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Learning Disabilities, Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder

For those with learning disabilities, learning basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills that are essential to higher, more complicated learning can be difficult. Often, learning disabilities co-exist with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and autism, conditions that persist throughout life. Over time, learning disabilities impair abstract thinking, organizational skills and time-management skills, all of which are essential to being socially and economically successful.

However, having a learning disability doesn't mean a child cannot learn or that he or she suffers from mental retardation. With effective therapy, children with learning disabilities can learn a variety of things.

Types of Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities come in many forms, depending on the source of the disability. While some occur because the brain has trouble processing auditory or visual information, others occur because a person has difficulty with abstract concepts. Still others affect motor skills or speech.

Some learning disabilities are more common than others. Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia are the most common learning disabilities.

Dyslexia
Dyslexia is the most common of the learning disabilities. In fact, between five to fifteen percent of the population lives with some degree of dyslexia. Dyslexia affects the brain's ability to process words and distorts pattern recognition, adversely affecting a person's reading and writing development.

Symptoms of Dyslexia
Popular culture thinks "mixing up" letters in a word is the most prominent symptom of dyslexia, such as spelling "unite" as "untie" or "god" as "dog." In reality, dyslexia symptoms are vast, including the tendency to:

• confuse letter order in words
• confuse small words (I, a, he, she, etc.)
• have a difficult time reading
• have a difficult time recalling words
• listen poorly
• spell incorrectly 
• write poorly.

Dyslexia often accompanies attention deficit disorder, or ADD. Between thirty to fifty percent of attention deficit disorder cases include some degree of dyslexia.

Dyslexia Treatment Strategies
While dyslexia is a lifelong condition, a number of strategies exist to deal with this learning disability. Children with dyslexia are taught to break down words into their basic components as they read. Other strategies for helping a dyslexic child include:

• correcting spelling only for English assignments
• getting books on tape
• getting large-print books
• reading in quiet environments with minimal distractions
• tackling reading material in small parts
• using a computer for in-class essays.

Use of special glasses or lenses has no effect on dyslexia. However, individual success is sometimes reported.

Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a mathematical learning disability that is thought to be related to dyslexia. Between fifty to sixty percent of people with dyslexia also suffer from dyscalculia. Dyscalculia is sometimes described as dyslexia for numbers.

Dyscalculia affects three to six percent of the population, making it a common learning disability. Symptoms of dyscalculia include:

• difficulty understanding the difference between right and left
• difficulty sequencing numbers or events
• difficulty understanding that "ten" and "10" are the same 
• difficulty with word problems
• problems handling money
• problems identifying numerical patterns
• spatial-orientation problems
• times and dates are difficult concepts.

Because dyscalculia does not receive the attention given to dyslexia, there are relatively few formal therapies for it. Possible strategies include:

• counting on fingers
• setting aside extra computer time for practice
• using colored pencils to show different problems
• using diagrams to show math concepts
• using graph paper to keep problems separate
• using music and beat to learn math steps
• using scrap paper for calculations.

Dysgraphia and Dyspraxia
Two other learning disabilities are common enough to warrant mention. Dysgraphia is a fine motor skill learning disability in which a person's handwriting misses letters or words and is often illegible. Use of oral exams, word processors and pencil grips help some students.

Dyspraxia, a condition that affects two percent of the population, is another learning disability related to the malfunction of fine motor skills. People with dyspraxia may have difficulty walking or eating. They may be extremely sensitive to touch and often have a difficult time writing. Like dyslexia, dyspraxia often affects people with attention deficit disorder.

Attention Deficit Disorder
Although many people consider attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to be learning disabilities, neither is. While a child with ADD may have difficulty focusing or keeping still, attention deficit disorder alone does not impair a child's ability to learn. ADD does, however, often coexist with learning disabilities.

Three to five percent of children have attention deficit disorder. Twenty to thirty percent of these children have coexisting learning disabilities that should be addressed.

Autism and Learning Disabilities
Autism, a lifelong disability known as a pervasive developmental disorder, typically impairs a person's social interaction and communication skills. People with autism also have difficulties with flexible or abstract thinking.

While autism is a learning disability in and of itself, it can also accompany other learning disabilities. As many autism cases include some degree of mental retardation, care must be taken to differentiate between learning disorders and possible mental retardation.

Learning Disabilities at School
Parents of children with learning disabilities have to be strong advocates for their children during the school years. School staff members (including principals, counselors and teachers) need to know any learning disabilities your child may have so they can adequately accommodate the child in a classroom setting.

Attitudes concerning learning disabilities vary widely among teachers, even in the same school. Because other students don't fully understand what a learning disability is, children with learning disabilities often get ridiculed, causing them to suffer from low self-esteem, anxiety or clinical depression. Teachers who are unwilling to accommodate students with learning abilities, or worse yet, who label such children "slow" or "lazy" should be avoided.

Getting your child involved in school activities and volunteering helps children with learning disorders gain self-confidence. Parents should also schedule regular meetings with teachers and school counselors to make sure that the child is getting the help he or she needs.