Learning Disabilities and Disorders

Behavior among youth, specifically adolescents, has often been stereotyped as rebellious and problematic. The first formal studying of adolescence, in psychology, didn't even occur until 1904 (Hall, 1904). This makes adolescence psychology fairly new but our understanding of behaviors and cognitive development during this age has come a long way; especially in our knowledge and research into adaptive behaviors and learning disabilities/disorders. These disorders range from the well-known, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and Asperger's syndrome to the less known, such as William's Syndrome and Dyspraxia. There is a lot of research that has been done over the years on all these disabilities and disorders. These behaviors have strong effects on adaptive behavior and problem behaviors. Williams Syndrome and others have a very strong effect on cognitive development. There are, however, some none invasive and very therapeutic methods to help learning disorders and improve mindfulness in young children and adolescents.
Williams Syndrome is a neurogenetic disorder that affects the heart and blood vessel resulting in cardiovascular problems and also includes attributes such as intellectual disabilities, learning problems, facial distinctions, and unique personality characteristics (Hahn, 2014). Williams Syndrome, also known as Williams-Beuren, affects roughly 1 in 20,000 births (Gordon, 2006). Besides the physical distinction involved with this disorder there are a number of mental issues that are present in people with this disorder. Children with Williams Syndrome have been found to have outstanding social, verbal, and musical skills but seem to lack visuospatial construction abilities (Gordon, 2006). Visuospatial Constructio...

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...tions to "cover up" the problems as best they can. This comes at a huge cost not only financially to families and companies but as an even greater cost to the children and adolescents who sometimes receive little relief with medication to their symptoms. The various syndromes and disorders discussed all cause similar effects to the children in their social lives both at home and throughout life. It takes a huge toll on their ability to be self-sufficient adults who are limited in their productiveness in society. By studying and researching innovative ideas without medications we can find far healthier and more productive alternatives to over medicating these developing minds. It is our responsibility to continue to find and support these far superior therapies, so we can help "cure" these children and make them functional adults, instead of masking the problems.