| Sumario: | The article discusses family psychotherapy and the therapy of learning disabilities as a unique treatment approach, in which educational therapy became an integral part of the family treatment process. Often a child's learning problem, perceived by the parents as the sole or major family disturbance, spurred a family to seek help. At other times a learning dysfunction was uncovered and clarified in the course of a treatment process initiated because of other family stresses. Although theoretically understood to be multi-determined, learning difficulties and related behavioral problems were generally viewed as psychogenic in origin or school-related, except in cases of gross obvious deficiencies. Many learning and related difficulties were modified or eliminated while working through family conflicts, particularly marital conflicts and their subversion of parenting roles. As a result of advances in knowledge contributed by pediatricians, neurologists, and learning clinicians, it had been becoming more evident that many types of learning dysfunction were not being recognized or treated differentially by psychotherapists.
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