Unlike physical handicaps, learning disabilities are, for the most part, hidden. This hidden handicap has existed ever since people were required to process information and learn. It became more noticeable through the ages as societies continued to place greater and greater emphasis on learning and education. During the past twenty years, much progress has been made abroad, especially in the U.S.A.

Learning Disabilities is an umbrella term that refers to a range of problems resulting from difficulties in the way information is received and processed in the brain. It can affect many processes: visual, auditory, reasoning, communication, motor control, etc.

Common learning disabilities can include difficulties in:
 

Listening or Auditory Perception	The child is unable to perceive sounds or their order in a word, so he cannot repeat them correctly and/or remember them.
Reading	Words and letters are confused and may be seen backwards. The child may not be able to build words from letters. This is sometimes called Dyslexia.
Writing	The child has an inability to copy a visual image. He may be able to tell shapes apart but may not be able to draw them. Memory may be an additional problem. This is sometimes called Dysgraphia.
Numbering	The child is unable to understand and use number concepts. He may reverse the order of figures of fail to understand the order involved in counting. This is sometimes called Dyscalculia.
Motor Co-Ordination	The child may show gross-motor problems by being clumsy or poor in sports skills. Fine-motor skills may cause problems with buttoning, cutting and drawing.
Behavior	The child may have a short attention span or show anger, nervousness, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity.
Direction	The child has trouble differentiating between left and right, up and down, etc.

• Learning Disabilities are the result of an interference in basic psychological and essential learning processes.
• There is a big gap between potential and actual achievement.
• The disability does not, in most cases, disappear with treatment; it is overcome by using alternative means.
• There is a direct link between early detection and successful treatment.
• Estimates vary between 10% and 20% of the population who suffer from L.D., in some form or another.
• Each L.D. youngster is unique, with his own combination and severity of problems.

L.D. is NOT mental retardation, which refers to an overall slowness in the rate of a person's learning and development.