Learning disabilities are processing disorders associated with the academic skills of reading, writing, and mathematics. Diagnosis of a learning disability can occur early in a child's academic career, sometimes as early as pre-school or kindergarten.

Learning Disabilities are diagnosed by medical personal, usually a school psychologist. He or she will use tests designed to identify how a child processes information, and how they relate that information back. The assessment includes parental input as well, so as to evaluate the child's behavior outside of school.

Three common types of learning disability are dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Within these broad categories are specific disabilities such as articulation disorder or receptive language disorder. A child may have a specific disability, or his or her disabilities will overlap in two or more areas.

Both dyslexia and dysgraphia are language processing disorders, in which the mental processes used to manage written and spoken language differ from the norm. The child exhibits difficulty in reading, or in relating back, in either oral or written form, what has been read aloud to him or her. He or she may also present with illegible handwriting or an inability to form sentences and comprehend simple grammatical rules.

Dyscalculia is related to mathematical calculations; the child cannot make sense of the natural order of numbering and/or calculations.

Children with these challenges are referred to as learning disabled, or LD. These children are of average or above average intelligence, often exhibit creative coping mechanisms, and respond to learner-specific teaching methods. Special education teachers often deliver these lessons in the subject specific to the disability in small, tightly directed classes. Most learning disabled children, though, spend most of their day in a mainstream classroom setting.

There are numerous resources for parents of LD children. One of them is the Learning Disabilities Association. The website for the Learning Disabilities Association of America, at http://www.ldanatl.org/, provides specific definitions of disabilities, and articles and updates regarding the rights of LD children and their parents.

The website LD Online at http://www.ldonline.org is a wealth of information. It provides articles on the basics of learning disabilities, issues regarding educating LD children, and a comprehensive glossary of terms common to education and medical issues related to learning disabilities.

The website Kids Health, at http://www.kidshealth.org, provides an excellent article for helping children understand their disabilities. Using simple, straightforward language, the article, at http://kidshealth.org/kid/heal th_problems/learning_problem/l earning_disabilities.html, explains to the child that he or she is able to learn, and that the "trick will be figuring out how you learn best."

The keys to a successful academic career for the learning disabled lie with support from family and school staff. Parents need to seek out as much information as possible and employ support from school staff and medical personal. When an LD child has access to qualified special education teachers, and the support of his or her parents, he or she will feel comfortable in the school setting, and develop the academic skills necessary to become a contributing member of society.

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