About Learning Disabilities
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Some Quick Facts About Learning Disabilities:
  • Fifteen percent of the U.S. population (39 million people), or 1 in 7 Americans, have some
    type of learning disability, according to the National Institute of Health.
  • Difficulty with basic reading and language skills are the most common learning
    disabilities.   As many as 80% with learning disabilities have reading problems.
  • People with learning disabilities are generally of normal or above average intelligence.
    Their learning disability, however, creates a gap between ability and performance.
  • Learning disabilities should not be confused with other disabilities such as mental
    retardation, autism, deafness, blindness, and behavioral disabilities.  In addition, they
    should not be confused with lack of educational opportunities like frequent changes in
    schools or attendance problems.  Also, children who are learning English do not  
    necessarily have a learning disability.
  • Attention disorders, such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and learning
    disabilities often occur at the same time, but the two disorders are not the same.
  • Learning disabilities often run in families.
  • Approximately fifty percent of all public school students in special education have learning
    dsabilities.

Who Is Learning Disabled?:
Your chances of knowing a child with a learning or attention disorder are very good. People like him
make up at least 10% of the population, cutting across every segment of the population.  Can we
afford the loss of the talents and contributions of this portion of the population?

This is the bright little boy who started first grade expecting to learn. But he didn't. He couldn't. He
has one kind of learning disability.

His very serious problem is dyslexia (impairment of the ability to read), which can damage his
performance in every other academic area. Fortunately, there is hope. He can be taught to
compensate, can reach his potential, if only someone will understand and do something.

Through no fault of his own, a child like this is handicapped. He needs special help, but, because
his handicap cannot be seen, he often does not receive assistance. The pressure on him to
perform like other normal children is tremendous. He wants to understand and tries to, but he fails.
He cannot solve his perplexing problem; that takes a trained professional. It is urgent to get a
professional and this child together, before the child gives up.

Once the problem has been identified and remediation has begun, the person can begin to help
himself rebuild his fading self-esteem.

How To Identify A Person With Learning Disabilities:
Any unexplained, persistent problem in learning a basic skill necessary for survival as an
independent adult may be a clue to learning disabilities in a person of normal to superior
intelligence.

If a child has trouble: thinking clearly, writing legibly, spelling accurately, learning to read, learning
to compute, following directions, remembering facts, putting things in sequence, or copying forms.
If he is often: confused, clumsy, impulsive, hyperactive or disoriented.  If he becomes: frustrated,
rebellious, withdrawn, depressed or aggressive, learning disabilities should be considered a
possible cause.

A learning disability (LD) is a life-long disorder that affects the manner in which individuals with
normal or above average intelligence select, retain, and express information. Incoming or outgoing
information may become scrambled as it travels between the senses and the brain.  
Disclaimer Notice
LDA of America

Schwab Learning

LD On-Line

International Dyslexia
Association

National Center for
Learning Disabilities

LD Checklist

Assessment Terms

Smart Kids

NICHCY Center

All Kinds of Minds

Richard Lavoie

American Hyperlexia
Association

Non Verbal Learning
Disorders Association

American Hyperlexia
Association

National Coalition on
Auditory Processing
Disorders

Apraxia Kids

Indiana Dept.of Sp. Ed.  
Booklet

LD Books

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While the term “he/him or she/her” is used in an article, the information relates to both male and female unless otherwise specifically stated.
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Common Learning Disabilities:
  • Dyslexia is more than a reading problem; it is difficulty with language. People with dyslexia may have trouble with word
    recognition or decoding for reading and problems with spelling because of difficulty learning the alphabetic / phonetic code.
    They may also have difficulty expressing themselves clearly when speaking or writing. An unexpected gap exists between their
    potential for learning and their school achievement in these areas.
  • Dyscalculia is a math disorder that causes problems with grasping computation and mathematical. concepts. While many
    people have problems with math, a person  with dyscalculia has much more difficulty than his or her peers, inconsistent with
    good ability in other academic areas.
  • Dysgraphia is a neurologically based disorder affecting visual-motor control for handwriting and pencil and paper tasks. This
    causes difficulty with forming letters and numbers correctly and automatically, and with spacing them appropriately on a line or
    page. It significantly affects the speed and quality of written products.
  • Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD/NVLD) affects functioning of visual-spatial and nonverbal processes. In school, these
    individuals often demonstrate good decoding, word recognition, and spelling, but relatively poor reading comprehension. They
    have marked difficulty with math calculation and reasoning, science, handwriting, and specific aspects of written expresslon.  
    Social perception and social interactions often pose problems. Unlike other learning disabilities, this disorder can become
    more apparent as the individual reaches the older grades and moves into adulthood.
  • Auditory/Visual Processing Disorders refer to processing problems that cause difficulties with understanding auditory or
    visually presented information despite good vision and hearing acuity.

Common Characteristics of Learning Disabilities:
Relating or Speaking to Others:
  • Relates better with adults
  • Constantly speaks out of turn
  • Laughs too loud or too long
  • Can't conform to rules
  • Can't stand confusion
  • Short attention span for age
  • Easily distracted
  • Delayed or inadequate spoken language
  • Frequent mild speech irregularities
  • Difficulty in finding the right word when speaking
  • Similar problems among relatives
  • Common Characteristics Of Learning Disabilities
Relating To A Task:
  • Relates to everything or nothing
  • Low tolerance for frustration
  • Can't begin to organize a task
  • Varies greatly in performance from day-to-day or even hour-to-hour
  • Usually slow or seldom finishes a-task
  • Overreacts to change in routine
  • May not act on verbal directions
  • Difficulty in sequencing rhetorically, visually or auditorially
  • Achievement is low in some areas and high in others
Reading/Writing:
  • Difficulty in copying from the board
  • Can't find place on printed page
  • Can't see familiar things on a page
  • Often does not recognize the same word if presented differently
  • Reversals or orientation of letters, or sequencing of letters in words
  • Inverts when reads or writes; i.e. b-d, was-saw
  • Difficulty in understanding the meaning of words
  • Difficulty with rhyme
  • Persistent spelling errors
  • Difficulty in learning and remembering printed words
Hand Movement:
  • Holds chalk or crayon in awkward position
  • Can't follow dotted lines
  • Can't follow lines on paper
  • Cramped or illegible handwriting
  • Handwriting is often slow or labored
  • Loses the place while writing
  • Defective written composition

Scanning The Brain For Causes
Researchers, using newly available diagnostic equipment, are underlining now what service professionals and educators have long
suspected - there are differences in the way brains process information that can cause problems in learning.  Studies of brain function
indicate developmental delays or dysfunctions in specific areas, hypersensitivity to certain chemicals, right brain or mixed dominance,
and more.  Of particular interest, since it could affect many, is the study of the right brain, because left brain talents are favored in
educational tradition.  Biochemical and ecological studies, as they relate to brain function and processing, continue to reveal important
clues.  Reports from worldwide sources are published in medical and scientific journals and some magazines.  LDA's Research
Services Committee is monitoring this research.