Efforts to help children with learning disabilities has strides and setbacks

By Staff Writer

Although substantial progress has been made in identifying and treating learning disabilities among children, a recent poll reveals that most parents and teachers still have a significant lack of knowledge about these disorders and their causes.

According to research by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, a lack of understanding of learning disorders can lead to late diagnosis and delayed treatment for children who are in need. In terms of a child's development and academic progress, an undetected disability wastes valuable years of early intervention.

Stanley Greenspan, a childhood development expert, recently released his book The Learning Tree: Overcoming Learning Disabilities from the Ground Up. The text aims to help parents and educators identify symptoms of learning disorders, such as dyslexia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Greenspan claims that many children's learning disabilities go undetected in early childhood because some kids have very good memories, so good in some cases that they can rely on reciting information, rather than understanding academic concepts. He said that some children, on the other hand, have poor memories and instead rely heavily on abstract thinking skills.

In any case, the author recommends that parents attempt to decipher their child's strengths and weaknesses at an early age, so proper treatment can be implemented. He believes that early intervention methods can help kids reach their full intellectual potential, regardless of what learning disability they may have.

According to a new report by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Special Education Research, enhanced intervention programs and a wider diversity of educational opportunities have helped more Americans with impairments reach their academic and professional goals. The study reveals that individuals with disabilities - such as ADHD, emotional disturbances, visual and hearing impairments - were attending colleges in greater numbers in 2005 compared to 1990.

Within four years of leaving high school, approximately 46 percent of young adults with disabilities were reported to have enrolled in a postsecondary institution in 2005, compared to only 26 percent 15 years earlier. Furthermore, the participation rate also doubled for the amount of youths with disabilities who were involved with volunteer or community service.

Lynn Newman, an education researcher who worked on the study, attributes the rising trends to stronger support systems in high schools and a greater societal awareness of the developmental problems that face kids.

While more children with learning disabilities are pursuing a higher education, The Guardian reports that many young people with learning disabilities are also caught up in the criminal justice system. According to the news provider, the report Prison Reform Trust concludes that adolescents who have untreated learning disabilities are more likely to develop substance abuse and mental health problems.

In a survey of employees at young offender institutions, about 68 percent of respondents said that young people with ADHD were more likely to be incarcerated than those without the learning disorder. The report states that these developmental problems can also lead to longer imprisonment for troubled teens. If an adolescent had a communication or learning disorder, his or her behavior may be misinterpreted as defiant or oppositional in court.

A new book called Brain School details how a process called neuroplasticity, which reorganizes brain patterns though cognitive exercises, can help kids with learning disabilities overcome obstacles. The book tells the story of nine students who had various learning and attention disorders and who took part in a neuroplasticity program for six years.

Studies reveal that approximately 90 percent of the kids who graduate from the intervention program go on to succeed academically and socially. Many of the students no longer require special education support after completing neuroplasticity.