While we may, in sum, be created equal, one does not have to look far to see notable differences

in where and how our skills are distributed. At first glance, many view a need for separation
between academics and athletics in the scholastic setting. However, sports may serve to enhance
the performance of the learning disabled or attention disordered student, and integrating sports and
academics may enhance performance in both. At the very least, learning problems in the classroom
do not automatically translate to similar difficulties on playing field or gym.
As a neuropsychologist, I carefully consider my role in serving those with whom I work. Although
a variety of individuals benefit from neuropsychological assessment, those with learning
disabilities and primary attentional disorders (e.g., ADD/ADHD) potentially receive some of the
greatest assistance. A thorough neuropsychological exam for these individuals involves
administering measures that attempt to quantify their ability in several thinking areas. These areas
include intelligence and academic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, testing
also assesses the building blocks of these cognitive abilities, such as attention and memory, speed
and accuracy of processing, and higher-level skills such as abstract reasoning and mental
organization.
Why evaluate so extensively? All these skills have real-world application and implications.
Although at first glance many see testing as a way of determining the presence of a disability, it is
just as important, if not more so, that tests yield information about a person's strengths. By
assessing a broad range of faculties, a broad profile of proficiencies as well as possible deficiencies
is assured. In this way, recommendations can be made for using strengths to compensate for
weaknesses. By identifying what a student can do well, strategies can then be suggested for
ensuring that students apply their personal strengths to their own benefit. Additionally, classroom
accommodations for disabled students that "level the playing field" can be appropriately tailored
to optimize personal efficiency and overcome relative limitations.
Let's consider the cognitive issues frequently faced by the learning disabled. For the learning
disabled, there are significant weaknesses in at least one broad academic arena in relation to
aptitude. Individuals with attentional disorders frequently have problems with sustained attention
and concentration, as well as problems with organization, planning, self-restraint, and self-
evaluation. In general, disabled students must work harder in coursework that demands these skills
and need tailored accommodations to help them demonstrate their true ability. Furthermore,
despite the important and needed efforts to reduce stigma and potential for limitations on people
with disabilities, there remains a self-esteem "cost" to children, adolescents, and adults coping with
learning and attentional disabilities. Problems with self-esteem as well as the aforementioned areas
of cognitive weakness can lead to relationship distress and communication problems, adding to
the complexity of coping with disabilities.
As is clear to all with direct and indirect knowledge of what it is like to manage such disabilities,
creativity and "thinking outside the box" is essential for improving the emotional and cognitive
impacts. Therefore, in keeping with the theme of observing the strengths and positives, the issue
of student athletes with learning and attentional disorders should take an optimistic perspective.
As a neuropsychologist in a University setting, I often work with individuals who have learning
difficulties in the classroom, but who excel in a particular sport. The lesson that we may intuitively
know, but forget to apply, is that a weakness in one area does not imply a generalized weakness.
Though some at the college level have criticized that participation in athletics detracts from
scholastic performance, such involvement has much to offer, particular for students with learning
and attentional disabilities.
How might athletics be of use? Think about the possible cognitive, emotional, and social
weaknesses mentioned above. Finding a skill that one has in abundance can do wonders for self-
esteem and one's sense of mastery. At all academic levels, this is an important perception that
should be cultivated. While there is always room for improving, having something to call your
specialty can improve confidence and enhance determination for success in other performance
areas. It sets a positive tone that naturally carries over for other endeavors. In addition to the
emotional boost, sports participation also provides opportunities for cognitive and psychological
"interventions."
First, athletic involvement is by nature "hands on." Therefore, mastery of skills is derived primarily
by "doing," or physically modeling and repeating. Sports can therefore access learning strengths
held by those that have difficulty with traditional classroom learning. In some settings, use of
"hands on" strategies is critical in terms of accumulating knowledge. If forced to choose, would
you like your surgeon to be the one with straight A's in the classroom or straight A's in technique
and practical experience?
Second, athletics ideally occur within a structured setting, with organized, visible, and frequently
tangible goals. Athletics are rule-governed, with clear consequences for violating regulations and
clear rewards for following them. Organization and structure, particularly for individuals with
ADD/ADHD, are essential aspects of any remediation. Medications, such as Ritalin, help students
enter a "ready state" to learn. However, techniques that help students order and regulate their
environment must be incorporated into any interventions. "Executive skills" do not always occur
naturally or spontaneously, they must be learned and practiced. Organized athletics can provide
the context for developing these skills. Third, and related, athletics participation not only provides
a structure for that period of time, but also imposes a structure on the entire day. Although
physically draining, it demands organization of time and an awareness of time that has positive
implications for orchestrating academic work.
Lastly, participation in sports is just that… involvement with and frequently dependence upon
others. It can thus teach students, particularly those with verbally based learning difficulties, about
communication, cooperation, self-evaluation, and self-regulation in social situations. While the
classroom may at times be a place of isolation, avoidance, embarrassment, and low sense of worth,
the field or gym may serve as the environment in which a learning-disabled individual shine. In
fact, increased socializing may be the most important role that athletics play, a place to perceive
oneself as an integral "part of the team" not as a disability.