Learning disabilities can affect all aspects of life in those who suffer from them. School, work, leisure, and personal relationships are all on the casualties' list. Even those around people that suffer from learning disabilities find themselves forced to try and adapt with the challenges and changes that come with the condition. A learning disability is a neurological disorder in which a person has an impaired learning capacity, being unable to learn like normal individuals. Still, there are those who consider the usage of the term “disability” to be a bit too extreme in such cases. Hada Litim, manager of the Future Experts' Center, Jeddah believes that “Learning differences” would be a more suitable term for this condition. “Children with learning disabilities may be smarter than their peers,” said Litim “but they may have difficulties doing some activities on their own, like reading, writing and organizing information”. Not just that, Litim also believes that children with a learning difference can be good students in school and lead successful lives after it. Early detection is of grave importance in the successful management of learning differences. Parents are usually the first to notice if something isn't right. But in a case of learning differences, you have to know the common signs associated with this condition. If the child is in the preschool phase, speech delay and pronunciation problems might be a sign of trouble. Another sign is the slow development of fine-motor skills; meaning that the child is incapable of performing delicate tasks with his hands. During early school years, the condition might manifest through problems in the classroom, with the child unable to learn the connection between letters and sound in addition to confusing basic words like walk, play and give. Such signs are usually misunderstood in a way that might be destructive to children. “Society considers children with learning differences dumb children,” said Litim “although it's not that big of a problem if they knew what it is and how to deal with it” Families can help their children by emphasizing on their strengths and defining their weaknesses. Understanding how the educational system works is also important if your child suffers from a learning difference, since working with teachers and other professionals is necessary to get the best out of the child's condition. Here in the Kingdom, and as it is the case for most similar conditions, not much is known about learning differences. However, the lack of awareness in this particular case might be one of biggest problems facing those in charge of the treatment of learning differences, since learning is related to culture. “We need intelligent tests that suit our culture, instead of foreign ones that we translate into use,” said Litim “this might affect the determination of the degree of disability in children to a great extent.” Litim also believes that the Kingdom is in need for more teachers that specialize in teaching children with such differences. The role of the teacher doesn't stop at teaching students in such cases; it passes that to getting students' attention and keeping them focused. Parents can also assist in making their children's learning process easier by applying simple strategies like escorting them to libraries and pointing out words on billboards and signs. Future Experts center concentrates on spreading awareness regarding learning differences in Saudi society, especially that there are no centers or schools in the Kingdom that specialize in dealing with learning differences. The center launched a campaign on the 16th of April, 2008, in cooperation with Effat College. The campaign aimed to educate members of society on learning differences through a learning differences forum, which was held in Effat College, Jeddah. “Reem Bakhit, owner of Future Center was the first to tackle this matter, in an attempt to draw society's attention,” said Litim “she decided to do so when one of her relatives, who suffered from a learning difference, had to go abroad on a trip to several countries in search for expert help, the thing that he couldn't find here in the Kingdom.” One of the campaign's goals is to assist in the proper identification of learning disorders, by pointing out the differences between learning disorders and other psycho-educational issues. Learning disorders are due to anomalies in brain structure or function; the causes of such anomalies are numerous, varying from trauma to genetic predisposition. The results can be as serious as the causes, according to Litim. “Lowered self-esteem, dropping out of school and sometimes depression or scandalous behaviors are the possible outcomes of learning disabilities,” she said. The Future Experts Center is preparing several other forums within the framework of its campaign; the next step will be inviting experts from around the world to participate in these forums. __
