Learning Disabilities
How People Deal Learning Disabilities
Posted on May 15, 2012 |
Learning disabilities are problems that affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, analyze, or store information. The most common and best-known verbal learning disability is dyslexia, which causes people to have trouble recognizing or processing letters and the sounds associated with them. Learning disabilities are present in at least 10 percent of the population.Although the number of children with learning disabilities is unknown, about 5% of the school-age population in the US receives special educational services for learning disabilities. There are as many learning styles as there are individuals. There are two types of the learning disabilities and they are information processing deficits this will contain the input, integration, storage, and output and specific learning disabilities this will contains the reading disability, disorders of speaking and listening, writing disability and nonverbal learning disability. Memory may be defective, including short- and long-term memory, memory use (eg, rehearsal), and verbal recall or retrieval.
People with learning disabilities have average or above-average intelligence, but their difficulties in managing the information their brains receive hold them back in school and at work, causing problems with self-esteem. One of the most painful aspects of having a learning disability is to have your brain’s inability to process information in certain ways mistaken for low intelligence. The disability usually only affects certain limited areas of a child’s development. In fact, rarely are learning disabilities severe enough to impair a person’s potential to live a happy, normal life.
Causes of Learning Disabilities
Environmental factors
Complications during pregnancy
Genetic influences
CNS infections
Symptoms of Learning Disabilities
difficulty speaking
doesn’t recognize words previously learned
math problem
spelling
direct attention
difficulty in understanding
listening
problems with physical coordination
Diagnosis for Learning Disabilities
Diagnosis includes intellectual, educational, speech and language, medical, and psychologic evaluations. The important thing is to follow up on any concerns, whether you notice something amiss at home or a teacher raises a red flag. A specialist in learning disabilities may not be as knowledgeable about other conditions that may contribute to learning difficulties. For the diagnosisof learning disabilities IQ test can be taken which will give the results for there learning disabilities. The occupational therapist will tests sensory disorders that can lead to learning problems. Specially trained educators may perform a diagnostic educational evaluation assessing the child’s academic and intellectual potential and level of academic performance.
Treatment for Learning Disabilities
The good news about learning disabilities is that while they’re permanent, they’re also treatable. Learning disabilities fall within the class of neurological issues called developmental disabilities, in that they are chronic, they limit success in one or more major life areas, and they cannot be reversed by medication. Among these sources are doctors, special education teachers, and mental health professionals who can help identify learning disabilities and recommend the right combination of medical, psychosocial, and educational treatment. You will also be provided with practical solutions to help children and adolescents with learning disabilities greatly improve their academic achievement as well as their self-esteem.
Does Education Always Have A Positive Effect On Kids With Learning Disabilities?
Posted on May 11, 2012 |
There are two standards followed by the National Education Association (NEA). One is to create an education program that remains firm, and the second is to gain power over the system. The organization wants to gain power even if there is corruption and other are undermined as a result. It undermines ideas and limits the thinking of local schools while using its capital to gain control at the same time. The idea is to endorse an established status in society over all, even if this means children are at risk of not having the skills they need to learn. The NEA wants to control teachers. Their actions have impacted parents and taken their control away.
The system also affects the conduct of the community and education. Teachers lack the ability to control public school systems because the NEA enforces union obligations and works toward control by connecting with government officials. The ability of parents to respond to such changes has decreased, and the ability of students to study appropriately has been abolished. The NEA has taken total control of teachers, while taking over what children feel, believe, and think. The NEA is moving to control parents by reducing their rights to raise their children according to the principles they hold.
There is a problem in the schools. The idea that all people are unique is being lost. Each person has a gift. Some can see what is right better than others who allow organizations like the NEA to rule their lives. Everyone wants power and control, but some go too far and harm everyone. They may even promote disability or mental illness. When there is a diagnosis of learning disability, it can sometimes be reversed because many of these individuals know the truth. Others, however, will remain under the control of a corrupt system.
Children who have attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) represent a good example of children with learning disabilities. They often see things in a different way, but doctors frequently medicate them to stop them from acting out in a way that is not accepted by society. The medications include Adderall and Ritalin. These drugs are amphetamines, highly addictive, and commonly known as speed. The medications place children at risk for psychosis, schizophrenia, and strange behaviors and thoughts.
Children with ADHD are very observant and closely study everyone around them, while listening to others who are speaking. They hear words, but the words mean different things to them than to other people. These children often have other problems that keep them from learning. Hearing and visual problems are common in AHDH patients, and hand-eye coordination may also exist.
Special education classes are created to teach children with ADHD how to behave and think like everyone else in normal society. These children sometimes do not move forward in their lives because teachers force them to learn at levels that may be inappropriate. Learning disabilities and education can sometimes conflict.
Common Misconceptions About Learning Disabilities
Posted on May 1, 2012 |
A big part of the fear surrounding learning disabilities has to do with misinformation. Sure, parents have a right to be concerned about their child’s well-being when they discover that he or she has a learning disability, but being accurately informed is half the battle. Don’t let the following common misconceptions about learning disorders color your beliefs or those of your child.
1. Learning disabilities are environmental.
This untruth places the blame on parents for their child’s learning problems. Learning disabilities aren’t due to parental neglect; they’re genetic, which basically means that they’re an inherited characteristic, like height or eye color. Because they’re genetic, they’re also due to luck of the draw. For example, just because a child’s father is dyslexic doesn’t mean that the child will be. Learning problems aren’t anyone’s fault, but are the cause of faulty wiring in the brain. So put away the guilt.
