Spiky

 

Some kids are described as having a "spiky" profile where their testable attributes alternate between high and low. My kid has always had a prodigious vocabulary, but read at or below grade level for a chunk of elementary school*. Teachers would hear her speak and assume she had good handwriting and could read quickly. 
 
Expectations based on her tallest spikes meant that grownups often talked to her as though she was behind or not working hard enough. This made school more stressful for her than for kids with a flatter profile.

We assume that kids in the same room doing the same activity are all having the same experience. That assumption can keep us from noticing that some kids are actually very stressed. It keeps us from noticing that only some kids are getting positive feedback on their work ethic and results. It keeps us from noticing who is getting the satisfaction of finishing a task and meeting expectations.
 
Some Special Ed professionals had expectations based on her lowest spikes and tried to engage her with a much lower level of complexity than she enjoys and that also went badly.

What I've been reading:

*I credit K.A. Applegate's Animorphs series for boosting her reading skill around third grade. It's a fantastic combination of visually easy to read (big font, short paragraphs) with thought-provoking ethical situations and interesting vocabulary.

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