They worry about how well they will perform, about whether they will fail or be accepted by other kids, whether they will go to college, or whether their kids will have learning disabilities. They worry about what the other kids will think if they see them getting special help. They worry about reading in public. The list goes on. Recent discoveries from the field of neuroscience indicate that stress can cause an increase in certain stress hormones, particularly one called cortisol.
Scientists know that stress can cause problems with memory and problem solving.
High levels of cortisol in the blood in the brain make it difficult for cells in certain regions of the brain to absorb glucose, which is the major source of nutrition for the brain. The hippocampus is the area of the brain that has a lot to do with memory, and the cortisol is actually drawn to this region, where it can have a negative impact on memory and learning. That's why people often remember the answers to a test after it's over. The problem is that kids with learning disabilities can remain in a fairly chronic state of stress, unless they are in classrooms in which teachers help them relax and develop a sense of mastery over their learning disabilities. This means that their cortisol levels can remain elevated, and learning is impacted, and so on.