Educating a syndrome? Seeking a balance between identifying a learning profile and delivering inclusive education

Education and health frequently operate within different paradigms. In the education system the delivery of service is generally to groups of individuals, whereas in the health system it is generally to the individual. The shift to the other’s paradigm only occurs when something is going wrong. We look for wider social solutions (such as banning smoking) when we can’t cope with the number of individuals with a health problem, and we look at identified learners when they disrupt our ability to teach the group. I am, of course, oversimplifying a complex series of relationships; but recognising this potential clash of worldview is important when we consider a child with a medical label within the education system.