Articles (Learning Disabilities) « Disabilities – Learning

Articles About Learning Disabilities:

• How Can I Help my Child with Reading Comprehension? (About.com)
  I have an 8 year old daughter whom was diagnosed with a learning disability in 3rd grade. I am concerned because she is having problems retaining information when studying for a test. We study at home and she seems to know the information however when she gets to class she doesn't recall it. What can I do in order for her to do well on taking test in school?
• LD and Math: What To Do When Working Memory Isn't Working (Reading & Other Learning Disabilities – 5/13/10)
  For students who have working memory difficulties we often look for alternative algorithms, short cuts, or calculators to help support students’ memory needs.  All too often working memory, short term memory, or long term memory deficits are common for students who experience difficulty learning mathematics.
• Learning Disabilities (MedicineNet.com)
  Researchers think that learning disabilities are caused by differences in how a person's brain works and how it processes information. Children with learning disabilities are not "dumb" or "lazy." In fact, they usually have average or above average intelligence. Their brains just process information differently.
• Misunderstandings About Learning Disabilities (Wrightslaw Way – 10/28/10)
  A recent poll indicates that a many Americans do not completely understand the conditions related to learning disabilities. There appears to be a growing public awareness of LD and an understanding that some kids learn differently. But the poll shows that some people do not have a very clear idea of what dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other learning disabilities are. About 80 percent also linked learning disabilities with intellectual disabilities (referred to as “mental retardation” in the poll); 69 percent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; and 75 percent with autism. Under federal law, learning disabilities are defined as neurological disorders that may affect one’s ability to read, spell, write or do math, but are not associated with cognitive ability.“Children with “specific learning disabilities” make up the largest portion, about 40 percent, of 6.6 million students who receive services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.”
• My Child Struggles with Writing – Can Typical Writing Evaluations Hurt Him?
  If your child struggles with writing, this post might help you and your child’s school identify the type of writing instruction your child needs. It will do this by first discussing critical but often ignored areas of diagnosis, then discussing a typical but inadequate diagnostic process that can do more harm than good, and finally suggesting actions you can take.
• Outing the Prejudice: Making the Least Dangerous Assumption (Inclusive Solutions)
  Because of the presence of a disability, a person may act, get around, look, dance, smile, read, learn, show what she knows, or communicate differently. The key here is that this is a difference and not a deficiency.
• Study Links Anesthesia to Learning Disabilities (NPR – 3/25/09)
  Children who have had multiple surgeries under general anesthesia by the age of 4 may be at a higher risk of developing learning disabilities, according to a new study by scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
• Understanding Dyscalculia – the Math Learning Disability (Eide Neurolearning Blog – 1/25/10)
  Recent MRI studies found that dyscalculic school children were significantly disadvantaged in terms of their 'number sense' – estimating the number of objects on a computer screen, for instance. Without a strong sense of quantity, no wonder calculations and estimations are so hard. Although dyscalculia has been suggested to be as common as dyslexia, it is rarely recognized.
  Patti's Comments: Yikes – this is intense.
• Understanding Dysgraphia (WrightsLaw)
  Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that affects how easily children acquire written language and use it to express their thoughts.
• When It Hurts (TeenAutism.com)
  Sometimes, when you’re the parent of a teen with autism, you have to write letters like this…
• Why Johnny and Jenny Can't Write: Disorders of Written Expression and Children with Bipolar Disorder (The Bipolar Child Newsletter)
  It is estimated by some who treat and test children with bipolar disorder, that at least half of these children have disorders of written expression.