Medical problems of learning difficulties in schoolchildren

Background. Learning difficulties among schoolchildren are an important issue in  both education and  health care. As  a  rule, the  understanding of  this problem is  ambiguous among different specialists (physicians, teachers, psychologists). Despite the fact that the medical view of these disorders is reflected in the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, in the section “Specific developmental disorders of  scholastic skills” (F81), it  often remains outside the  field of  attention of the pediatric service.

The aim. To consider the pediatric component of learning difficulties in schoolchildren and to propose methodological approaches to its possible solution by the efforts of a pediatrician.

Materials and  methods. A total of  360 literature sources published from 2006 to 2024, indexed in the RSCI, PubMed, Scopus, were analyzed. For the article, 30 literary sources were used.

Results and discussion. The  review presents modern ideas about learning difficulties in schoolchildren and the medical and biological causes of their formation. It is shown that the main causes of learning difficulties are hereditary polymorphisms of  various genes responsible for  the  development and  functioning of  the  body, which exhibit their altered function against the background of social and biological risk factors. The role of different specialists in the treatment and correction of these disorders is reflected. It is shown that currently known treatment methods are symptomatic and ineffective.

Conclusion. For the effective treatment, it is necessary to find out the cause of the formation of disorders associated with learning difficulties in schoolchildren. An important role in their diagnosis should be played by a pediatrician who has the opportunity to observe the growth and development of the child from the moment of his birth.

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