Yellowknife (Mar 19/04) - March is learning disabilities awareness month, something that affects 10 per cent of Canadians in one form or another.

Learning disabilities (LDs) cover a wide range of difficulties but almost always have a devastating effect on those who suffer from them. Nearly 50 per cent of teenagers who commit suicide had been previously diagnosed with a learning disability.

Students with LDs are twice as likely to drop out as their peers. Typically, a learning disabled adult who has never received training or education specific to their needs will have trouble holding a job.

LDs impact how someone gathers, understands, remembers and uses information. They can interfere with a person's academic skills -- like reading, writing and math -- and can also cause strange social behaviour, organizational difficulty and poor coordination.

"A learning disability is a life-long condition, it's often invisible," said Geri Elkin, executive director of the Learning Disabilities Association of the NWT.

Early detection is important so that individuals can learn to cope with the condition.

"I think teachers in schools are doing the best they can with the resources they have," Elkin said. She believes more public awareness would help identify cases of LD.

The NWT doesn't have even one qualified specialist who can diagnose LDs, Elkin said. Those suspected of having an LD have to be sent south for proper diagnosis.

Individuals with LDs may be able to read and may appear very intelligent in conversation, while being unable to express themselves on paper or spell correctly.

LDs are not caused by social factors in school or at home, they happen because of the way a person's brain works. This makes them difficult to cure or treat and the effects are lifelong.

Technology such as calculators, speed dial and voice activated computers can assist people who are living with LDs.