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imss wt thsbj irf feffs iffiw 0 i iyiffi v t tv j 1h hhi 3 httwiu h msmov hbjfesgg ss 11 sv i j mj b8flfts 8bfc m k fp fcfcit- flmbpja 8 hrshe a f ikl s v ffii f- vjpa us 1 fe ziatcifvsl p tg j i i vagii sfetr feii- vw- -vv- economist sun7tribune april 30 1986 c3 pizz cheek bill pashler left hands in his pills for inspection at the unionville heritage centre recently as many senior citizens presented their pre scriptions for a check by pharmacists bill crothers and suzanne chal- loner the pharmacists warned the seniors about using old or expired prescription drugs sjoerd witteveen theres lots to learn about children with learning disabilities by tony cichan today more than 10 per cent or about 200000 of all school children in ontario suffer learning disabilities of these proportionately more are boys and most are at least average and above average in intelligence with good potential to be productive members of society what are learning disabilities scientists psychologists and other professionals are not certain what cause learning disabilities we can describe the symptoms and we know what they are not they are not mental illness retardation emotional disturbances or laziness some of the famous names in history who suffered learning disabili ties include mathematician albert einstein artist and engineer leonardo da vinci business man and former governor of new york nelson rockefeller singer cher bono and hockey star and business man eddie shack different disabilities the type and degree of learning disabilities that any individual suffers varies greatly each learning disabled person is unique and as such it is not desirable to attempt to classify individuals by their learning disabilities as a matter of fact some experts in the field hold that the term learning disabilities is inappropriate as it does not accurately de scribe the situation they suggest that learning different would be a more suitable phrase some common types of learning disabilities are discalcula diffi culty in doing math disgraphia difficulty in expressing ideas in writing dyslexia difficulty with reading directional problems difficulty in distinguishing left from right or map or compass direc tions and cognitive disorganization difficulty in thinking in an orderly and logical way this could include jumping to conclusions difficulty planning tasks untidy appearance and quarters forgetful- ness lack or organization etc there are many other ways signs to watch for how do you recognize a learning disabled child common signs to watch for are difficulty or failure in reading writing spelling or arthimetic isvefbalabilities on a far higher level than written work restlessness short attention span hyperactivity poor coordination and spatial disorientation frequent anxiety or frustration and anger because of an inability to cope with school or social demands difficulties with auditory or visual memories a child whose teacher says he could do better if he tried lack or organizational skills difficulties in understanding or communicating common social cues difficulty in establishing and maintaining social contacts students showing these signs are inhibited from making normal progress in school for example a learning disabled childs reading may be characte rized by the omission or insertion of small words he or she may confuse b with d m with w saw with was the omissions reversals and insertions may also occur when writing in arithmetic numbers may be placed in the wrong order when counting numbers are written backward or in reverse order the child may be unable to learn to add or substract if children with learning disabilities are treated as being stupid lazy or suffering from mental retardation the result is confusion frustra tion anger and withdrawal on the part of the child many will drop out of school early with a high risk of becoming a burden on society it has been found that a high percentage of young suicides had learning disabilities as much as 50 per cent according to a study in los angeles as well the incidence of learning disabilities among juvenile offen ders and adult criminals is foundtto be very high a recent study in edmonton of 101 chronic offenders between the ages of 13 and 17 found that a startling 82 per cent of the individuals suffered some type of brain impairment which had not been peviously diagnosed how much suffering and how many lives could have been saved how many useful careers could have been established if the learning disabilities of these young people had been recognized earlier how much less would be the burden on society today and how much more at peace would be these young people and their families they can be helped early recognition and specialized indiviualized education is neces sary if learning disabled children are to successfully overcome their problems and reach their potential to meet their needs appropriate and ongoing assessment and educational programming is manda tory in fact a recent amendment to the education act of ontario bill 82 guarantees an appropriate special educaton program for every child in the province but the enactment of this bill is not enough unless parents educators professionals and all those who deal with the edu cational system become aware of learning disabilities and their im plications a volunteer organization the york region association for children and adults with learning disabilities is a nonprofit volunteer organization composed pre dominantly of parents as well as professionals and other interested individuals it is devoted to helping children and adults with learning disabilities to helping parents educators and other professionals to recognize learning disabilities to further the diagnostic social educational and employment opportunities for the learning disabled and to raising the awareness of the general public as to the nature of learning disabilities it seeks to achieve these goals by meeting with informing and helping parents educators other professionals and the local govern ments and administrators and further by directly assisting the learn ing disabled and their families in finding solutions to their needs and by providing moral support the york region acld is a member of the ontario association for children with learning disabilities and the council for exceptional children meetings arc held regularly in richmond hill and support groups and the adolescent group meet regularly in the region all inquiries arc treated confidentially and all inquiries will receive a reply for more information or if you wish to become a member or make a donation write to york region acld 9 elston court richmond hill ontario l4c 5z7 or call 416 8847933 24 hrs editors note tony cichan is director of communications and public relations for the york region association of children and adults with learning disabilities deluxe patio furniture owhite rose bsfafiffs crafts ano nursehy v sales limited hours moo st 0 00 m to 9 00 pm sun and holidays 9 00 am to 6 00 pro open 7 days a week open sundays scarborough unionville 1306 kennedy rd 4038 7 hwy s of hwy 401 e of warden net ill funulura availawa 11 suisorouok of ttonctta itorat sale ends may ibm professional excellence m 3 i i i hwyt e i inmiivi hzl 3h personal integrity have made us what we are today we reserve the right to limit quantities