learning disabilities
neha was 10 year girl. perfectly normal, but she was not able to learn properly in school. while seeing you cant say that she might be suffering from some learning disability. but Why neha..
What is learning diability
Our brain is very powerful. It can do lot of multitasking. reading magazines, reading while listening music, recognizing some one after seeing him, writing after memorizing things, imagineing while thinking. for me , for you it is quite easy, we dont even think about these activities as these are pretty normal but each one of them require a hell lot of processing in our brain. and if some one’s brain is little less functional he might have difficulties in reaidng or in writing.
it’s no wonder things can get messed up sometimes. Take the simple act of looking at a picture, for example: Our brains not only have to form the lines into an image, they also have to recognize what the image stands for, relate that image to other facts stored in our memories, and then store this new information. It’s the same thing with speech – we have to recognize the words, interpret the meaning, and figure out the significance of the statement to us. Many of these activities take place in separate parts of the brain, and it’s up to our minds to link them all together.
but still why neha..?she is not alone. Nearly four million school-age children and teens have learning disabilities, and at least 20% of them have a type of disorder that makes it difficult to focus. but still why..?
An analogy to better understand learning diability-
faulty wiring in the brain disrupts normal lines of communication and makes it difficult to process information easily. If service was down in a certain area of the city the phone company might fix the problem by re–wiring the connections. Similarly, under the right learning conditions, the brain has the ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Those new connections facilitate skills like reading and writing that had been difficult using the old connections
- brain development-
as I said brain plays an important role. problems such as low birth weight, lack of oxygen, premature birth may cause brain to remain less developed. head injuries might also cause disabilities.
- Genetic reasons-
Researchers are debating that hereditary plays a role in disabilities or not but still they have figured out cases where kids with disabled parents were also suffering from those disabilities.
Environmental factors
poor nutritions, environmental toxins may also be responsibe.
It is a hurdle definitely but not a full stop. learning disabilities can be coped with. Walt Disney, Alexander Graham Bell, and Winston Churchill all had learning disabilities.
Signs of learning disability-
You can’t tell by looking that a person has a learning disability, which can make it hard to diagnose. Learning disabilities typically first show up when a person has difficulty speaking, reading, writing, figuring out a math problem, communicating with a parent, or paying attention in class. Some kids’ learning disabilities are diagnosed in grade school when a parent or a teacher notices a kid can’t follow directions for a game or is struggling to do work he or she should be able to do easily. some times kids develop sophisticated ways of covering up their learning issues like they write in such way which is hard to read for others. they try to hide the fact that they cant recognize what is written on black board. so learning disabilities don’t show up until the teen years when schoolwork – and life – gets more complicated.
the most common symtomp may be the difference in the efforts put by kids and their performance in school. if they are trying hard still not able to make it, they might be suffering from learning disablity.
What to do ?
What to do once you know your kid is having the problem.?? go to school, talk to his teachers, his friends , meet doctor and be sure about the problem. remember it is ultimately the brain who has got some wiring problems which could be repaired. You definitely need to put more efforts but you can get success. the way you behave and what you do has the most impact on your child’s chances of success. Everyone faces obstacles and the most important thing you can show your child, apart from your consistent love and support, is how to deal with obstacles. A good attitude won’t solve the problem, but it can give your child hope and confidence that things can improve.
keep a tract of new learning techniques, different educational programs. try consulting teachers , doctors and therapists to geta better inside of problem. You may have to speak up time and time again to get special help for your child. Embrace your role as a proactive parent and work on your communication skills. It may be frustrating at times, but your calm, reasonable and firm voice may make the difference in achieving what you want for your child.
Will try to cover up types of learning disabilities in my next post..
