Understanding Learning Disabilities: Definitions, Types, and Support

Learning disabilities (LDs) are a group of disorders that affect how the brain processes information. These disorders can impact a person's ability to acquire, organize, retain, understand, or use information, both verbal and nonverbal. Typically, learning disabilities manifest as difficulties in reading, writing, or mathematics. It's important to note that learning disabilities are distinct from intellectual disabilities and do not affect a person's intelligence. Individuals with LDs have specific learning challenges but possess average or above-average intelligence quotients (IQs).

Defining Learning Disabilities

A learning disability is a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to new information. Being diagnosed with a learning disability is NOT indicative of a student’s intelligence. Individuals with learning differences often have average to above-average IQs but struggle with specific academic tasks.

While the terms "learning disability" and "learning disorder" are often used interchangeably, there are technical differences between them:

Learning disorder: This is a diagnostic term used by licensed professionals, such as psychologists, to diagnose individuals based on specific criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). A learning disorder refers to significant learning problems in an academic area. These problems, however, are not enough to warrant an official diagnosis.
Learning disability: This is a legal term used by public schools to identify students who qualify for special education services, like an individualized education plan (IEP), based on assessments and documentation. Learning disability, on the other hand, is an official clinical diagnosis, whereby the individual meets certain criteria, as determined by a professional (such as a psychologist, psychiatrist, speech-language pathologist, or paediatrician). The difference is in the degree, frequency, and intensity of reported symptoms and problems, and thus the two should not be confused.

Read also: VoiceThread for Students with Learning Disabilities

The term "learning disability" does not exist in DSM-IV, but it has been added to the DSM-5. The DSM-5 does not limit learning disorders to a particular diagnosis such as reading, mathematics, or written expression.

Common Types of Learning Disabilities

Several types of learning disabilities can affect different areas of learning. Here are some of the most common:

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a reading disability typified by problems in expressive or receptive, oral, or written language. Problems may emerge in reading, spelling, writing, speaking, or listening. Dyslexia is the term associated with specific learning disabilities in reading. Although features of a learning disability in reading vary from person to person, common characteristics include the difficulty with individual sounds in words, and difficulties with word decoding, fluency, rate of reading, rhyming, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension and written expression. Dyslexia happens because of disruptions in how your brain processes written words so you can understand them. This may look like issues with spelling simple words, learning the names of letters, rhyming, sounding out new words and more. People with dyslexia often show talent in areas that require visual, spatial, and motor integration.

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a writing disorder that causes people to have difficulty forming letters or writing within a defined space. People with this disorder need extra time and effort to write neatly. This LD affects your ability to turn your thoughts into written language despite exposure to adequate instruction and education. This may look like issues with handwriting legibility, spelling, holding a pencil correctly, the rate or speed of writing, grammar and more. Dysgraphia is the term associated with specific learning disabilities in writing. This term is used to capture both the physical act of writing and the quality of written expression.

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia causes people to have problems with arithmetic and grasping mathematical concepts. While many people have problems with math, a person with dyscalculia has a much more difficult time solving basic math problems than his or her peers. This LD affects your ability to understand number-based information and math. This may look like issues with counting upwards, doing simple calculations from memory, memorizing multiplication tables, organizing math problems and more. Dyscalculia is the term associated with specific learning disabilities in math.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

Auditory Processing Disorder is the term used to describe a weakness in the ability to understand and use auditory information.

Visual Processing Disorder

Visual Processing Disorder is the term used to describe a weakness in the ability to understand and use visual information.

Nonverbal Learning Disabilities

Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities is the term used to describe the characteristics of individuals who have unique learning and behavioral profiles that may overlap with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia but that differ in significant ways. Nonverbal learning disorders affect activities that don’t involve words or speech, like:

Problem-solving.
Visual-spatial tasks
Recognizing social cues.

The DSM-5-TR doesn’t currently recognize nonverbal LDs as a type of specific learning disorder. But research shows that about 5% of people with LDs have cognitive and academic difficulties associated with nonverbal LDs. Nonverbal learning disorders can affect:

Social abilities, like using social language (slang or informal language) or understanding facial expressions or body language.
Executive functioning, like planning, organizing and emotional regulation.
Visual-spatial awareness, which can cause issues with coordination.
Math skills, particularly comprehension of more advanced math topics.

