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There is no vaccine that prevents learning disabilities. There is no miracle serum, no immunization that protects the vulnerable brain of a newborn against dyslexia, or audio processing disorder or any of the other neurological disorders that come under the wide umbrella of learning disabilities. There is no cure, no inoculation, and there is no known cause.

There are, however, environmental influences that may result in learning disabilities. If the mother uses drugs such as heroin or cocaine, the fetus is affected and the damages range from learning disabilities to mental retardation to death.

Fetal exposure to chemicals such as mercury or lead may result in learning disabilities. As the brain develops, chemicals such as these disrupt the natural growth and network of brain cells and neurons. Learning disabilities could manifest in the child.

But what of the fetus whose mother does not abuse drugs and is not exposed to toxic chemicals? External forces are unlikely to be the only source of learning disabilities. What scientists have not been able to discern is why the brain of a fetus will, for no evident reason, deviate from the normal course of development. What is the cause of this disruption, this "error in brain development?"(1)

An article on the HealthLink website from the Medical School of Wisconsin offers a bit of insight:

"Throughout pregnancy, the fetal brain develops from a few all-purpose cells into a complex organ made of billions of specialized, interconnected nerve cells called neurons. During this amazing evolution, things can go wrong that may alter how the neurons form or interconnect."(1)

Referring to the things that can go wrong as disruption, the article goes on to state:

"If the disruption occurs early, the fetus may die, or the infant may be born with widespread disabilities and possibly mental retardation. If the disruption occurs later, when the cells are becoming specialized and moving into place, it may leave errors in the cell makeup, location, or connections. Some scientists believe that these errors may later show up as learning disorders."(1)

Because there is no way to know if such a disruption occurs, much less when, there is no way to actually prevent the errors from occurring during fetal development.

For conscientious parents-to-be, then, prevention of learning disabilities may not possible.

Should learning disabilities be genetic, the only prevention would be not to reproduce. Should learning disabilities result from trauma, such as a car accident, it can hardly be suggested that the disability was preventable by not driving. Is the learning disability a result of chemotherapy? Well, then, if cancer were preventable, so to would be the learning disability.

Aside from abuse of drugs or alcohol, or trauma as a result of abuse, prevention of learning disabilities is not within parental control. A woman can take care of herself and her child, avoid toxic chemicals, have a normal pregnancy and birth, and still her child may exhibit learning disabilities at some time in his or her early childhood.

Until scientist can pinpoint a physiological cause and develop a treatment in vitro, prevention belongs to a higher power.

1)http://www.healthlink. mcw.edu/article/952720301.html

Learn more about this author, Shelly Mcrae.
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