Communication and Learning

Disorders
Danica Grace Aro
Prescila Chog-ap
Rhea Sowaken
Henna Fesway
Gender, Ethnicity and Culture
Social and Cultural factors are less relevant to
learning disorders. In fact the diagnostic criteria
state that they can not be attributed to such
factor.
But there are cultural and racial issues regarding
how children with learning disorders and
identified and treated.
 Phonological awareness occur more frequently
among populations that use non standard
English. (F.B Wood et. al, 1991)

Although African- American youngsters read at

the same level as Caucasian children at the
beginning of the first grade they show marked
decline at the third grade and severe decline by
5th grade.
 Males are more often diagnosed with learning
disorders than females, accounting for 60-80%
with learning disorder diagnosis (APA,2000)

As with communication disorder male and

female children have similar rates of reading
problems.
Theories and Causes
Communication Disorder
- The brain is complex and our understanding is
very limited. For the majority of communication
disorders we do not yet understand the cause.
A few known causes of communication
disorders are:
Hearing impairment - full or partial hearing
impairment may cause difficulty in speech and language
development.

Physical disability - cleft lip and palate, or

malformations of the mouth or nose may cause
communication disorders. More involved disabilities,
such as severe cerebral palsy, may preclude any speech
at all and for these non-verbal children augmentative
communication methods must be used.
 Developmental disability - some children (not all)
with a developmental disability or Down's Syndrome
may be slower to learn to talk and may need extra
assistance.

Children with Pervasive Development Disorders

(P.D.D.), or Autism spectrum disorders will also
have communication disorders.

Children with significant behaviour or emotional

problems may also have a communication disorder.
Learning Disabilities
- Some learning disabilities appear to be passed down
from generation to generation.
- Occasionally certain medical conditions may also alter
the neurological development or structure of the brain as
well, creating a learning disability.

- Environmental factors such as cultural deprivation or

parenting and teaching styles may heighten the impact of
a neurological deficit, but they are not the cause.