The shadow and substance of specific language disability

Conclusion

The rewards of teaching adults are tremendous, as are the frustrations. One never knows which direction their reading programs will take and must be on the alert. Their lives are not as controlled as those of younger people and the pressures placed upon them by life itself must be carefully and constantly weighed and evaluated by those working with them. Sometimes it is possible to accomplish great things, but sometimes one must settle for more limited achievements, like Fred’s “survival level” of literacy. One must be very sensitive to the pressures in the student’s life and, where possible and necessary, help him to get expert counseling to alleviate them. One can always try, and sometimes succeed, even succeed spectacularly. There are no miracles, of course. The teacher must call on all the knowledge, skill, patience, and ingenuity she can marshal and the student will need to bring to the task persistence, sustained motivation, and resilient hope to draw upon in periods of slow progress. It is, by and large, well worth the effort.