Learning disabilities: Understanding the problem and managing the challenges

Etta Brown likes to think of learning disabilities as a healthcare issue, and not an educational one.

"Trying to address learning disabilities with innovative teaching methods and creative school financing is not the answer," said Etta Brown, a licensed educational psychologist, veteran social worker and author of "Learning Disabilities, Understanding the Problem and Managing the Challenges" from Langdon Street Press (www.understandingld.com).

"Research clearly indicates that a learning disability is a deficiency in neural development that impedes learning," Brown said. "Children cannot learn if the brain and central nervous system do not have the neural connections necessary for learning to take place. Lack of sleep, lack of proper nutrition and a trend toward obesity all contribute to this condition."

Brown spent decades working with children as a public school psychologist and her view is that children need to be protected from the environment and parents need to provide the proper diet and structure so that kids can be prepared to learn when they get to school. Brown believes that proper diet, exercise and adequate sleep will go a long way toward preventing new problems and modifying some existing ones.

In a September 2005 study published by the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia, behavioral scientists and doctors learned that obese children who increased their physical activity level by as much as 20 minutes three times per week scored significantly higher on a cognitive assessment systems test than obese children who did not.

"Not only were the children who played and exercised better at problem solving and retaining information, but they were also physically healthier," Brown said. "And they had more fun. Common sense works. Eat a healthy breakfast, and rather than large portions, enjoy five smaller meals a day to increase metabolism. Drink water rather than soda, and don't forget about the fruits and vegetables."