FAQ for Learning Disabilities
- What is a learning disability? »
- How can you tell if someone has a learning disability? »
- What causes learning disabilities? »
- What can one do about learning disabilities? »
Answers
What is a learning disability?
A learning disability is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive, process, store and respond to information. The term is used to describe the seeming unexplained difficulty a person of at least average intelligence has in acquiring basic academic skills.
How can you tell if someone has a learning disability?
Learning disabilities can affect a person's ability in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, mathematics. Other features of a learning disability are:
- A gap between the level of achievement that is expected and what is actually being achieved.
- Difficulties with social and emotional skills and behaviour.
A learning disability is not a disease, so there is no cure, but there are ways to overcome the challenges it poses.
What causes learning disabilities?
Experts aren't exactly sure what causes learning disabilities, but they may be due to:
- Heredity - often learning disabilities run in the family, so it's not uncommon to find that people have parents or other relatives with similar difficulties.
- Problems during pregnancy and birth - it may be caused by illness or injury during or before birth. It may also be caused by drug and alcohol use during pregnancy, low birth weight, lack of oxygen and premature or prolonged labour.
- Incidents after birth - head injuries, nutritional deprivation and exposure to toxic substances (i.e. lead) can also contribute.
- Learning disabilities are NOT caused by economic disadvantage, environmental factors or cultural differences.
What can one do about learning disabilities?
Learning disabilities are lifelong, and although they won't go away, they don't have to stop a person from achieving goals. Learning disabilities affect every person differently, and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Sometimes people have more than one learning disability.
Early identification is vital in helping a child to succeed academically, as well as socially. If you think your child is displaying signs of a learning disability, share them with classroom teachers and others who come in contact with your child. Observe the way your child develops the language, motor coordination and social skills and behaviours important for success in school.
It is never too late to get help for a learning disability. Finding out about a learning disability can be a great relief to adults who could not explain the reason for their struggles in the past.