Pubdate: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 1999 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Forum: http://www.chicagotribune.com/interact/boards/ Author: Ann Landers ADD A DISORDER WE CAN ALL HELP WITH Dear Ann Landers: Please tell your readers about research showing a link between Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), learning disabilities and substance abuse. There are 4 million children in our nation with learning disabilities. They are at a greater risk of school failure and often experience difficulty and frustration relating to others. These children are more likely to engage in negative and disruptive behavior. Academic failure and peer rejection are common risk factors associated with substance abuse. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and the National Center for Learning Disabilities hosted a conference earlier this year to explore the relationship between learning disabilities and future substance abuse. It is imperative to identify learning disabilities as early as possible and deal with them promptly. Those children with learning disabilities who fall prey to substance abuse and addiction must receive treatment tailored to deal with both problems, and sooner rather than later. Each delay in focusing on this problem costs thousands of children opportunities they may never have again and can set them on the tragic and often deadly course of substance abuse and addiction. Please urge your readers to have their children tested immediately if they suspect ADD or learning disabilities. Joseph A. Califano Jr., The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Columbia University, N.Y. Dear Joe Califano: A word to the wise is sufficient, and you certainly have hit on a subject that needs exploring and greater understanding. Thank you for a letter that can be an enormous help to parents and children who are struggling with the frustrations of learning disabilities or ADD. These parents need all the help they can get. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D