The situation has been reflected in longer treatment queues and increased workloads at neurology wards in Finnish hospitals.

Child Neurology Professor Heikki Rantala of the Oulu University Hospital says that a class with a child suffering from learning difficulties should have no more than five or six children.

Currently classes in Finnish schools can have up to 30 pupils.

"Classes are too big, and teachers have no opportunities for individual teaching," Rantala said. "When there is noise in the background, children suffering from difficulties in concentration and attentiveness underachieve."

He added that more than half of new neurological referrals of children involve learning difficulties.

"Money that is saved in education is lost in health care," Rantala laments.

Finnish News Agency