Learning Styles vs. Learning Disabilities

Truth be told, learning disabilities (LD) are not easily explained. While they are "specific" to any number of areas of learning (such as reading, math, and writing) they are also often overlapping or co-occurring, meaning that individuals with LD can have significant challenges in more than one area of skill development and performance. Because learning doesn't take place in a vacuum, social-emotional and behavioral issues often mask or exacerbate the effects of LD. And as individuals are exposed to new information, gain new insights and experience, and build their own menus of strategies to overcome or work around their areas of struggle, the impact of their learning disabilities can change, for better or for worse. Add a person's overall personality and motivation and other factors like opportunities to expand one's repertoire of effective accommodations (trying things out and see if they work) to the mix, and it's clear that LD is not just one thing, is not easily captured in a simple explanation, and does not effect all individuals in the same way. Hence the appeal of talking about "learning styles" in the same breath.

Not Everyone with a Preferred Style of Learning Has LD

Look around at the people with whom you have regular contact, think about how they appear to organize themselves for learning, and how they seem to be able to accomplish different tasks with ease or with difficulty:
 

• "L" is a "phone person," terrific at remembering names of people, and has a knack for keeping calendar dates, appointments and call-back numbers "in her head."
• "S" dislikes talking on the phone, struggles to retrieve peoples' names but never forgets a face, and writes everything down, most often remembering details without having to refer to his notes.
• "E" is annoyed by long explanations, has little interest in reading, and is a "hands on" person, preferring to ask for information as needed and ‘'getting the job done" without sharing thoughts, pausing for reflection or asking for feedback.

Question: Do any of these individuals have learning disabilities?
Answer:Maybe.

 

Determining whether a person has learning disabilities involves formal assessment and very careful documentation including investigations of prior school experience, response to instruction, skill mastery, information processing strengths and weaknesses, motivation and more. Information about learning styles can, however, be very helpful in orchestrating opportunities for success in school, at work, and in the community.

Learning Styles Explained

There are too many theories about learning styles, each with unique features, to summarize in this brief column. The core principle they share, however, is almost always the same: individuals respond to and use different types of information and approaches when engaged in learning. The most common terms that are used to describe these language styles are:

 

Key "style" terms	Some underlying assumptions and characteristics
Auditory (linguistic)	Spoken language is a preferred way of taking in and responding to information.
Visual (spatial)	Visual information (e.g. printed words, maps, charts, environmental cues) are needed for ease of learning.
Kinesthetic	Engaging in hands-on activity and getting feedback from physical sensations are important and helpful in facilitating learning and in demonstrating mastery of skills.

 

As mentioned earlier, no one uses only one approach to learning all the time, and having strong preferences for how information is presented and how feedback (or performance) is required and evaluated is not, by itself, a sure sign of learning disabilities. Take a look at NCLD's Fact Sheets on auditory processing, visual processing, executive function, and information processing disorders for information about how features of these learning styles map onto specific learning disabilities.

 

Self-knowledge of Learning Styles Can Lead To Success

Knowing how an individual learns best, in a variety of subject areas and given a variety of different performance tasks, can be very helpful:
 

• Students can (and should!) speak with teachers about the features of instruction that work best for them and request that classroom practices be adjusted to enable them to achieve success.
• Parents can support school efforts and provide the types of practice, structure and support at home that reflect learning style preferences and that lead to greater independence and school success. Be sure to engage in discussion about learning style preferences during teacher conferences and at IEP meetings.
• Educators can tailor and modify instruction to ensure that the needs of students with highly stylized learning preferences are being met (in addition to providing services and supports that address the challenges posed by specific learning disabilities).

 

Some Readings and Resources

• LDPride
  This Web site offers information about learning styles and Multiple Intelligence (MI). It provides a link to an online interactive assessment of learning style, and lists practical tips to make your learning style work for you.
• Index of Learning Styles
  This Web site offers a free online self-scoring questionnaire created by Drs. Felder and Soloman at North Carolina State University. The model for this questionnaire was originally formulated by Dr. Felder in collaboration with Dr. Linda K. Silverman, an educational psychologist, for use by college instructors and students in engineering and the sciences, although it has subsequently been applied in a broad range of disciplines.
• Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST)
  This paper includes a questionnaire that has been designed to allow students to describe, in a systematic way, how they go about learning and studying. The questionnaire is composed of lots of questions (many of which intentionally overlap) to cover many different ways of studying. Most of the items are based on comments made by students.
• Multiple Intelligences
  Here is a link to a simple test for young people, based on Gardner's eight multiple intelligences. It taps learning style preferences in different domains of learning: kinesthetic, logic, intrapersonal, visual/spatial, linguistic, interpersonal, musical, and naturalistic intelligences.

 

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Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D. is the Director of LD Resources & Essential Information at the National Center for Learning Disabilities.