The Children Left Behind

Learning disabilities occur in more than 2.9 million children across the United States. Out of students

In the UK 2% of the population suffer from learning disabilities. A learning disability is the name given to any condition which drastically affects an individual’s ability to process and comprehend new information, acquire new skills, and successfully carry out everyday tasks without the aid of another.

Approximately 5% of all public school students are identified as having a learning disability this is not a single disorder, but includes disabilities in any of seven areas, these relate to reading, language, and mathematics. These separate types of learning

IDEA defines a learning disability as a disorder in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mathematical calculations. Learning disabilities are a life-long issue. Language problems that go untreated in the early years of school can continue into high school and adulthood. As a child who suffered with an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), early intervention was very important for me to progress in school. I continue to this day, to utilize and build on compensatory techniques taught by my grade school Speech Pathologist. Henceforth, I have been able to succeed in school, social settings and now in college.

It is a disorder that affects a person’s ability to either interpret what they see and hear or their ability to link information from different parts of the brain.

Learning disabilities are neurologically based processing problems that can interfere with higher-level skills such as organization, time planning, abstract reasoning, long or short-term memory and attention. (Pardun, 2015)

A learning disability is a general term that refers to a heterogenous group of disorders that influence a student’s ability to perform tasks. Persons with learning disabilities may often have difficulties in understanding or using spoken or written language. This condition may manifest itself as a difficulty in listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling or performing mathematical calculations (IDEAI, 2004). Learning disability has an impact on the students academic and work performance . Research has documented challenges faced by both Latino with learning disability and other disabilities in both education and in their capacity to remain employed and complete college..

On the other study conducted by Waldron, the results show that children with learning disabilities did poor on math compared to children without learning disabilities. Programs to help children with learning disabilities improve in math should be enforce in every school to help these children succeed. The dropout rate on children with learning disabilities was 14.1 percent on a longitudinal study conducted by Doren. The reason for dropouts was that children with learning disabilities felt they were not compatible academically as children without learning disabilities. They felt disadvantaged compared to the other children. This shows that children with learning disabilities are in greater danger to dropping out of school. Programs designated for children with learning disabilities to help them on their reading, math, and writing would drop the rate and help those students graduate

The LDA organization offers specific information on a number of disabilities that children are afflicted with, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, central auditory processing disorder, non-verbal learning disorders, language disorders and writing disorders (dysgraphia). The LDA site notes that "learning disabilities" is actually an "umbrella" term alluding to a number of disabilities.

Students with learning disabilities are a diverse group of individuals, exhibiting difficulties in many different areas. The areas most affected are reading, writing, listening, speaking, reasoning, and math; however, Learning Disabilities are specific to the individual. It is essential for educators to understand all of the possible characteristics that may be seen in children with LD. By knowing what to look for, educators may be able to help provide a meaningful educational experience. The most common types of Learning Disabilities are those that impact reading, writing, and math. According to “Specific Learning Disabilities,” there are five core concepts to consider when defining LD. First, Learning Disabilities are a heterogeneous group; LD comes in all shapes and sizes. Second, LD results in a significant difficulty to listen, speak, read, write, reason, and perform math. Third, Learning Disabilities are unique to the individual. LD is said to start in the central nervous system, and does not disappear over time, but can take on many different stages over a child’s life. Fourth, LD can occur simultaneously with other disabilities; that would not otherwise be classified as a disability. Some examples include ADHD, sensory aversions, or emotional disturbance. Lastly, LD is not caused by external influences. People from different cultural backgrounds may also have a Learning Disability (Kirkland, 2012). As an educator, I need to make sure I understand all of the possible characteristics that may be seen in children with LD. By knowing what to look for, I will be able to help provide a meaningful educational experience for my students with

Growing, developing and learning are the facts of life for all children. Each day children are faced with many new concepts and various challenges. Can you imagine how it feels for a child to face not only new challenges life has, but to face these challenges while living with a learning disability? These challenges are met not just when they begin school either. Students suffer from learning disabilities from the moment they begin learning, not when they start school. Learning disabilities are real and they affect millions of people. “One such disability that affects over approximately 15 percent of the total American population is dyslexia” ( Nosek 5).

     When a child doesn’t seem to be learning, some teachers and parents in his/her life might criticize the child and think of them as stupid, or maybe just too lazy to want to learn. What they don’t realize is that the child might have a learning disability. But how are these children being helped? There are many programs, special schools and facilities, home teaching methods and many other ways in which children with Learning Disabilities are being helped.

According to Daniel P. Hallahan (2005), the term Learning Disabilities consists of 13 specific categories such as retardation, disorder, or delayed development in one or more of the process of speech, language, reading, writing, arithmetic, or other school subject resulting from a psychological handicap caused by a possible cerebral dysfunction and or emotional or behavioral disturbances (p.13). Additionally, the term learning disability is an umbrella term conceived by white middle-class parents to differentiate their children from low- achieving, minority students (Sleeter, 2010). In recent years there has been an increase of African Americans, and Hispanics students labeled as learning disabled.

Do you know anyone who suffers from a learning disability? There are several disabilities out there, so chances are you must know someone who battles with the day-to-day hassles. But, are learning disabilities really a hassle? More often than not, this can be considered a misconception. Learning disabilities (LD) affect the way a person “of at least average intelligence receives, stores, and processes information” (NCLD 2001). This neurological disorder prevents children especially from being able to perform well academically. Therefore more time and special programs are fostered to them. Once one is educated about what the disability means, the causes of LD, what programs are available to

The key to any successful school district is the administration. Teachers essentially provide structure, organization, and the background of a child’s future. To educate students with learning disabilities, it is essential that the staff has the training and resources needed for the appropriate people, place, and time (Lazarus) (What is Inclusion, 2001, n.p). It is unrealistic to expect that regular education teachers will always be aware of the latest research or be able to readily adapt the school's