Your teenager is failing school because he is drinking and doing drugs. Actually, he may be abusing drugs and drinking because he is failing school. The reason he is failing in school is because he has learning disabilities that no one recognizes. In order for his addiction treatment to be successful, it must address both his or her substance abuse and learning disabilities. Some promising studies indicate that teenagers with undiagnosed learning disabilities drink or abuse drugs because they are depressed, lonely, and suffer from low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is often a result of being unable to make friends and academic failure: problems that result from undiagnosed learning disabilities.

Learning disabilities are neurological disorders that often run in families. According to the National Institute of Health, about one in five people has at least one learning disability that may make it difficult to learn to read or do mathematics. Researchers at Columbia University estimate that about 11.8 million American children have learning disabilities, but only about three million have been diagnosed. Attention Deficit-Disorder, autism, mental retardation, and conduct disorders are not learning disabilities.

Often people with learning disabilities take in and process information differently than those without such disabilities. It can be hard for them to understand language easily or to organize their thoughts or their work. They may have trouble reading social cues and making friends. Teenagers who understand that they have a learning disability and who are able to succeed in certain areas are less likely to become alcoholics or drug abusers. The teens at risk are the ones who do not understand how their learning disabilities are affecting their lives.

Dr. Merith Cosden, an expert on the subject at the University of California in Santa Barbara, concluded that while most people with learning disabilities do not abuse substances, a greater proportion of those with learning disabilities are drug and alcohol abusers compared to the general population. She believes that drugs and alcohol can become a way for those with learning disabilities to self-medicate for depression and loneliness. Drugs and alcohol can also be “equalizers” which distort reality for all members of a group using together. By using drugs or drinking, a teen with learning disabilities finds group acceptance.

Some of the symptoms that cause drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers are the same associated with having a learning disability. Typical symptoms of both learning disabilities and substance abuse are withdrawal, poor concentration, failing grades, and a bad attitude toward school. If your child is abusing alcohol or drugs, you may want to get him or her tested for learning disabilities before finding addiction treatment. Learning disabilities may also affect how your teen adjusts to an addiction treatment program. It is necessary to find an addiction treatment program that can address both problems at the same time.