Series on Learning Disabilities 学习障碍系列报道

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

这里是VOA特别英语教育报道。

Today we begin a series of reports about learning disabilities. Experts say the problem is not with intelligence or the willingness to work hard. The problem, they say, is that some people's brains process information differently.

今天我们开始一系列关于学习障碍的报道。专家说，问题不在于智力还是立志努力学习。他们表示，这个问题是由于有些人的大脑处理信息的差别。

By definition, people with learning disabilities are average or above average in their intelligence.

根据定义，有学习障碍的人是指智力水平达到平均或者平均偏上程度的人。

But their disorders may affect their ability to gain knowledge and, as a result, limit their success in school or jobs.

但他们的障碍可能影响获取知识的能力，因此，制约了他们在学校或工作上的成功。

Different people can have different kinds of learning disabilities. One person may have difficulty with language development. Another may have problems with reading or writing. Still another may have trouble working with numbers.

不同的人可能有不同类型的学习障碍。有的人可能有有语言开发的困难。有的人可能有读或者写的问题。还有的人可能对与数字有关的工作感到头疼。

People can have more than one disorder, but reading is the most common area of difficulty. Learning disabilities are neurological disorders that affect the brain's ability to store, process and communicate information.

人可能有一个以上的障碍，但阅读困难是最常见的。学习障碍是神经障碍，影响大脑的储存，处理和交流信息的能力。

The National Center for Learning Disabilities estimates that 15 million Americans, or five percent, are affected. The group says three million students in the United States receive some kind of special help in school because of learning disabilities.

全国学习障碍中心估计，有1500万或5%的美国人受到影响。该组织说，在美国因为学习障碍有300万学生在学校得到某种特殊帮助。

There are different names for different disorders. For example a person who has difficulty reading may have dyslexia. Someone who has trouble with mathematics may have dyscalculia.

不同的学习障碍有不同的名称。例如有阅读困难的人是语言障碍症。有数学困难的人是计算障碍症。

Learning disabilities may help explain why some students do not perform as well in school as intelligence tests suggest they should.

学习障碍可能有助于解释为什么有些学生在学校的表现不如智力测验预期的那样好。

People with a learning disability may have trouble following directions, or they may not know how to start a task. Children who have problems connecting letters with sounds or understanding what they read may be showing signs of learning disabilities.

有学习障碍人士可能有判断方向的困难，或者他们可能不知道如何展开工作。有连接字母与读音的困难或有阅读理解问题的孩子，可能显示了其语言障碍症的迹象。

But since these are a group of disorders, there is no one single sign to look for. Experts say learning disabilities cannot be cured, but people can learn ways to deal with their disorders.

但是因为这些是一组障碍，没有一种单个的迹象可寻找。专家们说，学习障碍不能治愈，但人们可以学会克服障碍的方法。

Teachers and parents can provide support that will help students learn successfully.

教师和父母能提供的支持将帮助学生成功学习。

In the next few weeks, we will discuss different learning disabilities as well as other disorders that interfere with learning. We will provide advice from experts about ways to deal with them.

在未来几个星期内，我们将讨论不同的学习障碍，以及其他疾病对学习的干扰。我们将提供专家咨询的方法来对付他们。

And we will examine some of the political issues raised by special education programs.

我们将探讨的一些由特殊教育计划所提出的政治问题。

Transcripts and MP3s of our reports will be available online at voaspecialenglish.com.

我们的报告文本及MP3音频，将在网站“voaspecialenglish.com"上提供。

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, Written by Nancy Stainbach. I'm Steven Ember.

以上VOA特别英语教育报道，由南希·斯坦芭撰稿。我是史蒂夫·安贝。