LEARNING DISABILITY

Learning disability is a wide topic and is a group of many features. So I have described it in 2 posts. Most of us are aware of LD.However we may not be very clear on the same.I have tried my best to explain few concepts in brief so that it gives a clear picture. This article will give you a clear explanation on,

1. Definition of LD
2. Etiology
3. What constitutes learning disability and what is not

The next post will contain details on each of the clinical features of LD


DEFINING LEARNING DISABILITY
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), LD is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction.


ETIOLOGY
The human brain begins growing in the 4th week of pregnancy at a rate of over 4,000 cells per second. Unlike an adult, the fetus does not have a functional blood brain barrier to protect itself from toxic insult. This lack of natural defense allows chemicals into the fetal brain with potential to cause serious harm and disruption in this delicate brain growth process.
Scientists and researchers have now confirmed in a number of research studies that children with learning disabilities exhibit at least one of several types of damage to the brain structure. This can appear as either one or more of the following:

* Fewer numbers of brain cells in important areas of the brain
* Smaller size of brain cells
* Brain cells that migrated to the wrong part of the brain (called dysplasia)
* Lower than normal blood flow to specific areas of the brain
* Brain cells that metabolize glucose (the brain's primary fuel) at lower than normal levels

The above provides a neurological explanation for "WHAT" has actually happened inside the brains of the learning disabled, however, it does not address the question as to "WHY" it has happened. The question of "WHY" is still under research.

WHAT IS LEARNING DISABILITY AND WHAT IS NOT?

A learning Disability is what one see as wrong from the outside. That is, a child that can not read, write, do math, or run properly among their peer group is a learning disabled child. At the same time if a child has a stroke and ends up with deficits like a learning disability, we don't call it that, even though it may look exactly like a learning disability. Learning disabilities can be strongly inherited.

Even i had the same confusion on how to conclude it as Learning Disability during my study period,when one of my tutors explained it to me in such a way that i still remember it. Let me share it.

X is 8 years old. He can not read. He knows his letters, but still lags behind in reading. He also is poor in maths. He is clumsy than most children his age. His memory is not that good. His writing is very poor. There is nothing that X does to what a person would expect from an 8 year old boy. He has always been behind, and he is a very slow learner.
This is the feature one sees in mental retardation. That is, X is poor at reading, but he is not worse at reading. I would not say that X has a learning disorder.

Y is also 8. He can not read either. He knows his letters, but when he reads he reads backwards, skips lines, and can't understand how words are organized on the page. He is good in math, loves to build things, is a good drawer and is on two sports teams.
Y has a learning disorder in reading. He is of average intelligence and his reading is much worse than a person who is of average intelligence.

Z is also 8. She can not read in school, however her mom swears she can at home. She knows the letters and sounds, but doesn't pay attention to what she is doing. She has a hard time paying attention to other things, too. She is interested in fishes. Once she found a book about fishes that she was very interested in reading, she read it without problem.
Z has Attention Deficit Disorder.She has no problem reading, if she can pay attention.

I hope the examples cited above would have cleared the confusion on when to call it Learning Disability