What Are Learning Disabilities?

Learning disabilities (LDs) are real. They affect the brain's ability to receive, process, store, respond to, and communicate information. LDs are actually a group of disorders, not a single disorder.

Learning disabilities are not the same as intellectual disabilities (formerly known as mental retardation), sensory impairments (vision or hearing) or autism spectrum disorders. People with LD are of average or above-average intelligence but still struggle to acquireskills that impact their performance in school, at home, in the community and in the workplace. Learning disabilities are lifelong, and the sooner they are recognized and identified, the sooner steps can be taken to circumvent or overcome the challenges they present.

How Can You Tell If Someone Has a Learning Disability?

The hallmark sign of a learning disability is a distinct and unexplained gap between a person's level of expected achievement and their performance.Learning disabilities affect every person differentlyand they present differently at various stages of development. LDs can range from mild to severe and it is not uncommon for people to have more than one learning disability. In addition, about one-third of individuals with LD also have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While LD and AD/HD can share common features, such as difficulties with concentration, memory, and organizational skills, they are not the same types of disorder. Unfortunately, LD is often confused with AD/HD and is frequently mistaken as laziness or associated with disorders of emotion and behavior. A careful and thorough review of concerns, with input from multiple sources (including parents, educators, physicians, psychologists, speech-language providers and, of course, the person themselves) is the only way to rule in or rule out a learning disability.

Learning disabilities can affect a person's ability in the areas of:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing
• Spelling
• Reasoning
• Mathematics

See the chart below for specific types of learning disabilities and related disorders.

LD Terminology
Disability	Area of difficulty	Symptoms include trouble with	Example
Dyslexia	Processing language	Reading Writing Spelling	Confusing letter names and sounds, difficulties blending sounds into words, slow rate of reading, trouble remembering after reading text
Dyscalculia	Math skills	Computation Remembering math facts Concepts of time and money	Difficulty learning to count by 2s, 3s, 4s, poor mental math skills, problems with spatial directions
Dysgraphia	Written expression	Handwriting Spelling Composition	Illegible handwriting, difficulty organizing ideas for writing
Dyspraxia	Fine motor skills	Coordination Manual dexterity	Trouble with scissors, buttons, drawing
Information Processing Disorders
Auditory Processing Disorder	Interpreting auditory information	Language development Reading	Difficulty anticipating how a speaker will end a sentence
Visual Processing Disorder	Interpreting visual information	Reading Writing Math	Difficulty distinguishing letters like "h" and "n"
Other Related Disorders
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)	Concentration and focus	Over-activity Distractibility Impulsivity	Can't sit still, loses interest quickly, daydreams