Checking Up on Learning Disabilities

We've Come a Long Way ... and We're Not There Yet!

In the early 1960s, the term "learning disabilities" was coined to describe a group of children who, despite normal intelligence, were having significant problems with learning. The difficulties experienced by these children were unexplained and unexpected, and could not be attributed to other conditions such as mental retardation, impairments of hearing or vision, motor disorders and medical conditions. In 1969, the federal government recognized "specific learning disabilities" as a category within special education, and in 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was authorized. More than 30 years later, the field of special education (as well as general education and the public at large) is struggling to understand what learning disabilities are all about!

A Definition in Need of Definition

The term "specific learning disability," as it appears in federal law, is defined as:

...a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

...the term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

(Federal Code (Section 300.7(c)(10) of 34 CFR Parts 300 and 303))

While there are many problems with this definition (e.g., "basic psychological processes" and "imperfect ability"), it has enabled millions of children to receive services and supports previously denied them in public and private educational settings, and has been a driving force for changes in research, policy and practice for the benefit of individuals with disabilities in school and in society.

What We Know and Where We're Going

Underlying this definition are three basic factors that have been the focus of three decades of research and (no surprise) the source of ongoing controversy:

1. The presumption that learning disabilities are the result of central nervous system (neurological) dysfunction;
2. The assumption that psychological processing disorders underlie specific learning disabilities;
3. The documentation required (e.g., IQ-achievement discrepancy) in order to assign the LD label.

We truly have made progress, especially during the past decade, in addressing each of these factors. Neurobiological and genetic research has pointed us at familial attributes and a "neural signature" for dyslexia (the most prevalent and well-understood subtype of learning disability). Clinical case studies have helped us target assessments to better understand the nature of information processing disorders and problems with executive function that plague individuals with LD across the lifespan. Federal, state and local initiatives are underway to untangle and redirect the instructional and fiscal resources that could make early recognition and targeted responses possible, saving individuals with LD the unnecessarily prolonged (and unconscionable) burden of frustration and failure.

A useful overview of important issues and reflections about the LD field was offered by John Lloyd of the University of Virginia in the 1996 text, Introduction to Learning Disabilities (co-authored with Jim Kauffman and Dan Hallahan; Boston: Allyn & Bacon.). Paraphrased and condensed for this column, he suggested that:

1. The field of learning disabilities is interdisciplinary in research and practice, and is international and multicultural in scope.
   • Both general and special educators are responsible for helping students with learning disabilities.
   • Professionals from several disciplines (law, medicine, psychology, speech/language, advocacy, etc.) play important roles.
   • Learning disabilities are not just a US phenomenon; they are recognized and treated in other countries with well-developed systems of universal public education.
2. Neurological dysfunction may be presumed or suspected, but learning disabilities have a variety of possible causes.
   • In part, the field of learning disabilities emerged from the work of physicians who identified symptoms of known brain injury that were similar to behaviors of people with learning disabilities.
   • The presumption of neurological dysfunction stems from the fact that there is often no other plausible explanation to account for learning failure.
   • It is altogether possible (and indeed, in the area of reading, there is some evidence to suggest) that learning disabilities are attributable, in part, to complex interactions between biophysical and environmental factors.
3. The term "learning disabilities" describes a heterogeneous group of disorders.
   • Learning disabilities include difficulties in such specific areas as reading, spelling, writing, mathematics, spoken language, and socialization.
4. Learning disabilities vary in severity and pervasiveness, and they persist across the lifespan.
   • Not every person with LD has a debilitating weakness in learning; that said, there is nothing 'mild' about struggling with a learning disability!
   • Learning disabilities are pervasive (they do not go away and reappear) and they impact people differently in different situations.
5. A hallmark of learning disabilities is the contrast between an individual's ability and achievement.
   • >There is substantial controversy about how these differences should be assessed and how much of a difference is needed to qualify for the LD classification.
6. Individuals with specific learning disabilities form a very diverse group.
   • No two individuals with learning disabilities are exactly alike, so knowing that an individual has learning disabilities tells very little about that person.
   • The population of individuals with LD spans gender and age as well as racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic groups.
7. Learning disabilities may coexist with other disabilities or with giftedness.
   • It is estimated that approximately one third of individuals with LD also qualify for a diagnosis of AD/HD.
   • It is not uncommon for individuals with LD to have special talents in areas unaffected by their disability or to have unique, "out-of-the-box" approaches to problem solving and other types of challenges.
   • Individuals with certain other disorders (e.g., mental retardation) cannot be identified as having LD.
8. Students with learning disabilities learn best given systematic approaches to tasks.
   • Most (if not all) individuals with learning disabilities often approach tasks in unsystematic, disorganized and inefficient ways. Extensive research in the area of instructional interventions has revealed that teaching students with LD to handle tasks strategically and in a systematic fashion can be of enormous benefit to them
9. What looks like learning disabilities can in truth be the result of poor teaching.
   • Learning challenges (or apparent disabilities) can actually be a consequence of teachers' failure to offer effective instruction.
10. Advances in the field of learning disabilities come through careful, persistent research.
    • Not all research is created equal! Be sure to carefully examine the reliability of the evidence on which recommended practices are based, connect new evidence to the body of research that preceded it, and be cautious about claims of breakthroughs.
    • Be suspicious of "quick cures" and "guaranteed treatments." Our best research-based interventions require rigorous professional development and ongoing support, implementation with fidelity over an extended period of time, careful monitoring of progress, and a healthy combination of flexibility, patience and professional wisdom.

Keep in mind that "learning disabilities" is a term that describes a heterogeneous ("mixed bag") group of disorders that impact listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, math, and social skills. And remember — learning disabilities do not go away! A learning disability is not something that can be outgrown or that is "cured" by medication, therapy, or expert tutoring. So, early recognition of warning signs, well-targeted screening and assessment, effective intervention, and ongoing monitoring of progress are critical to helping individuals with LD to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.

Sheldon Horowitz, Ed.D. is the Director of LD Resources & Essential Information at the National Center for Learning Disabilities. This article first appeared as a Research Roundup column in LD News.