Learning disabilities affect both children and adults. It generally affects more boys than girls. The term learning disability is used to describe the unexplained difficulties someone of average intelligence has in acquiring basic academic skills. These skills are essential for success at school and work, and for coping with life in general. It’s a term that refers to a group of disorders, not just one specific one. The disabilities are neurological disorders that make it difficult to acquire academic and social skills. It’s a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information. Over 2.9 million students in America are diagnosed with learning disabilities. They receive special education services in schools and represent 45 percent of students with disabilities nationwide. It’s a complex disorder that at many times is misdiagnosed.
Those who have the disability are most affected in the following areas:
Depending on the type of learning disability, including dyslexia, different kinds of assistance are available. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), those with learning disabilites are protected against discrimination and have a right to assistance in the classroom, if a student, and the workplace.
The cause of the disability is still specifically unknown, even though there are factors that are associated with it. Hereditary factors have been observed. It’s not uncommon to find that people with learning disabilities have parents or relatives with similar difficulties. It is also believed that the disorder is caused by illness or injury during or before birth. It may even be caused by the parent’s use of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy, low birth weight, a temporary lack of oxygen during birth and even a premature or prolonged labor. It’s also believed that head injuries, deprivation of nutrients or exposure to toxic substances contribute to the disability. Science will eventually determine the specifics but as of now there is not one single factor that is obviously the cause.