Representations of Learning Disabilities in Saudi Arabia

In 1996, learning disabilities (LD) was introduced as formal category of disability into Saudi Arabia educational system. This qualitative grounded theory study aimed at understanding how members of LD teams in 9 Saudi public elementary schools perceived and made sense of students with LD and the contexts that surround the identification process. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 13 LD teachers, 10 regular classroom teachers, 9 school counselors, 6 school principals, and 3 parents. The theory developed in this study posits that, since the introduction of LD category into Saudi schools in 1996, there has been conflict over the identity of children experiencing learning difficulties in Saudi school, between, on one hand, the official LD discourse created by scientists and policymakers, and on the other the local commonsense social discourse created by people in everyday life in Saudi society.