100582: Substance Abuse and Learning Disabilities: Apples and Oranges or Two Peas in a Pod?

About the Course:

This White Paper examines the relationship between learning disabilities—which may affect up to 20 percent of school age children in America—and substance abuse. It finds that addressing learning disabilities early can prevent children from using alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs and calls upon parents, teachers and pediatricians to step up efforts to identify and help these children. In addition to exploring the link between substance abuse and learning disabilities, the paper looks at the relationship between substance abuse and behavioral disorders such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Conduct Disorder.

Author

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

About the Authors:

The White Paper grew out of a sponsored by CASA, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Ira Harris Foundation.

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, psychologists, and other human services and behavioral health professionals who seek knowledge about the relationship between substance abuse and learning disabilities. It is appropriate for participants with intermediate to advanced levels of knowledge about the topic.

Course Objectives:

1. Identify possible links between learning disabilities and substance abuse.

2. Become effectively knowledgeable regarding theories on causative mechanisms involved in the correlation between learning disabilities and substance abuse.

3. Identify the main implications for practice, research and policy.