Life Success
For Students With Learning Disabilities:
A Teacher Guide

Understanding Success Attributes

According to the research, the success attributes have shown a greater influence on life success than academic achievement, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and even IQ.  It is important to emphasize that not every “successful” individual possessed each of these attributes, and some attributes may be present to a greater or lesser degree.  Similarly, unsuccessful persons may have had some of these attributes, again to a greater or lesser extent.  Still, research has statistically confirmed that successful persons are much more likely to have these attributes, and that their presence increases the chances for positive life outcomes.

Although development of the success attributes does not guarantee success, any opportunity a teacher has to foster these attributes is a step towards helping their students reach their optimal potential and lead happy, satisfying, and rewarding lives.

A brief summary of each success attribute is presented below.  In the following, we will discuss each attribute by using direct quotes from the study participants to clarify each attribute and to provide a first-hand account of how attributes were expressed.  An emphasis is placed on comparing the experiences of successful and unsuccessful participants in order to capture more explicitly the essence of each success attribute and how it relates to achieving successful life outcomes.

The success attributes defined:

Self-Awareness:  (1) recognition of one’s strengths, weaknesses, special talents, and passions; (2) acceptance of the learning disability; (3) ability to compartmentalize the learning disability - see it as only one aspect of oneself.

Proactivity:  (1) being actively engaged in world; (2) belief in power to control own destiny; (3) ability to make and act upon decisions and take responsibility for outcomes (4) willingness to consult with others; (5) flexibility in considering options.

Perseverance:  (1) persistence in pursuing goals despite adversity; (2) ability to modify goals; (3) ability to learn from hardships; (4) recognition of the value of adversity.

Goal-Setting:  (1) ability to set specific, yet flexible goals in a number of domains; (2) development of strategies and understanding of the step-by-step process necessary to reach goals; (3) setting goals that are realistic and attainable.

Presence and use of effective support systems:  (1) presence of clear and realistic expectations; (2) willingness to actively seek the support of others.

Emotional coping strategies:  (1) development of effective means of reducing and coping with the stress, frustration, and emotional aspects of learning disabilities; (2) maintenance of a positive and hopeful outlook.

Next: Self-Awareness