When a child physically hits or pushes someone, there’s no question whether to intervene. But responding to behaviors such as put-downs, mocking or exclusion from activities can be challenging. Known as "microaggressions," these indirect, subtle or unintentional acts of discrimination against members of a marginalized group can cause anxiety, depression and physical illness, and hinder academic success.
"In a positive environment, the cultures and identities of students, faculty, and administration are valued and respected. There are high expectations for student learning, with no student’s struggles ignored or neglected,” says Noma Anderson, professor and dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. An expert in speech-language pathology and a leader in inclusive education, Dean Anderson has worked extensively with students having trouble with language tasks and learning. She recently shared the importance of addressing microaggressions at school in a presentation to the Learning Disabilities Association of America.
Telling a student with a learning disability that a class or a task will be too challenging, speaking slowly and loudly to them, showing pity or discussing their disability publicly can cause humiliation and erode self-esteem. Actions that exclude students with disabilities also cause harm, even if unintentional. For example, attending a class fieldtrip to a location that is not accessible can feel like a microaggression for a student who uses a wheelchair.
Children with learning disabilities typically have fewer friends and are teased significantly more than other children. For a student who identifies with an additional marginalized group, such as a racial or ethnic minority, dealing with a learning disability poses an even greater challenge: "Students with learning disabilities and who identify with minority groups could experience more negatively impactful outcomes than students who identify with only one of the categories," Anderson said.
Educators can combat microaggression with clearly communicated rules against teasing, harassment and verbal abuse, and by using swift, constructive feedback that helps everyone involved learn from the experiences, Anderson says. She also suggests using children's books to talk about microaggressions, role-playing ways to respond when microaggressions occur, and teaching children that the impact of their words and actions matters more than the intention behind them.
"Schools must build a 'listening culture' for all students within the school, especially students who are isolated, rejected and too often have no voice,” says Anderson. "By initiating a microaggression intervention strategy, one takes responsibility to address systemic discrimination as well as individual discrimination."
