Environmental factors influencing specific learning disabilities among chidren

The term learning disability was first coined by Samuel Kirk in 1963. Learning Disability is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive process, store and respond to information. These skills are essential for success at school and for coping with life in general. Learning Disability is not a single disorder; it refers to a group of disorders in listening, speaking, reading, writing and mathematics. The present investigation was planned to study the factors influencing specific learning disabilities among children. 30 Specific Learning Disabled children having average or above average intelligence, studying in grade II and III were taken. This stage is most suitable to intervene through proper remedial strategies, so that the learning problems do not exaggerate. The Grade Level Assessment Device for Children with Learning Problems in Schools by Narayan (NIMH, 1997) was used to find out specific learning disabilities in children which were found in writing errors such as substitutions, reversals, omissions, other than punctuation errors and wrong capitals, connectivity, meaning, phonology etc. Results revealed that the factors related to the specific learning disabilities of children were the parental unawareness, parents negative behavior to them, poor instructions, teacher's negligence in the class and lack of remedial services.