Causes of Learning Disorders

When you discovered a learning difference in yourself or with your child, did you think, "Is there something I could have done differently for me or my child...read more to them, drank 2% milk instead of whole, taken more vitamins, Nursed my baby longer...?? Well, learning differences usually are differences in the ways people's brains work. Because my specialty is Dyslexia, I can tell you that it is caused by a "glitch" in the brain. Usually, if you look hard enough, you will find another family member(s) with dyslexia, too. It's genetic.
So, I think looking into how the brain works and breaking down each part of the brain & discovering what it does will help us in discovering how our brain affects our abilities. Over the next several postings, I will post Dr. Mel Levine's insight and knowledge on the brain system.

How the Brain Affects Abilities

In most cases, a student with learning disorders has part of his or her brain that does not work well when it has to do certain things. In fact, though, nobody's brain is perfect. Some people can't learn to whistle. Others have trouble remembering names. Some people can never learn to play the piano, juggle, sing, or recall telephone numbers. Because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, we are all different from each other in the ways in which we function. That's why kids with learning disorders are really not so different from everybody else. But, unfortunately, kids with learning disorders have differences that interfere with their academic lives. For example, if you're not so good at juggling, you can still do well in school. However, if you are not so good at remembering what certain words look like, school can become a big problem for you. Fortunately, we can work on learning disorders even when we don't know what caused them. Of course, we do need to figure out what kinds of learning disorders are causing a student to have trouble when he or she is trying to succeed in school. Since most learning disorders have something to do with the way our brains operate, it is probably a good idea to present some facts about the human brain and how it is supposed to work.

The Central Nervous System

As you may know, your brain and your spinal cord, which runs down your back, make up your central nervous system. It is called central because it serves as the central "office" for all kinds of information an jobs.

The Spinal Cord: The central nervous system is divided into regions, each with its own jobs to accomplish. The region at the bottom is the spinal cord inside the middle of your back. The spinal cord receives all the information from the nerves in your skin and muscles--information about things like temperature, pain, and your position in space. the spinal cord is also respoonsible for sending out orders through nerves that connect with muscles so the muscles can move the right way when you want them to. his information that keeps coming into and going out of the spinal cord connects the higher parts of the brain to various parts of your body.

Keeping A Head in School, Dr. Mel Levine

In the next post, we will look at the brain and brainstem. I know this may seem boring at first, but it really was the most interesting part of my studies to becoming a Language Therapist. And, it is the foundation for understanding learning differences.

Please feel free to leave a comment. Share your insights into Dr. Levine's information.