Learning disabilities often lead to long-lasting psychological harm unless they are caught early, says a study being released today by the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.

But many kids slip through undiagnosed, it says, leaving them unable to function later in life.

The study found that depression, anxiety, and unemployment are significantly more common in people with learning disabilities than in those without.

Philippa Slater, B.C. representative of the learning disabilities association, said the findings confirmed what many people involved with learning disabilities have known for years.

"The impact is huge," Slater said. "These kids don't graduate, they're under or unemployed, they try so hard to succeed but they can't.

"A lot of teenagers with learning disabilities commit suicide because they can't handle it."

The saddest part, said Slater, is that these outcomes are so preventable.

"It's so easy to help these kids," Slater said. "They have great potential but because of their learning disability they can't fulfil that potential.

"With early intervention and accommodation, they could overcome those barriers and be equal to their peers."

Slater said early intervention and help have been hard to come by since provincial funding for learning disabilities assistance was cut in 2001.

The study found 29 per cent of parents with learning disabled kids said their children needed learning aids or services but they could not afford them.

The study authors proposed a number of changes to help the learning disabled, including mandatory early screening.

"There has been a great deal of research that shows screening in kindergarten can accurately predict whether or not a child will have future reading disabilities," said Fran Thompson, past president of the B.C. branch of the International Dyslexia Association.

"The key is we can predict their troubles and help them before they fail."

Between five and 10 per cent of children aged six to 15 have a learning disability.

The study found that approximately half of those children go undiagnosed.

The usual test for learning disabilities is a psycho-educational assessment, which requires a psychologist and costs $1,500 to $2,000.

But Thompson says University of B.C. professor Linda Siegel has recently developed a screening program that costs $1,000 per kindergarten classroom.

The study also recommended that teacher training require courses on detecting and teaching for learning disabilities.

Rickie Sugars, a 30-year-old with a learning disability diagnosed when he was 12, agrees with the recommendation.

"Trying to deal with learning disabled kids through trial and error is hard for teachers, so in the long run, training would make things easier for them," he said.

"And what impact does trial and error have on the child? It hurts. I can attest to that."

Sugars was glad the study proved the connection between learning disabilities and poor mental health.

"There is a large majority of people with learning disabilities who struggle their whole lives because of it," he said.

"The confidence, the self-control, and the respect they didn't learn as a child can cause a lot of grief in terms of fitting into society properly."

The study, called Putting A Face On Learning Disabilities, used Statistics Canada survey data to determine how learning disabilities affected people's lives.

Researchers also conducted focus groups with adults and children with learning disabilities, as well as with parents of learning-disabled kids.

They found learning disabilities made children less likely to succeed in school, and made adults less likely to have graduated or be employed, and more likely to report suicidal thoughts, depression, or anxiety.

Monday, March 26, 2007

With many thanks to the excellent canada.com.