Those who have the disability are most affected in the following areas:

Speaking

Depending on the type of learning disability, including dyslexia, different kinds of assistance are available. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), those with learning disabilites are protected against discrimination and have a right to assistance in the classroom, if a student, and the workplace.

The cause of the disability is still specifically unknown, even though there are factors that are associated with it. Hereditary factors have been observed. It’s not uncommon to find that people with learning disabilities have parents or relatives with similar difficulties. It is also believed that the disorder is caused by illness or injury during or before birth. It may even be caused by the parent’s use of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy, low birth weight, a temporary lack of oxygen during birth and even a premature or prolonged labor. It’s also believed that head injuries, deprivation of nutrients or exposure to toxic substances contribute to the disability. Science will eventually determine the specifics but as of now there is not one single factor that is obviously the cause.

Behavioral Therapy & Brain - Click for Larger Image

Behavior therapy is a form of psychotherapy used to treat depression, phobias, anxiety disorders and other forms of psychopathology. The therapy is important for individuals with disabilities, specially developmentally disabled children, as it will help break unwanted behaviors that exist as a result of their physical and mental condition. 

Behavior therapy is based upon the behavior modification principles of classical conditioning. Behavior modification is used as treatment in most cases. It is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to improve or change behavior, such as altering an individuals’ behaviors and reactions through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of maladaptive behavior.

Social skills training is also an important part of the therapy. It teaches patients skills to access reinforcers and lessen the unacceptable behaviors. Operant conditioning procedures in meta-analysis had the largest effect size for training social skills, followed by modeling, coaching, and social cognitive techniques, in that order.