100 East Queen Street

Hampton, VA 23668
March 6, 2016
College Students
Current Hampton students
Hampton University
100 E Queen St.
Hampton, VA 23668
Dear College students attending Hampton University:
Being diagnosed with a learning disability brings up multiple questions such as what
does having this disability actually mean? Does this mean I am stupid? Could this have
been prevented? And what steps can I take to help? All of these questions are
understandable for a person to be worried about. I have personal experience with this
topic because I have a learning disability. Struggling daily to accomplish tasks that come
easy to others can get frustrating, especially struggling academically. Many people know
about learning disabilities but only to an extent and dont fully understand what it is or
how it is caused. Some people believe a learning disability is caused by biology meaning
it is hereditary or occurred from complications during birth while others believe it is
caused by your upbringing. College students should be aware of the causes and
difficulties that some of their peers may be facing to possibly help them. Not knowing
factual information on this topic hinders students who have this disability and those
who dont. I am directing this letters attention to Hampton University College students.
What is the definition of a learning disability? From my research there is a general idea
of what it means but worded differently by many. According to
dictionary.reference.com a learning disability is a disorder, as dyslexia, usually affecting
school-age children of normal or above-normal intelligence, characterized by difficulty
in understanding or using spoken or written language, and thought to be related to
impairment or slowed development of perceptual motor skills. Although this definition
doesnt plainly say that a learning disability is caused from biology it is.
To a degree, genes influence a childs development in the first five years. Genetics affect
the number of brain cells that you acquire, neurons that you are born with. One of the
first steps that happen in a childs brain from age three to five is making connections, so
environment does play apart in this. Environment plays a part in the learning process
from experiences. The child is constantly creating and recreating connections, motor
skills are being developed here. As a parent you do play a big part in your childs life they
depend on you to gain skills before kindergarten. This doesnt mean that if you dont
teach them proper skills at home that when they attend school they will struggle more
than other students. At the preschool, kindergarten to early elementary school level all

children are still developing their brain and learning new skills daily. A child cant be
diagnosed with a learning disability until elementary school, technically but signs can be
determined from an earlier age said by Understood.org.
Parents, parenting skills cant transform a childs mind to have developmental issues
and cause them to have a learning disability. The childs brain from birth is already
programmed a certain way, signs may not be present until later years but that doesnt
mean the child isnt struggling. College students, as well as parents, need to be educated
about learning disabilities as a whole. It is caused by biological means and some
environment but not poor parenting. You have no control over this disability, so I am
asking you all to get educated about it and to those who have a learning disability its not
your parents or your fault.
Sincerely,
Adrianna Bryan

Works Cited
TCU, n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2016. <http://www.lbspractitionertraining.com/about-us>.
Morin, Amanda. "Skill Development from Birth to Age Five." Understood. N.p., 18 Feb. 2014.
Web. 3 Mar. 2016. <https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/signssymptoms/developmental-milestones/skill-development-from-birth-to-age-5>.