Another common LD is dyslexia a term derived from the Greek ?œdys??meaning ?œpoor??and ?œlexis??meaning language. Dyslexia is characterized by problems in expressive or receptive oral or written language. According to the web site of the International Dyslexia Association, ?œDyslexia is not a disease; it has no cure. Dyslexia describes a different kind of mind, often gifted and productive, that learns differently.??People with dyslexia often show special talents in areas that require visual, spatial and motor integration, but they have problems with language processing?”the ability to translate thoughts into words and words into thought. The characteristics of dyslexia include a lack of awareness of sounds in words, sound order, rhymes, or sequence of syllables; a difficulty decoding words or with single word identification; a difficulty encoding words or with spelling; poor sequencing of numbers or letters in words; problems with reading comprehension; delayed spoken language; imprecise or incomplete interpretation of language that is heard; confusion about directions in space or time; confusion about right- or left-handedness; similar problems among relatives; difficulty with handwriting; difficulty with math. These characteristics are a result from differences in the structure and function of the brain, i.e. the planum temporale.

According to the NIMH, approximately 15-percent of the population is dyslexic and about 2.4 million U.S. school children have this learning disability. Children with dyslexia need special programs to learn to read, write and spell. The International Dyslexia Association suggests, ?œIndividuals with dyslexia require a structured language program. Direct instruction in the code of written language (the letter-sound system) is critical. The code must be taught bit by bit, in a sequential, cumulative way.??Dyslexics also need multi-sensory learning techniques to master language. This learning should encompass seeing, hearing, touching, writing and speaking at the same time.

A third kind of learning disability may seem not at all like a disability at all when its most noticeable symptom appears. Hyperlexia is often characterized or diagnosed by the precocious ability to read words well above the child?™s age level. This possibly good thing usually accompanies other, not so positive behaviors. Other symptoms of hyperlexia include an intense fascination with letter and/or numbers; significant difficulty in understanding verbal language; abnormal social skills; learning expressive language in a peculiar way; rarely initiating conversation; an intense need to keep routines; auditory, olfactory and/or tactile sensitivity; self-stimulatory behavior; specific, unusual fears; normal development until 18 to 24 months old and then regression; strong auditory and visual memory; difficulty answering who, what, when, where and why questions; difficulty with abstract concepts; selective listening. Hyperlexia has characteristics similar to autism so hearing, neurological, psychiatric and blood chemistry tests as well as genetic evaluations may need to be performed to rule out other kinds of disorders, according to the American Hyperlexia Association.