Learning disabilities are disorders that damage a child’s ability to learn. Children with learning disabilities may have average or above-average intelligence, and they also have normal hearing and vision. But they apparently cannot use information transmitted by the senses to the brain as accurately as most other children can. Therefore, they do poorly in school, or not as well as they might.
Learning disabilities can interfere with the development of such basic skills as concentration, coordination, language, and memory. Some children with learning disabilities have more than the usual difficulty speaking, understanding spoken language, or paying attention in class. Others have difficulty learning to read, spell, or solve arithmetic problems.
In the United States, from 10 to 15 percent of all children between the ages of 5 and 17 have one or more learning disabilities. Early diagnosis and treatment are important because specialized teaching techniques can help many of these students overcome their disabilities and succeed in school. Learning problems may continue into adulthood unless a child receives help.
Causes.
Physicians cannot always discover the specific cause of a child’s learning disability. But scientists believe that most learning disabilities result from minor damage to the brain or to major nerves leading to the brain. For example, illness or poor nutrition in a pregnant woman can injure the brain tissue and nervous system of her unborn child. The use of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol during pregnancy may also contribute to the development of learning disabilities. Brain damage can occur at birth if the baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen. Such damage can take place during a long, difficult birth or if the mother receives an overdose of a painkilling drug. A child also may inherit a learning disability.
Many other factors may increase a child’s chances of developing a learning disability. An imbalance of certain chemicals in the body or a lack of nutritious foods can delay or permanently damage the development of the nervous system. Medical research suggests that certain chemicals, especially lead used in paint, may trigger learning disabilities in some children.
Even a child with no physical problem may develop a learning disability. Disabilities can result from a lack of the early learning experiences that stimulate mental growth and development. These experiences include hearing language and manipulating objects.
Types.
There are many types of learning disabilities. For example, perceptual disorders hinder the brain’s ability to organize and interpret sights and sounds. Children with a perceptual disorder may be unable to pinpoint where one word ends and another begins on a page. In addition, children with a perceptual disorder may not be able to distinguish between words that sound somewhat alike. Perceptual disorders make learning to speak and read difficult.
Another type of learning disability affects memory. Children with this problem cannot easily recall what familiar objects look like or what sounds the objects make. They may not be able to learn a sequence, such as the alphabet or a telephone number.
Other learning disabilities interfere with the ability to behave properly and to concentrate. Disabilities that affect a child’s concentration are known as attention deficit disorders. Distractible children daydream almost constantly. They cannot direct their attention to any topic for more than a few minutes. In contrast, children with a disability called perseveration cannot easily shift their attention from one activity to another. They may continue working at a task long after it has been finished. Hyperactive, or hyperkinetic, children cannot sit still. These children speak and act on impulse and tend to become impatient and boisterous in class. A child with emotional lability has changes in mood for no apparent reason.
An orientation-related disability damages a child’s sense of direction, distance, and space. Individuals with this problem may be unaware of where they are and feel lost even in familiar surroundings. They cannot distinguish left from right or up from down. They become poor readers because they cannot remember to read from left to right. They also may not recognize the difference between letters that resemble each other, such as b and d.
Other types of learning disabilities interfere with effective muscle control and can cause clumsiness and loss of balance. Some of these disabilities prevent specific movements necessary for certain activities. For example, dyspraxia is the inability to properly move the lips, tongue, and other parts of the body in speech. Dysgraphia affects the brain’s control of the small finger muscles used in writing.
Learning disabilities that block the development of language skills are called psycholinguistic disabilities. One such condition, called dysphasia, interferes with the ability to produce or understand human speech. Dyslexia damages a child’s capacity to understand printed or written words. Learning problems that hinder a child’s progress in particular subjects, such as arithmetic or spelling, are specific learning disabilities.
Disorders called nonverbal learning disabilities interfere with a child’s ability to understand the facial expressions and other gestures of other people. These disabilities can make it difficult for a child to get along with others, or they may cause the child to behave inappropriately.
Diagnosis and treatment.
Not all learning and behavioral problems are caused by learning disabilities. Parents who suspect that their son or daughter may have a learning disability should have the child examined by a team of specialists. Many school districts provide such testing free or at a reasonable cost. Tests by a pediatrician (children’s doctor), eye and ear specialists, a psychiatrist, and a social worker may find other possible causes of the problem. Such causes include emotional disturbances, intellectual disability, and poor hearing and vision. If the test results are normal, a physician called a neurologist should examine the child for evidence of damage to the brain or nervous system. Then a psychologist should test each of the child’s learning processes to determine which ones have been affected. Finally, a special-education teacher must measure the child’s school achievement to learn in which subjects he or she needs special help.
The method of treatment suggested by the teacher depends on the type and extent of the disability. Some learning-disabled children learn best in special classes with others who have similar problems. But many youngsters can do exercises to improve their weak skills in classes with nonhandicapped children. The use of medication has helped many children who have attention deficit disorders. Some learning experts suggest more controversial treatments for learning disabilities, including biofeedback, special diets, and exercises (see Biofeedback ). Special counseling is often helpful for families that include children with learning disabilities. Such counseling increases the families’ ability to understand the children and to help the children deal with the stress that they experience in school as a result of their disorders.
