Diagnostic labels and perceptions of children's behavior

Fernald, Charles D.; Gettys, Linda

doi:10.1080/15374418009532996

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…However, participants unexpectedly had more positive performance expectations for a child with ADHD than for an unlabeled child, which suggests that the ADHD label can have a positive impact on teacher trainees. This result is in line with studies that found positive label effects (Fernald & Gettys, 1980;Jellison & Duke, 1994;Gibbs & Elliott, 2015;Nah & Tan, 2021;Ohan et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Here I sit, making men in my own image: how learning disorder labels affect teacher student’s expectancies

et al. 2021

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Teacher’s evaluation of students is sometimes negatively affected by diagnostic labels. We explored such negative effects caused by the labels “dyscalculia”, “dyslexia”, and “ADHD” in teacher students. In Experiment 1, we varied the presence of the dyscalculia and dyslexia label in vignettes between participants. The dyslexia but not the dyscalculia label had a negative effect on participant’s academic expectations. In our preregistered Experiment 2, the presence of the ADHD label in vignettes was manipulated within participants. To understand the cognitive mechanisms driving label effects, we explored participants’ attributions regarding the students’ problems. Furthermore, a short dissonance-based intervention for counteracting negative label effects was implemented. Unexpectedly, we found both negative and positive label effects. The label led to more positive performance expectations and to more negative ratings of problem stability and problem control. The dissonance-based intervention led to more positive evaluations regardless of whether the ADHD label was mentioned or not. Overall, our findings suggest that learning-disorder labels affect teachers’ expectations in different ways.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Here I sit, making men in my own image: how learning disorder labels affect teacher student’s expectancies

et al. 2021

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“…Still, one consequence of this referral process is that children will be diagnosed and labeled as having ADHD. Such labeling can be beneficial as it often elicits increased sympathy, tolerance and feelings of understanding toward the child (e.g., Fernald & Gettys, 1980). However, labels may also negatively impact teachers' perceptions of children, possibly leading to poorer student outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does knowledge about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder impact teachers' reported behaviors and perceptions?

Ohan

Cormier

Hepp

et al. 2008

School Psychology Quarterly

110

131

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This study surveyed elementary school teachers in Melbourne, Australia to investigate their knowledge about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its impact on their reported behavior toward and perceptions of children with ADHD. Consistent with previous international findings, teachers demonstrated good overall knowledge about ADHD, with strengths in knowledge of symptoms/diagnosis and weaknesses in knowledge of causes and treatments. To investigate how knowledge impacted reported behaviors and perceptions, teachers also read vignettes of children with ADHD symptoms and rated their reactions to these children. In general, teachers with high, and to some extent average, knowledge about ADHD reported more helpful behaviors (e.g., help-seeking for their students) and perceptions (e.g., perceive the benefit of behavioral and educational treatments). However, teachers with high and average knowledge also predicted that these children would be more disruptive in the classroom, and reported having less confidence in their ability to manage these children. Implications and need for future research are discussed.

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“…For example, a teacher's academic expectation about a student, who faces considerable difficulties in arithmetic and spelling, might become even worse after the teacher is told that the student has been diagnosed with a learning disorder (Minner, 1982;Minner & Prater, 1984;Franz et al, 2021). Simultaneously, it is also possible that the diagnostic label has a positive impact, for example by increasing people's acceptance of the student's problems (Fernald & Gettys, 1980).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Diagnostic Labels on the Evaluation of Students: a Multilevel Meta-Analysis

et al. 2023

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Research suggests that children suffering from different types of disorders (learning disorders, behavioral disorders, or intellectual disabilities) are sometimes evaluated differently simply due to the presence of a diagnostic label. We conducted a multilevel meta-analysis of experimental studies (based on data from 8,295 participants and on 284 effects nested in 60 experiments) to examine the magnitude and robustness of such label effects and to explore the impact of potential moderators (type of evaluation, diagnostic category, expertise, student’s gender, and amount and type of information). We found a moderately negative overall label effect (Hedges’ g = −0.42), which was robust across several types of evaluation, different samples, and different diagnostic categories. There was no indication that expertise and the gender of the child moderated the effect. Presenting participants with only a label yielded the strongest negative effect of g = −1.26, suggesting that the effect was dependent on the amount of information being presented to participants. We conclude that labeling a child can exacerbate negative academic evaluations, behavioral evaluations, evaluations of personality, and overall assessments of the child. Further implications for theory and future research are discussed.

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Diagnostic labels and perceptions of children's behavior

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

Here I sit, making men in my own image: how learning disorder labels affect teacher student’s expectancies

Here I sit, making men in my own image: how learning disorder labels affect teacher student’s expectancies

Does knowledge about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder impact teachers' reported behaviors and perceptions?

The Influence of Diagnostic Labels on the Evaluation of Students: a Multilevel Meta-Analysis

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