Learning disorder does not refer to the expectable range of strength and weaknesses in various school subjects that all of us have. For instance. a child who is a math whiz but relatively less excellent at reading does not have a Reading Disorder.

Parents and kids sometimes put too much pressure on themselves to be perfect at everything and may assume that anything less than great performance must constitute a problem. Learning disabilities usually require intensive educational remediation. Until recently, children with learning problems were often taught in segregated special education classes with the unfortunate side effect of stigmatizing them.

Remedial education now uses more of an “inclusion” approach special education teachers come to the classroom and work with entire class while devoting special attention to the learning disabled children.

It is crucial that the teaching approach be flexible and designed to match the strengths and weakness of the child. It does not make sense to teach reading by focusing on phonics for a child who has the most difficulty with auditory processing. Educational programs surmount specific processing problems by integrating several sensory modalities simultaneously.

For example, the child learning the alphabet would be encouraged to read, feel, speak aloud, write, and mime the letters. Supplementing school by providing a language rich environment at home can be very helpful for children with reading problems. Reading each day with your child can lead to improved reading skills.

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Proponents of orthomolecular medicine claim that mineral deficiencies can result in learning and behavior problems. They also claim that such deficiencies can be detected by measuring the concentration of certain minerals in the hair and that supplemental treatment with the appropriate minerals will result in improvement in learning and behaviour problems.

Like the orthomolecular theory of vitamin deficiency, the notion that learning and behavior problems can result in a broad range of problems. Iron, for example, is an essential component of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of the blood. Iron deficiency results in anemia, which is characterized by pallor, fatigue, headache, and shortness of breath. Magnesium deficiency, which can occur as a result of alcohol abuse or prolonged treatment with diuretic drugs, can produce anxiety, restlessness, tremors, palpitations, and depression.

This theory, however, is not consistent with what is actually known about mineral deficiencies, which the exception of anemia and magnesium deficiency, are quite rare in any population which receives a minimally adequate diet. Now are there any well controlled studies which provide support for the theory or for the treatment approach.

Like vitamins, minerals are necessary for normal physical and mental functioning, and like vitamins, they pose dangers when taken in excessive amounts. An excess of iron, for example, can result in nausea, abdominal pain, and liver damage. In excessive amounts, zinc can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb iron and copper, in turn resulting in nausea, vomiting, fever, headaches, fatigue, and abdominal pain.

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However, there is also a group of youngsters with learning problems who do not seem to have coexisting problems with attention and impulse control. When these children are given stimulant medication, the results are not nearly as clear cut.

Children with Learning and Attention Problems.
When researchers examined the effects of stimulant medication in children in whom both learning and attention problems were apparent, the results did not appear promising. However, as researchers refined their methods and measures, it soon become apparent that AHDH children treated with stimulant medication often showed impressive gains in both work output and accuracy in the areas of spelling, reading, and arithmetic. The amount of improvement observed was quite substantial, ranging from 25 to 40 percent.

In spite of these documented improvements, it is clear that stimulant medication alone is not always sufficient to help learning impaired youngsters with attentional problems who have fallen far behind their classmates. Common sense dictates that these children receive specific remedial help to enable them to make up for lost time. Research is quite clear in showing that for youngsters with both AHDH and reading disorders, the greatest improvements in reading result when the children are treated with a combination of stimulant medication and remedial teaching.

Children without Attentional Problems.
When we ask “Is stimulant medication helpful to learning impaired children who do not have obvious accompanying attentional problems?” we are on less solid ground in terms of scientific evidence. We have only a few studies in which dyslexic children without accompanying attentional problems have been studied, so the available evidence is very scanty. Studies seem to indicate that the contribution of stimulant medication to improved reading skills in these children is minimal.

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1. Mineral Therapy For Learning Disabilities
2. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Proponents of orthomolecular medicine claim that mineral deficiencies can result in learning and behavior problems. They also claim that such deficiencies can be detected by measuring the concentration of certain minerals in the hair and that supplemental treatment with the appropriate minerals will result in improvement in learning and behavior problems.

The evidence. Like the orthomolecular theory of vitamin deficiency, the notion that learning and behavior problems can result from mineral deficiencies has an intuitive appeal and, on the face of it, seems to make sense.

We know that minerals are indeed necessary for health and that mineral deficiencies can result in a broad range of problems. Iron, for example, is an essential component of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of the blood. Iron deficiency results in anemia, which is characterized by pallor, fatigue, headaches, and shortness of breath. Magnesium deficiency, which can occur as a result of alcohol abuse or prolonged treatment with diuretic drugs, can produce anxiety, restlessness, tremors, palpitations, and depression.

Finally, there is good evidence that hair analysis, the technique usually used to detect mineral deficiencies, is not a valid way to measure the levels present  in the body. As one expert has pointed out, levels of mineral in hair can be effected by the exposure of hair to the environment, the presence of minerals in some shampoos, hair color, and the rate of hair growth. Therefore, there may be no relationship between levels present in the body add those measured in the hair.

Conclusion. Like vitamins, minerals are necessary for normal physical and mental functioning, and like vitamins, they pose dangers when take in excessive amounts. An excess of iron, for example, can result in nausea, abdominal pain, and liver damage. In excessive amounts, zinc can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb iron and copper, in turn resulting in nausea, vomiting, fever, headaches, fatigue, and abdominal pain.

There are documented dangers associated with this approach and no evidence to support its usefulness. Therefore, mineral therapy has no place in the treatment of children with learning or behavior problems.

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1. Medication for Learning Disabilities