Misconceptions About Learners With Disabilities

Misconceptions about Learners with Learning Disabilities

There are many misconceptions associated with learners who have a learning disability. One common myth is that we know very little about the causes of learning disabilities. This is very untrue. Even though we don't know all of the causes of learning disabilities, we know a great deal as to why they happen. In our book it discusses how they may be caused by genetic factors, teratogenic factors, such as alcohol during pregnancy, and medical factors. A lot of the causes of learning disabilities can fall into one of these categories. According to the article, Learning Disorders, by Paula Ford-Martin,

Learning disorders are thought to be caused by neurological abnormalities that trigger impairments in the regions of the brain that control visual and language processing and attention and planning. These traits may be genetically linked. Children from families with a history of learning disorders are more likely to develop disorders themselves. Learning difficulties may also be caused by medical conditions such as a traumatic brain injury or brain infections such as encephalitis or meningitis.

When broken down even farther than that, it is possible that in a family, the causes of a learning disability could be either environmental or genetic, and there may be specific genes that are the cause of these types of disabilities. As you can see, there is a lot known about the causes of learning disabilities, although there are still more that remain a mystery.

Another common myth about learners with disabilities is that Math disabilities are relatively rare. This is not true, but many people don't realize how many students have a learning disability in math, because they are often not sought after for evaluations. Most teachers put more focus on reading, because it is assumed that some people are just not good at math. In actuality, these