Ricky is a sixth grader with a brilliant imagination and advanced language skills, but he can't write. That's because he has trouble handling spelling, punctuation, grammar, letter formations and facts all at once with a sheet of paper in front of him. Adults call him lazy, and he is fast becoming a 'bad' boy.

Then there's Beth, a bright kid who gets stymied by sequences of anything-multistep instructions or math problems, or even presenting her ideas when she talks or writes. Her classmate Wendy is an effervescent red-haired girl of many talents who nevertheless endures constant frustration because she has serious problems remembering what she has read, even though she can understand the content quite well. As she puts it: "Whenever I read, each sentence erases the one that went before it."

These are examples of children with normal or superior overall cognitive ability who are contending with differences in the wiring of their brains, subtle but important neurodevelopmental variations that impede their learning productivity and enjoyment of education. In addition to deficiencies in basic skills-such as reading, writing or mathematics-some of the manifestations are less obvious. The kids may have difficulties managing time, expressing ideas in language, remembering facts or problem-solving methods on a test, understanding key concepts or gaining social acceptance from peers.

What's common, however, is that these struggling kids are often misunderstood by the adult world. Learning differences like these plague millions of children throughout America. But parents, teachers and the students themselves often have little or no insight into the reasons why the children are failing or how to manage their difficulties. So the children face daily public humiliations for the way they are wired, even though relatively easy and cost-effective means are available to help them.

The non-profit Institute, All Kinds of Minds was founded in 1995 to apply the latest neurodevelopmental research to the understanding and management of differences in learning. The Institute provides families and teachers with a framework-a common language and tools-to enable this large, needy and highly vulnerable segment of America's schoolchildren to become more successful learners.

Throughout the country this Institute is working to provide parents with the best assessment techniques and to train classroom teachers to help kids with learning differences. We strive to ensure that children receive the individualized education that will help them enhance their innate strengths and overcome difficulties they may have encountered in school.

Recent scientific advances have provided us with a radically new understanding of variations in brain function. We must now apply that knowledge to help all kinds of minds contribute to our society in all kinds of constructive ways. We must acknowledge and celebrate this diversity of minds and usher in a new era of neurodevelopmental pluralism.

This article was originally published in The New York Times, September 2, 1999. Reprinted with permission.