It happened again, this time on a train! A stalled train during my rush hour escape from the city redirected a flood of commuters onto the platform where I board my usual train in a relaxed and unhurried manner. The doors opened, a flurry of jockeying and shuffling toward open seats ensued, and I opened my briefcase to begin my regular routine of catching up on journal reading. Not 30 seconds passed before the passenger to my side, glancing over at my lap, announced in full voice that he had a learning disability. Then it happened:"Me too, and my medicine is wearing off. I wish they would turn up the air conditioning. Where is the conductor?"The conversation around me was, in a word, astounding. After catching my breath, I smiled, introduced myself, and spent the next 35 minutes explaining, giving examples, and answering questions about learning disabilities to a receptive and diverse group of strangers. I'm not sure what, if anything, they remember from this brief encounter, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a small spike of activity that evening on the LD.org Web site.
"My brother was in a special school. He's OK now."
"I think having learning disabilities is not as bad as having other problems. One guy I know has it and he's a better driver than my wife!"
"There's this kid with it at work and I can never understand what he says. He might be slow or something."
Déjà Vu All Over Again
I often realize how insulated we (the parents and professionals who work with and support the needs of individuals with LD) can become and how much work still needs to be done to educate the public about the nature of learning disabilities.In our close encounters with people who struggle with LD, we develop a heightened awareness about how even simple tasks can become hurdles and how even well-meaning comments about seemingly reasonable expectations can prove hurtful and demoralizing for these individuals. Dealing with LD-related challenges day in and day out, it's easy to forget that this heightened awareness is not common knowledge.
Health Literacy: Case in Point
As I spoke to my new buddies on the train, it occurred to me that it might have been easier for me to explain the meaning and impact of LD had I used an example like reading difficulties rather than choosing to define the term which was clearly foreign to them. Although problems with reading, writing and math are not synonymous with learning disabilities, individuals with LD do share some of the same challenges as those who, for a variety of other reasons, suffer from the impact of low literacy. These individuals struggle to read newspapers and magazines, have trouble deciphering signs and advertisements, are often mislead by "special offers"and are at particularly high risk when it comes to medical care for themselves and their families.A report just released by the American Medical Association Foundation, titled Assessing the Nation's Health Literacy, offers data from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, a survey of more than 19,000 individuals carefully selected to provide a sample that is representative of the 222 million adults, aged 16 and older, from households (and prisons) across the country. While this report did not disaggregate (break apart into a separate group) the status of adults with LD, it did highlight a number of key areas where individuals with low literacy skills (including those with LD) might experience difficulty and, unfortunately, that place them and their families at risk for serious health problems! Some examples might include:
- The pediatrician prescribed an antibiotic for a child with an ear infection. Not able to read the label (small print, technical language, instructions buried in the narrative) the parent (with LD) put the medicine drops into the child's ear rather than his mouth.
- The office worker completed the required application for medical coverage but misread or misunderstood important information. As a result, medical claims for coverage were denied, and high fees were charged for services that would otherwise be covered under the policy.
- Recently diagnosed with a medical condition (e.g. diabetes, heart disease) the doctor provided the patient with very detailed instructions about diet and exercise. Reading labels for ingredients, calculating portions based on "recommended servings" information, and maintaining an organized written record of food intake to share at the next office visit was too difficult to keep up and no improvement in health status was accomplished.
In addition to performing health-related tasks, these individuals are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to navigating the healthcare system. Understanding cover letters describing prior medical visits, annotating copies of paid receipts and lab reports, writing (and correctly spelling) the names of physicians and medicine are but a few of the many tasks that pose obstacles for individuals with compromised reading ability, including those with LD. In hindsight, it might have been helpful to offer these types of examples when explaining the practical implications of struggling with LD on a daily basis.
Talking About Learning Disabilities is the Right Thing to Do
I wonder how many people reading this column have had similar experiences to my close encounter on the train. Did you make eye contact, smile, and set the record straight about LD? The last time you heard someone intimate that LD was not real or that it was something young children outgrow over time, did you offer a more accurate perspective, perhaps sharing some of the heart-wrenching and inspiring stories told by young adults whose accomplishments are recognized each year in NCLD's Anne Ford Scholarship Award competition? When you overheard a friend or colleague wonder aloud about a child's struggle in school, did you point them to NCLD's free LD Checklist so they could become more informed and better prepared to take action in addressing their child's learning and behavioral needs?Resources at the Click of a Mouse
Enter the words "learning disabilities" into any online search engine and you're going to find yourself staring at millions of click-though choices. Let NCLD be a first-stop for your information needs. NCLD has hundreds of free resources you can access (and share with others) as you explain learning disabilities to family members, friends, colleagues and (yes!) even strangers on the train!Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D. is the Director of LD Resources & Essential Information at the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
