About one in 10 Canadians has a learning disability, but few receive support to succeed at school and work, according to a report released on Monday.

Learning disabilities tend to be less visible compared to physical disorders. Many people with learning disabilities have at least average intelligence, but their brains are wired differently in the way they process information and therefore learn. 

'If you're the dumb kid in the classroom, then you're the dumb kid on the playground.'— Focus group participant on how learning disabilities can be a blow to self-esteem

The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada report takes a snapshot of the consequences for the country, such as poorer physical and mental health, lower education, unemployment and poverty.

The report aims to raise the awareness of learning disabilities in Canada, providing insight for children with low self-esteem and parents who are at their wit's end because the disability is undiagnosed, said Judy Kerr, president of the association.

"When you look at a child going to school, their ears are tested, their eyes are tested, they've had their immunizations," said Kerr. "But nothing has been done to screen that mind."

Like any other medical condition, learning disabilities need to be identified early and supports put in place to minimize damage to people and society, said Fraser Green, the association's chair.

Among children aged six to 15, just under five per cent have learning disabilities, according to a national survey. When adults are included, the figure rises to 10 per cent, which has large consequences for employers. 

While half of parents said their children with learning disabilities had support, nearly one-third said they could not afford tutoring and technology such as computers with voice-activated software, the report's authors found.

Kerr's 13-year-old twins were born three months early, weighing 1.5 pounds and two pounds. The premature births meant the family were watching for the possibility of learning disabilities, an early warning most parents don't have. 

Poorer mental health

For adults aged 20 to 29 with learning disabilities, almost 28 per cent reported they did not successfully finish high school, compared with 14 per cent for Canadians in general.

Of adults aged 30 to 44, 51 per cent said they were employed, compared with 89 per cent of the general public.

People with learning disabilities were two to three times more likely to report high levels of distress, depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal thoughts.

"If you're the dumb kid in the classroom, then you're the dumb kid on the playground," said one member of a focus group from Ottawa who was interviewed for the report.

The blow to self-esteem was echoed by a parent in Saskatchewan, who said her girl wrote her first suicide note in Grade 4 and was self-mutilating at 13. "She was never invited to go anywhere. The phone never rang for her."

Mandatory screening, teacher training recommended

The report recommends:

• Mandatory screening and intervention for children aged four to eight to identify and help children who are at risk of failing in school.
• Compulsory training for all teachers, since the average classroom includes three children with learning disabilities, but only one has been diagnosed.
• Publicly funded support to diagnose people of all ages through provincial health plans, as is the case of other disabilities.
• Increasing the list of assisting technologies that qualify for a federal medical expense tax.
• Boosting awareness and training for medical, mental health and educational professionals.
• Increased awareness among employers to offer accommodations to workers.

About 40 per cent of children identified with learning disabilities at age seven were prone to ear infections and allergies when they were three, which underscores the need for early screening, the report said.

The $300,000, three-year study was federally funded and is based on 20 years of Statistics Canada reports, as well as focus groups with adults, parents and children aged 10 to 14.