»Learning Disabilities
How Common Are Learning Disabilities?
Learning disabilities affect as many as 15 percent of otherwise able schoolchildren.
What Causes Learning Disabilities? It is believed that learning disabilities are caused by a difficulty with the nervous system that affects receiving, processing, or communicating information. Some learning disabled children are also hyperactive, easily distracted, and have a short attention span.
Early Detection and Treatment is Important Child and adolescent psychiatrists point out that learning disabilities are treatable, but if not detected and treated early, they can have a serious "snowballing" effect. For instance, a child who does not learn addition in elementary school cannot understand algebra in high school. The child, trying very hard to learn, becomes increasingly frustrated, and develops emotional problems such as low self-esteem in the face of repeated failure.
Some learning disabled children misbehave in school because they would rather be seen as "bad" than "stupid."
Warning Signs
Such problems deserve a comprehensive evaluation by an expert who can assess all of the different issues affecting the child. A child and adolescent psychiatrist can help coordinate the evaluation and work with school professionals and others to evaluate and test your child to determine if a learning disability exists.
After talking with the child and family, reviewing the educational testing, and consulting with the school, the child and adolescent psychiatrist will make recommendations on appropriate school placement and the need for special help such, as special educational therapy or speech-language therapy. They will also help parents assist their child in maximizing his or her learning potential.
Dyslexia and Language Brain Areas The learning disability dyslexia, which centers on difficulties in reading, once stumped scientists. Since dyslexics often have good intelligence and even may be gifted in some areas, it was thought that a little motivation could get them on the right track. Now researchers not only know that dyslexia is born of biology, but they also are getting closer to confirming the key brain areas that are affected. New insights will help pinpoint therapies and improve treatment.
Albert Einstein was a genius. And a dyslexic.
Now research confirms that more than a kick in the butt is needed to jumpstart dyslexics' stall in reading. Studies show a biological basis for this disability that affects millions of American children and adults. One line of research indicates that dyslexics use the brain regions that process written language differently than those without the disorder.
New advances are leading to:
Many scientists have identified brain regions related to dyslexia with high-tech imaging techniques that photograph the brain in action. The tools have helped them link the disability to speech, sound processing, vision, and language brain systems. Today researchers are systematically scrutinizing large numbers of dyslexics to determine which areas of the brain are the most involved and to understand how they relate to each other and contribute to different degrees and varieties of the disability. Dyslexia's symptoms, which may include deficits in spelling, in recognizing sounds in words, in processing rapid visual information, and in saying words quickly when put on the spot, have made it difficult for researchers to tease apart the key brain regions involved.
While the areas most central to the disability are still uncertain, many researchers suspect that the brain areas that control language play a critical role. One of these areas that keeps coming up in studies is the angular gyrus (AG). Located toward the back of the brain, the AG translates the mass of words and letters we encounter in day-to-day life into language.
Some researchers believe the area, which is known to be involved in normal reading, is a key component of an overall "reading pathway" in the brain. Recent studies of a variety of reading and language tasks in dyslexic individuals showed less activity in the AG than those without the disability. Researchers suspect that this part of the brain does not function normally in dyslexics.
Some scientists speculate that dyslexics use the area inadequately and may compensate by using other brain areas, such as the inferior frontal gyrus, which is located in the front of the brain, and is associated with spoken language. For example, dyslexics who say the words they are reading under their breath may rely heavily on this area to get through a passage of text, according to one theory.
Many researchers also are using imaging techniques to see if the behavioral interventions sometimes used to treat the symptoms of those with dyslexia actually modify brain activity. One group is reviewing three separate interventions thought to target either the brain system that processes written language, the speech sound processing system, or the visual system.
Several imaging studies of reading and language skills show that the AG is involved in dyslexia. One group of researchers is currently studying how dyslexics perform Pig Latin tasks compared to normal readers. Pig Latin requires dissecting and reordering the sounds within a word. For example, if a word begins with a consonant, the first letter is moved to the end of the word and "ay" is added. "Pig" becomes "igpay." It is a difficult test for dyslexics because it challenges their ability to sound out written words as well as their memory skills. The image above shows that activity in the AG is increased in a normal reader who performs the Pig Latin task. The researchers suspect that the activity will be lower in dyslexic readers.
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Parents are often worried and disappointed when their child has problems learning in school. There are many reasons for failure in school; a common one is a specific learning disability. A child with a learning disability is usually bright and initially tries very hard to follow instructions, concentrate, and "be good" at home and in school. Yet despite this effort, he or she is not mastering school tasks and falls behind. Some learning disabled children also have trouble sitting still or paying attention.
Parents should be aware of the most frequent signals of learning disabilities. Does your child:
