Up to 10 Percent Children Affected by Specific Learning Disabilities

A recent study published in the journal Science states that up to 10 percent children fall victim to special learning disabilities, which translates to 2-3 pupils in every classroom.

The study was conducted by academics at UCL and Goldsmiths. The study suggests that children are frequently affected by more than one learning disability, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism.

It is reported that learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment are a result of a typical brain development with complex genetic and environmental causes.

Apart from this, the educators noticed that learning disabilities co-occur more often. Of those with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, nearly 33-45 percent suffer from dyslexia, and 11 percent suffer from dyscalculia.

"We now know that there are many disorders of neurological development that can give rise to learning disabilities, even in children of normal or even high intelligence, and that crucially these disabilities can also co-occur far more often that you'd expect based on their prevalence," professor Brian Butterworth, lead author of the study, said in a press statement.

The researchers hope to understand how the difference in brain development interacts with formal education.