News 12 This Morning at 6 o'clock, Tuesday, March 2, 2011

AUGUSTA, GA --- The latest statistics from the National Center for Education show more children are dealing with learning disabilities.
In Edgefield County, there are 700 students who receive special education instruction. Today, teachers there are trying to catch any type of learning disability early. They are offering free screenings for parents. Teachers say many children have some sort of speech and language problem.

Day in and day out instructors like Christy Westbrook work one on one with students who have trouble with their speech. Westbrook is a speech pathologist at Parker Elementary School. "As far as speech goes there are a lot of sounds that will develop naturally," explained Westbrook. "But if you're questioning something, have a speech pathologist look at it."

Parents in Edgefield county schools have a chance to do that today. The school district is setting up free screenings to check for any type of learning disability.

"What we would do is a quick assessment of cognition and speech, language, and hearing," said Rhonda Browning. She heads the special education programs in Edgefield. Browning says early detection of speech and language problems, trouble hearing, or even attention deficit disorder is the key to a brighter future in the classroom. "If we can assess the problem early on, the better the prognosis."

"There are lots of social problems that they experience. They don't interact appropriately with others. They may play by themselves," said Westbrook.

Some students in Parker Elementary are placed in classes with others going through the same thing, and with teachers trained to help them specifically, the students are better prepared as they rise through their school careers."Children learn in so many different ways. So there is nothing bad or wrong about seeking these educational services," added Westbrook.

Edgefield county school administrators say they want to target the students that are home schooled, in private school, or in day care.

Parents, if you think your child is struggling with a learning disability you can make an appointment for today by calling the Child Find Program at, 803-275-4601.

Signs and symptoms to look for are limited social interaction with other children their age, taking more time to learn basic lessons, or any other delays that are not typical of other children.

Nearly 9% of the students in Richmond County schools receive special education. If you have a student in Richmond or Columbia counties and are concerned about this, they recommend getting it checked out with your pediatrician.

You can also call the counties' special education departments if you want to discuss the problems with someone. In Richmond County the number to their special education department is 706-826-1132. In Columbia County you can reach the special education department by calling 706-541-2723.