2. All learning disabilities are the same.
False. There are many different types of learning problems. Some of the most common ones in this country include dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, auditory and visual perception disabilities, and memory disabilities. While some of them may have similar symptoms, they’re not necessarily related, nor do they required uniform treatments. Even children with the same type of learning disability may respond differently to the same treatment. Thus it’s important to keep individuality in mind when looking at learning problems.
3. Learning disabilities require special education.
Not necessarily. Although under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), children with learning disabilities have the right to special education classes, access to such programs shouldn’t be seen as a blanket solution to these kinds of problems. Whether or not a learning disabled child should be put in a special education class has everything to do with the type and severity of his or her disability. Many special education programs at public schools are created to cater to mentally retarded students, not those with learning disabilities. For those with mild to moderate scholastic problems, extracurricular assistance via tutors or learning centers that are specially trained to deal with these kinds of disabilities provide all the help that is needed.
4. Learning disabilities denote lack of intelligence.
Definitely not! Many learning disabled students are just as bright (if not more so) as students without scholastic problems. Children with learning disabilities simply have a harder time processing certain types of information (i.e. letters, numbers, sounds, etc.). In fact, many students with learning problems have created ingenious ways of overcoming the obstacles they face, such as enhanced creativity or memorization skills. The important thing to remember is that learning disabilities have nothing to do with intelligence. A learning disabled child may score extremely well on an IQ test, but still have trouble working with number sequences. Such problems are entirely due to issues in information processing, not overall brainpower.
Learning Assessments Pinpoint Potential Learning Disabilities
Posted on April 24, 2012 |
A learning assessment is the first step in the right direction to help your child overcome common learning disabilities. Since learning struggles manifest themselves in many different ways, a quality learning assessment should start with that in mind. Struggles can range from trouble paying attention in class to difficulty sounding out words or struggling to comprehend reading materials. Quality assessments will identify the specific cause and give you an idea of how to fix the issue.
There are a variety of causes for learning disabilities, but most people have false misconceptions of what truly causes them. Many people point to genetics, poor teaching, or even a lack of motivation, but these are false theories that usually only address the symptoms of a problem, not the underlying cause. In fact, almost anyone can improve their current situation with the proper testing and training programs that address the issue. Students who lack motivation typically are not struggling because they don’t care but because they are frustrated from past, repeated failures resulting from a learning struggle.
The true cause of learning difficulties come from weak underlying cognitive skills; skills that enable you to learn. That means they must function well for you to efficiently and easily read, think, prioritize, understand, plan, remember, and solve problems. Strong cognitive skills lead to fast, academic learning and make life much easier.
There are many examples of how weak cognitive skills can lead to many common learning disabilities seen today. Poor concentration and attention skills can cause a student to be easily distracted and miss instructions. For children who can’t segment or blend sounds, weak underlying cognitive skills lead to listening, reading, and spelling challenges. If a learning assessment is done correctly, these weak cognitive skills should be identified and plans made to help the individual overcome the disability.
Once weak cognitive skills are identified, they can be improved with the proper training. A unique plan of action for strengthening the weak cognitive skills will follow a good learning assessment. It is important for a learning center to take a cognitive-based approach to testing and training, but it is also important that they develop a plan of action unique to your child so he or she can achieve the best results possible. Everyone is slightly different, so it is essential to make sure the plan of action is a personalized approach, and not one size fits all.
Learning Disability Related Careers
Posted on April 13, 2012 |
More information is being discovered about learning disabilities everyday, and with this growth in knowledge comes an increase in the number of people diagnosed with scholastic difficulties. Because of this, professionals trained in helping people to overcome their learning problems are needed now more than ever. This is a fascinating field and if you choose to take part in it, you can feel good about embarking on a career path that will enable you to help people in need improve the quality of their lives. There are a host of learning disability related jobs available, including:
1. Pediatrician
A child’s doctor is often the primary line of defense against learning problems. Nowadays, pediatric tests are able to identify possible disabilities earlier than ever before. Still, if symptoms manage to keep themselves hidden for a while, as soon as they’re discovered, the pediatrician will be the first person that a child’s parent will contact. For example, if an 18-month-old child doesn’t seem to understand or respond to his or her parent’s speech, the parent may bring this up with their pediatrician, who will first test the child’s hearing. If his or her hearing is fine, then the child will be referred by the pediatrician to a speech pathologist.
2. Speech Pathologist
These licensed professionals are trained to assess a child’s speech development and point out any potential problems. When a child is sent to a speech pathologist, he or she will be tested for the ability to speak and to understand the speech of others. If a problem is identified, the speech pathologist will suggest that he or she begin speech therapy as soon as possible, since the sooner a learning disability is dealt with, the easier it will be for him or her to make the transition to school.
3. Teacher
The right instructor for your child will have the time and the training necessary to work with learning disabled students. This may be a general or special education teacher, depending on the severity of your child’s scholastic problems. General education teachers may obtain the necessary training from workshops or classes offered by private schools, nonprofit organizations, or learning centers that specialize in working with students who have scholastic difficulties. Special education teachers are trained to work with students who may have one or more of a variety of disabilities, including cognitive, physical, and social disorders.
4. Tutor
Sometimes outside help is needed to assist your child in making the most of his or her educational opportunities. If this is the case, you may want to hire a specially trained tutor to teach your child the strategies that will allow them to interpret the information that is relayed to them in their schoolwork. Tutors may be independent contractors or work at learning centers. They might be former general or special education teachers, or they may have receive their training via workshops or classes.