ligence is only one of the critical factors in the child’s ability to learn. There can be other problems. For example, reading is a complex task. The child must first see the letters and the seeing must then be translated into electrical signals in the eye. These signals are then sent to the occipital lobe of the brain. From there the message goes to the association areas of the brain in the parietal lobe where the symbols are interpreted. Meaning comes from association with something that the child remembers, memories which must be retrieved from the frontal and temporal lobes.Thus problems with reading could occur at many levels. A child with visual problems who needs glasses may not be able to see the letters. A child with damage in the occipital lobes might have normal eyes but might not “see” the letters. One with damage in the association areas of the brain might be able to see the letters but might not be able to recognize them. Problems in other areas might keep him from being able to retrieve the memories that give the words meaning. These varied difficulties with reading often go under the heading of “dyslexia.” “Dys-” means not working properly, and “lexia” means having to do with words. In most children the basic cause of the dyslexia is not understood. There clearly is a higher incidence of this type of learning problem in children with epilepsy.242\208\8*
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