by Amy Lynch

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 15 percent of Americans have some type of learning disability. That's one in every seven people.

To combat this problem, schools are now becoming more ready, willing and able to address the needs of learning disabled students.

From a neurological standpoint, learning disabilities result from a discrepancy in the brain that interferes with the affected person's ability to process information. Disabilities can take many forms, encompass varying degrees of severity and affect cognitive areas of verbal and written communication, information recall, reasoning abilities and/or math skills.

Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities, resulting in trouble interpreting and understanding letters, words and sentences. According to the International Dyslexia Association, nearly one in five people nationwide have some form of dyslexia, says Julia West, a director of the Dyslexia Institutes of America. That translates into approximately 69,637 people in St. Louis living with dyslexia.

Other learning disability words parents may encounter include dyscalculia, which refers to difficulty with math concepts and problem solving; and dysgraphia, a disability that affects writing skills.

The first step in addressing a learning disability is often recognizing and acknowledging it. It can be difficult for parents to accept that their child has a disability and isn't simply trying to avoid homework or assignments. Indications parents and caretakers can watch for include delayed speech patterns and problems with pronunciation in young children, trouble retaining basic information and consistent spelling errors or reversed letter sequencing.

"Most schools will diagnose a learning disability in children beginning with

second grade if there is a great enough discrepancy between IQ and achievement," West says. "Phonological processing weakness can be identified in a child as early as age 4."

If you suspect your child might have a learning disability, arrange a meeting with teachers and guidance counselors to chart the best course of action. Working together to find creative solutions can make a vast difference in your child's academic performance.

School authorities can usually provide or direct you to a source for assessment testing that can determine precisely where the disability lies by measuring your child's strengths and problem areas.

"Special testing allows us to tell you whether your child has dyslexia, the kind of dyslexia he/she has and the level of severity," West says. "Testing also allows us to initiate individualized therapy designed to improve your child's classroom achievement by developing the foundation skills for reading through a multisensory approach."

Seek support if needed. Your child is not alone, and neither are you. There are plenty of worthwhile resources including books, support groups and medical specialists who can assist you in effectively dealing with your child's particular learning disability.

"The International Dyslexia Association and other Web sites offer good information on facts surrounding dyslexia," West suggests. For more information, visit www.interdys.org.

People with learning disabilities can go on to succeed in any walk of life. Learning disailities needn't be an insurmountable obstacle. With proper attention and solutions, they don't have to hinder your child's progress at all.

Article appears as published in the St. Louis Woman Magazine July 2006 issue.