Developing fetuses are especially high risk for environmental toxins. If an expecting mother is around such toxicity, most commonly being from pesticides and lead, their child is at a higher risk of being born with developmental difficulties. A child could be at risk even after birth. Children tend to have faster metabolic rates; therefore, they can take in toxins faster, which can come in extremely high percentages for their smaller bodies. These types of exposure are also detrimental for their still developing bodies and brains.

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24783.

Toxicity from lead poisoning is not as common of a threat as it once was, but over the years it has appeared to become a problem again through contaminated water samples. Such exposure has been proven to have an affect on a child's cognitive development. With lower levels of reading and writing and scoring lower on IQ tests, even the lowest amount of lead in the bloodstream can make a small difference.

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24783.

Since a teacher cannot help whether their students have been exposed to environmental toxicity in the past or not, the best thing that they can really do is be aware of it. It is no doubt that their students will be at different reading and writing levels. With knowledge on environmental toxins teachers could learn to be more mindful of every student's situation. After that they can choose how they want to approach their situations. According to an article by Nina Parrish, 5 Ways to Support Students Who Struggle With Reading Comprehension, One teaching approach could be to teach students about thinking strategies. Teachers can show their students how to "develop questions while reading," and how to visualize what they are reading" (Parrish 2020). There are many more strategies that teachers could implement. The most important quality that a teacher must have in situations like this is to be patient and understanding.

Parrish, N. (2020, February 3). 5 ways to support students who struggle with reading comprehension. https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-ways-support-students-who-struggle-reading-comprehension.