Expert warns over learning ‘labels’

LABELLING young people with learning difficulties is counterproductive and can damage their self-esteem, an education expert has warned.

Professor Áine Hyland, education professor and chairperson of a Government committee on education disadvantage, said learning support should be in mainstream classrooms as much as possible.

She was addressing the annual conference of the Learning Support Association, representing teachers who help children with literacy and numeracy problems, in Dublin at the weekend.