To Label or Not to Label...

I have a son who would be labeled dyslexic.  There were issues when he was born.  There were issues when he was preschool age.  There were issues later with reading and math.  It's dyslexia.  

People often wonder why, though, I do not like to label children with learning differences.  This morning I read an article about brain differences in people with dyslexia.  It was an excellent article.  As I read it, though, I realized why I do not like labels.  

People with learning differences are often mocked and bullied.  Kids with learning differences are called names and made fun of by other children.  The kids that do not bully them exclude them (just a more subtle form of bullying) because they are different.  

Once kids with different abilities have a label, they are then sympathized with.  They are felt sorry for.  The bullying turns into a "poor you" mentality.  The label then allows for scheming by experts about how to make the people with learning differences as normal as possible.  

Those with learning differences are either bullied or they are felt sorry for.  Either way, they are not treated with the respect they deserve.  They are not respected for who they are.  They are not given the respect they need to be psychologically healthy.  People need to know they are okay.  Labels reinforce the opposite idea - they are not okay until their difference can be fixed.