The Potential Impact of Labeling Children

Autistic. Distracted. Defiant. Anxious. Depressed. Overstimulated. Shy. Good.

Labeling behavior is a common practice both in and out of the classroom. At its inception, the practice of labeling behavior was meant to improve experiences. It was meant to be an easy way to quickly assess who might need additional support in certain contexts and to expand resources and experiences. A “shy” child might need further coaxing and encouragement when presenting before the class. The child with ADHD is expected to fidget and be distracted and allowed to do so without admonishing. These don’t seem like bad outcomes at first read. And they’re not. But the potential of labeling to limit rather than expand experiences is very high. How many times has a child with ADHD been looked over for leadership because of challenges with staying focused or completing a task? How often does a shy child feel left out and lonely because the assumption they are uncomfortable in social situations has prevented vital connections? How many times has a child with autism felt rejected because stimming has left them feeling isolated and misunderstood?

There are numerous studies that look at how teachers’ attributional behaviors change when they know a student in their class is labeled a certain way. It’s not usually intentional. The human need to categorize data is strong. We long to make sense of things and understand how things work. Labeling and organizing information help us achieve this.

3 benefits of labeling:

• Labeling and diagnoses help with critical program funding. When schools have certain percentages of the population that meet certain requirements, the funding for programs increases. For example, one year my oldest didn’t have access to a much-needed speech teacher for 3 months because the school didn’t meet the requirement and didn’t have funding. They eventually acquired private funding and brought someone in.
• Labels help with further research and development. Understanding the behavior and limitations for someone with dyslexia for example has allowed researchers to come up with innovative ways to support learning. This wouldn’t be possible if there wasn’t a name for the group of behaviors used to classify dyslexia.
• Labels can promote empathy and inclusion. If proper training is implemented, the understanding of labels can help children feel valued and accepted by other children and adults. This can lead to increased compassion and the ability to connect to others.

3 risks of labeling:

• Labeling can restrict rather than expand experiences. Take for example the shy child giving a presentation at the beginning of this article. The perception might be that the shy child won’t be successful and thus allowing them to pass through the assignment without adhering to the same rigor as the rest of the students. This undermines the student’s potential and does little to support confidence.
• Negative labels (e.g. disruptive, hyper, disorganized) often don’t result in support. The disruptive child is expected to misbehave and therefore isn’t supported but rather ignored or chastised. Often the degree of tolerance for children with a negative label is less. Teachers expect poor behavior and are already prepared to act accordingly.
• Labeling can promote isolation and rejection. I know what I said earlier, and two things can be true concurrently. It’s true that labeling can encourage empathy, but it’s also true that labeling can lead to social isolation. For both the one being labeled and those who are around, the impact can be widespread.

Labeling can be beneficial, but it also has the potential to limit and create new challenges. As teachers and parents, we must seek to find the right balance between understanding the label and how it can benefit, but without succumbing to the label as a one size fits all explanation for all behavior. Good teamwork between parents and teachers is crucial in maintaining that balance.

Related articles:

https://hub.educationalwave.com/pros-and-cons-of-labeling-students-with-disabilities

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/202301/why-we-need-diagnostic-labels-to-treat-learning-disorders…