In a country as technically advanced as the United States, one would think that the development of human potential would be just as advanced. But problems of the mind, even those that can be alleviated, still pose a barrier that society is having trouble scaling.

Learning disabilities have been dubbed the "invisible handicap." Learning disabilities are permanent disorders that make it impossible for normally intelligent people to learn or perform in the world around them - they cannot reach their potential without help.

An estimated 8 million people in the U.S. have learning disabilities, including 3 to 5 percent of the nation's school-age children, affecting one out of six families.

There is an up side to the story. The learning disabled can be successful; it takes diagnosis (the earlier the better); an appropriate and effective educational program; lots of support from those around them, particularly those closest to them; and, in many cases, a structured daily living environment.

People with learning disabilities who have been notable successes include Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, Nelson Rockefeller, Hans Christian Andersen, Gen. George Patton, Bruce Jenner, Lindsay Wagner and Cher.

There also is a down side. Too many learning disabilities go undetected. Take the case of the Porter County boy highlighted earlier this year in Gary Galloway's column. He lived 13 years before anyone acknowleged his problem. Oh, his parents noticed his low grades, but concluded he was lazy or rebellious or something. It was by accident that his mother discovered he still could not read. His teachers, who should be trained to recognize the possibility of a learning disability, chose to ignore his scholastic struggle and just passed him from grade to grade.

The problem is exacerbated by ignorance, false pride and resistance to change. Traditionally people with learning disabilities were considered retarded or lazy. Educating people to the facts has been slow. Parents often have a hard time accepting that a child has a problem and prefer to hide it rather than seek needed help that might mark their child as "different." Professionals, caught up in doing other things, often have to be forced to expand their insights and duties.

Public schools are required by law to provide the learning disabled with the aid needed to learn as much as they can. Good school systems are doing just that. Detecting the problem is still the biggest hang-up. Parents must question more why children are having difficulties learning and push to get answers from doctors and educators. Parents are normally the first to suspect a problem; the sad thing is that they have to do more than ask once. But until the American educational system is equipped to educate all its charges, individuals must fight for what they deserve.

There are places to turn. The Association for Children with Learning Disabilities was formed in 1964 to find solutions for learning problems. It now has 50 state affiliates. The Indiana association has a local chapter in Porter County, at the Porter County Special Education Cooperative. ACLD chapters offer support, information, advice and help to anyone who seeks it.

In Lake County, testing and help are available through all school systems. Gary, East Chicago and Hammond schools have their own programs. The West Lake Special Education Cooperative serves schools in Munster, Schererville, Dyer and St. John. The Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative handles the Hobart, Hobart Township, Lake Station, Merrillville, Griffith, Highland, Crown Point, Lowell, Lake Ridge and Hanover school systems.

Trade Winds Rehabilitation Center in Gary and a private clinic, Associates in Human Development, in Merrillville will test both children and adults for learning disabilities.

The learning disabled of any age can upgrade their abilities and their self-esteem. One ACLD study shows that as few as 55 hours of proper instruction can lead to dramatic improvement. The Porter County boy mentioned above is, for the first time, in two learning disability classes this year along with regular classes. He missed making the first-semester honor roll by one point.

The value of such education is to more than the learning disabled themselves; it benefits society. Young people with undetected learning disabilities tend to drop out of school; the ACLD links learning disabilities to juvenile delinquency and ultimately to adult dependency on society. Proper education leads to productive lives rather that broken lives.

It is time to take learning disabilities out of the closet.