EDUCATION REPORT - Learning Disabilities, Introduction

EDUCATION REPORT - Learning¹ Disabilities, Introduction
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, February 05, 2004

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Today we begin a series of programs about learning disabilities. These are disorders³ in the ways that people understand or use language. They can affect the ability to listen or think, or to speak, or to read and write. They can also affect the ability to do mathematics.

A person with a learning disability has unusual difficulty in developing these skills. Researchers believe that learning disabilities are caused by differences in the way that the brain works⁴ with information. They say children with learning disabilities are not unintelligent or do not want to work. Their brains just process information differently than other people.

 
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Researchers say that as many as one out of every five people in the United States has some kind of learning disability. Almost three-million children in the United States receive some kind of help in school for a learning disability.

How can you tell if someone has a learning disability? Experts look for a difference between how well a child does in school and the level of intelligence or ability of the child. But there is no one sign of a disorder².

A few signs of a learning disability include not connecting letters with their sounds or not understanding what is read. A person with a learning disability may not be able to understand a funny story. They may not follow directions. They may not read numbers correctly or know how to start a task. Different people have different kinds of learning disabilities. One person may have trouble understanding mathematics. Another may have difficulty understanding what people are saying. Still another may not be able to express ideas in writing.

These different kinds of learning disabilities are known by different names. For example, a person who has difficulty reading may have dyslexia. Someone who cannot do mathematics may have a disorder called dyscalculia.

Experts say learning disabilities cannot be cured. But people who have them can be helped. Teachers and parents can help young people with learning disabilities to learn successfully.

In the next few weeks, we will discuss different kinds of learning disabilities. We will provide advice from specialists about ways to deal with them. And we will also examine some of the political issues involved in the area of special education.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Steve Ember.

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

5 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。