineffective instructions.
• A labeled child may develop poor self-concept.
• Labels may lead peers to reject or ridicule the
labeled child.
• Special education labels have a certain
permanence; once labeled, it is difficult for a
child to ever again achieve the status of simply
being "just another kid".
• Labels often provide a basis for keeping
children out of the regular classroom.
• A disproportionate number of children from
diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic groups
have been inaccurately labeled as disabled,
especially under the category mild mental
retardation.
• Classification of exceptional children requires
the expenditure of a great amount of money
and professional and student time that could
better be spent in planning and delivering
instructions.
Use PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE
An individual’s disability is an aspect of that
person. If not relevant, reference to the disability
should be omitted.

When used, the term disability should not be

placed in a preceding adjectival phrase, nor should
people and conditions be confused.

Also, avoid grouping individuals into categories,

e.g. the disabled.

--Blaska, 1993
 Use PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE

Say Do not say

Babies addicted to crack Crack babies

Child with disability Disabled child

Child who has cerebral Child who is cerebral-

palsy palsied
Child who is gifted Gifted child
Use PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE
To refer children without disabilities, one may
use the terms normal development, typically
developing, or simply children without
disabilities.

Some words in the past to describe persons

with disabilities have negative connotations
and have created images of people who are to
be pitied and who are not able.

It is important to use less value – laden terms.

Use “Less Value – Laden Terms”
Say Do not say

Has epilepsy Is afflicted with epilepsy

Has muscular dystrophy Suffers from muscular

dystrophy

Has AIDS Is a victim of AIDS

Uses a wheelchair Is confined to a

wheelchair
Has Down syndrome Is mongoloid