Basic causes of learning disabilities

With the different types of learning disabilities that have been identified, what causes the learning disabilities is still a mystery for many.

Well its hard to define what causes learning disabilities, it is confirmed it is not caused by environmental factors like cultural differences or bad teaching. Then what causes them?

Learning disabilities have been recognized as to be caused by the brain but the exact causes are yet not known, but many risk factors have been identified. A few of these are,
 Heredity
 Stress before or after birth
 Treatment for cancer or leukemia
 Low birth weight, prematurely
 Birth trauma, distress
 Infections in the central nervous system
 Severe head injuries
 Poor nutrition
 Chronic medical illnesses (Diabetes & asthma)

There are many other factors that can affect the development of the brain like, genes, substance abuse, pregnancy problems and toxins.

The most recent theory is that learning disabilities can appear from even the slightest disturbances in brain structures and functions. Scientist believe that in most cases, the disturbances begins before birth.

For example errors in fetal brain development can result in learning difficulties after birth. Fetal brain develops throughout pregnancy from a few all purpose cells into a complex organ made of billions of specialized, interconnected nerve cells called neurons.

If the brain development is disturbed at early stages of pregnancy, the fetus could die or the infant may be born with widespread disabilities and sometimes mental retardation. It is when this disruption occurs at the later stage of pregnancy that it could result in learning disorders.

Problems during pregnancy and/or delivery can cause learning disabilities too. In case the mother’s immune system reacts and an infection and attacks it, this disruption could cause newly formed brain cells to settle in the wrong part of the brain. During delivery, the umbilical cord may become twisted and temporarily cut off oxygen to the fetus which can impair brain functions and lead to learning disabilities.

Even after birth new brain cells and neural networks continue to be produced for a year or so after the child is born. These cells are also vulnerable to disruption even through toxins in the environment. Cadmium and lead are the leading focus for research by researchers to analyze the effects of them in causing learning disabilities.

Learning disabilities may also appear in children who undergone treatment for cancer with chemotherapy or radiation at an early age. This is mostly seen in children with brain tumors who received radiation to the skull.

These are all results of studies done to find out the causes for learning disabilities. The studies are still being conducted to find more data and ways in preventing learning disabilities as much as possible in the future.