Learning Disability News and Research

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Study gives insight into underlying causes of specific learning disabilities

Up to 10 per cent of the population is affected by specific learning disabilities (SLDs), such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, translating to two or three pupils in every classroom, a new study has found.

29 Apr 2013

Social care: an interview with Neil Matthewman, CEO Community Integrated Care

Community Integrated Care is one of the UK’s largest social and health care charities. We support over 2500 people with learning disabilities, mental health concerns, autism and age-related needs, living across England and Scotland.

From Community Integrated Care 17 Apr 2013

Social care charity CIC celebrates 25th anniversary

National social care charity Community Integrated Care celebrates its 25th anniversary.

From Community Integrated Care 18 Mar 2013

Breathing disorder tests for Down syndrome children to be investigated by researchers at the University of Southampton

Researchers at the University of Southampton are planning to investigate tests for a breathing disorder that affects babies and children who have Down syndrome while they sleep. They aim to provide the missing evidence so that doctors can introduce affordable and simple routine screening.

15 Mar 2013

Obstructive sleep apnea common in young cystic fibrosis children

Children with stable cystic fibrosis have an increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea, which could cause sleep disruption, researchers report.

2 Nov 2012

Women with learning disabilities left out of contraception decisions

Women with learning disabilities are frequently left out of decisions concerning contraception, and often use contraceptives despite not being sexually active, show the results of a UK survey.

16 Oct 2012

Good health helps children with stressful elementary to middle school transitions

Good health helps children with stressful transitions from elementary school to middle school, finds a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Students with chronic conditions such as asthma, obesity, learning disabilities, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and those with health-related needs, were noted to have lower academic performances.

14 Sep 2012

Tips for parents to help their kids get a smart start to the academic year

The first day of school always requires preparations -- notebooks, pens and a new set of clothes. But don't forget to prepare for your child's health, says Dr. Joan Bregstein, a physician in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.

30 Aug 2012

Scientists discover important neural mechanism underlying dyslexia

To participate successfully in life, it is important to be able to read and write. Nevertheless, many children and adults have difficulties in acquiring these skills and the reason is not always obvious. They suffer from dyslexia which can have a variety of symptoms. Thanks to research carried out by Bego-a D-az and her colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, a major step forward has been made in understanding the cause of dyslexia.

8 Aug 2012

Students with 'observable' disabilities more likely to bully, be bullied in school

Students receiving special-education services for behavioral disorders and those with more obvious disabilities are more likely to be bullied than their general-education counterparts - and are also more likely to bully other students, a new study shows.

3 Jul 2012

$27 million received to speed new treatments for disabling neurological disorder

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has announced receipt of a five-year, $27 million gift earmarked to fast-track the development of therapies to treat tumors associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a common and often debilitating neurogenetic disorder that causes tumors called plexiform neurofibromas to grow on nerves anywhere in the body.

11 Jun 2012

Study explores effects of letter spacing on the reading ability of dyslexic children

Increasing the spacing between characters and words in a text improves the speed and quality of dyslexic children's reading, without prior training. They read 20% faster on average and make half as many errors. This is the conclusion reached by a French-Italian research team, jointly headed by Johannes Ziegler of the Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive.

8 Jun 2012

Bullying, ostracism strong predictors of increased symptoms of depression or anxiety

The challenges that come with battling a chronic medical condition or developmental disability are enough to get a young person down. But being left out, ignored or bullied by their peers is the main reason youths with special health care needs report symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to a study to be presented Sunday, April 29, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston.

30 Apr 2012

UH to conduct research on causes and treatment of learning disabilities

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year, $9 million grant to the University of Houston's Texas Center for Learning Disabilities to conduct research on the causes and treatment of learning disabilities in children and adolescents. UH is one of four universities nationally to receive funding from the NIH for a learning disability research center.

20 Apr 2012

Physiological problems stemming from concussions may persist

A study recently published by the University of Kentucky's Scott Livingston shows that physiological problems stemming from a concussion may continue to present in the patient even after standard symptoms subside.

1 Mar 2012

FSU receives NIH grant to better understand and diagnose dyslexia

If you can read this sentence with ease, consider yourself fortunate: Millions of Americans with dyslexia cannot. In the hope of improving the lives of those struggling readers, a team of experts at Florida State University is working to better understand and diagnose dyslexia and other learning disabilities with a new, $8.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

23 Feb 2012

Mencap accuses hospitals of discriminating against patients with learning disabilities

Mencap - a charity organization claimed today that 74 NHS patients with learning disabilities have needlessly died in the last decade because of discrimination. It accused the health system of failing to provide adequate care to those with learning disabilities.

15 Feb 2012