In the News

A Blast from a Sad Past

The episode started as Lonnie stood by the chalkboard. The teacher has written "2+2=", and waited for Lonnie's answer. The other children began to whisper and giggle. Lonnie's fingers clenched around the chalk, he slowly wrote the number '5', and the classroom erupted in laughter. When Lonnie returned to his seat at the back of the room, one girl smirked and yelled, "Hey, dummy!" This traumatic experience as a child inspired Lonnie to write his self-improvement book.

Hard Facts on a Child's Learning Disability

The National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that one in every five grade school students has a learning disability, similar to Lonnie's condition. By initiating early diagnosis and intervention, pediatricians can prevent a lifelong spiral of frustration and failure for these children. "Learning disabilities are a real medical disorder that probably affects a larger percentage of pediatric patients than any other problem," said Sally Shaywitz, M.D., FAAP, Professor of Pediatrics at the Yale University of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. "This is an area where pediatricians can make an enormous contribution and derive a tremendous sense of satisfaction."