Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia
How Common Are Learning Disabilities?
Learning disabilities affect as many as 15 percent of otherwise able schoolchildren.
Parents are often worried and disappointed when their child has problems learning in school. There are many reasons for failure in school, but a specific learning disability can be part of the root cause. 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.
Early Detection of and Finding Solutions for Learning Disabilities 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."
Albert Einstein was a genius. And a Dyslexic.
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