Dibs in Search of Self helps the reader to see individuals with learning disabilities from a different perspective. Granted, all children with learning disabilities do not turn out to be as gifted as Dibs. However, reading Dibs' story explains some of the emotional and social factors that impact a disabled child's development.
The attitudes and behavior of Dibs' parents had a strong influence on the development of their child. Miss A, the clinical psychologist, was unable to persuade either parent to participate in psychotherapy along with Dibs, but deviated from standard procedure in this case because of her strong belief that she could help Dibs. Initially, Dibs' mother was as tense and remote as her son, insisting that Dibs' case was a tragedy of mental retardation that could not be helped with therapy. In fact, she was on the verge of institutionalizing Dibs. Later, with Dibs greatly improved, the mother revealed her role in her son's maladjustment. She never accepted Dibs as a normal child; instead, she was obsessed with teaching him, proving that he could learn at an extremely early age: "When a child is forced to prove himself as capable, results are often disastrous . . . He is devastated when confronted with rejection, doubts, and never-ending testing" (Axline, 1964, p. 166).
Dibs' mother regarded him as a threat to her marriage. Dibs' father, a brilliant scientist, never wanted children and the mother felt compelled to prove that this child was gifted and exceptional. Instead, the lack of parental love and nurturance caused Dibs to withdraw into his own secret prison, creating a cycle of rejection by both parents.
Dibs' school was incapable of handling what they perceived as a learning disability. Dibs had been diagnosed by a pediatrician and the school psychologist before Miss A, who specialized in play therapy, was brought in. Dibs' teachers sensed his degree of giftedness, however, which was why ...