Posted on Aug 30, 2016
How would you handle a Soldier (one automatically promoted to E-5) with a serious learning disability?
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This Soldier was transferred to me because their previous SL was ineffective. I had them write an introductory auto-Bio for me and the SM admitted that they were diagnosed with an untreated learning disability as a child (I already suspected). SM had served nearly 7 years as a reservist and had difficulty with basic training tasks, repeatedly lost equipment, and had serious socialization issues.
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Leadership Development
Leadership Development
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 70
First, find out what the learning disability is so that I can work with it in a proper manner. Research, and if available, line up some head start classes for the SM to take. Then, line up the recruiter and the entire CoC this SM had in the past and put my boot square in their Six for not helping this SM.....with an additional boot for the recruiter.
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SSG Robert Perrotto
My 2 cents = find out what the learning disability is, research the disability, find out what can mitigate the disability, observe what the SM does well, and what presents challenges, and last, be realistic about your ability to successfully help this SM. Challenging behaviors is not an easy thing to handle, some people are better at it than others, so I would not assume the worst in this SM's previous chain. Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is realize that they are not the one to "fix" this issue.
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SSG Robert Perrotto
what I DO have issue with is, How did the CoC bless off on his automatic promotion, I might be wrong, but , I am pretty sure all it would take is the 1SG to say no, and a counseling statement as to why this SM is not being promoted.
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Automatic promotion does not equate automatic retention at the current rank. Losing equipment and a long term struggle to perform the daily responsibilities of a Sergeant are not negotiable behaviors. It is unlikely that this NCO will retain his rank for long. Use your resources to improve, but don't hesitate to cut sling load if your Soldiers are not being led properly.
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It's not your job to 'figure out' what their disability is. Use your resources and COC. Send them to work life or the Army's HR equivalent and/or have them get a mental health evaluation to see if they are fit to be in the military. Then get in your manuals and find out the protocol for handling a situation where a member consistently fails to perform at their assigned tasking. You are not doing anyone any favors by retaining a member that does not have the aptitude to perform their job. Ask yourself this: "Am I ok carrying or letting my fellow soldiers carry this persons weight?"
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SSG Joseph McCarry
Disagree with it not his job to figure out what his disability is. Somebody needs to help this soldier. Just like the school systemms of many jurisdictions. "Just pass him along to be somebody else's problem." Like Harry Truman said "The buck stops here." If the problem can be determined and corrected, you just saved not only an NCO but a person. I am not a "liberal" so don't go there. I just feel everybody deserves a fair shot and if you cn help with that "fair shot" then so be it.
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CPO (Join to see)
@SSG Joseph McCarry- I agree with you. Let me rephrase: It is not the supervisors responsibility to diagnose his subordinates learning disorder unless he is trained to do so. I am recommending that he reach out to the people that are trained to diagnose, treat, train and help members who are in this position. The supervisors responsibility is to lead all their troops within the bounds of their training and experience. Focusing more energy on one person over the others is unnecessary and unfair to everyone else.
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