Executive Functioning Deficits

Executive Functioning Deficits is the term used to describe weaknesses in the ability to plan, organize, strategize, remember details and manage time and space efficiently.

Read also: Defining Learning Disabilities

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

AD(H)D is a disorder characterized by inappropriate degrees of attention, impulsiveness, or hyperactivity. Although these areas are considered to be core symptoms, all three characteristics are not necessarily present in those affected. Symptoms are generally first manifested early in childhood and may persist in varying degrees throughout adult life. The difference between ADD and ADHD is the absence or presence of hyperactivity. Attention deficit disorders are commonly manifested in difficulty with sustaining attention and focusing on information for long periods of time. AD(H)D is a medical diagnosis (LD is an educational one), and people diagnosed with AD(H)D are often prescribed medication to stabilize attention and activity levels. A disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition that becomes apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years. It is hard for these children to control their behavior and/or pay attention. It is estimated that between 3 and 5 percent of children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or approximately 2 million children in the United States. ADHD is not considered to be a learning disability. It can be determined to be a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), making a student eligible to receive special education services. The principle characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There are three subtypes of ADHD recognized by professionals.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

TBI is a permanent disorder which results from a serious head injury. Often, the person has fallen or been in a severe car accident. Common problems faced by students with TBI are loss of train of thought, short-term memory deficits, difficulty with word recall, difficulty concentrating, and rigidity of thinking.

Epilepsy/seizure disorders

This category includes a group of disorders of the central nervous system that are characterized by sudden seizures, muscle contractions, and partial or total loss of consciousness.

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)

CAPD is a permanent disorder which affects the manner in which people understand or remember words or sounds due to a language processing problem in the brain. Parents and doctors can often mistake this as a hearing problem. However, CAPD causes problems with processing and memorizing information, not with actually hearing the information.

Prevalence and Identification

Learning disabilities are relatively common. About 5% of school-aged children globally have LDs. Dyslexia is the most common. Most people with an LD find out about it early in school. But some people don’t get a diagnosis until adolescence or adulthood.

Learning disabilities are often present at birth or begin in the early years of development. Although learning disabilities occur in very young children, the disorders are usually not recognized until the child reaches school age. Children with learning differences may find school challenging and have trouble keeping up academically and socially with other students their age.

Learning disabilities can be identified by psychiatrists, speech language pathologists, school psychologists, clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists, neuropsychologists, and other learning disability specialists through a combination of intelligence testing, academic achievement testing, classroom performance, and social interaction and aptitude. Other areas of assessment may include perception, cognition, memory, attention, and language abilities. The resulting information is used to determine whether a child's academic performance is commensurate with their cognitive ability. If a child's cognitive ability is much higher than their academic performance, the student is often diagnosed with a learning disability.

Causes of Learning Disabilities

The causes for learning disabilities are not well understood, and sometimes there is no apparent cause for a learning disability. Things that might play roles in learning disorders include:

Heredity and genetics: Learning disabilities are often linked through genetics and run in the family. Children who have learning disabilities often have parents who have the same struggles. Children of parents who had less than 12 years of school are more likely to have a reading disability. Some children have spontaneous mutations
Problems during pregnancy and birth: A learning disability can result from anomalies in the developing brain, illness or injury. Risk factors are foetal exposure to alcohol or drugs and low birth weight (3 pounds or less). These children are more likely to develop a disability in math or reading.
Emotional trauma: This could involve a deeply stressful experience or emotional abuse. If either happens in early childhood, it may affect how the brain develops and raise the risk of learning disorders.
Physical trauma: Head injuries or nervous system illnesses might play a role in the development of learning disorders.
Poisonous substances: Exposure to high levels of toxins, such as lead, has been linked to a larger risk of learning disorders.

Challenges and Impact

Individuals with learning disabilities can face unique challenges that are often pervasive throughout the lifespan. The effects of having a learning disability or learning difference are not limited to educational outcomes: individuals with learning disabilities may experience social problems as well. Neuropsychological differences can affect the accurate perception of social cues with peers. Researchers argue persons with learning disabilities not only experience negative effects as a result of their learning distinctions, but also as a result of carrying a stigmatizing label.

Support and Accommodations

Depending on the type and severity of the disability, interventions, and current technologies may be used to help the individual learn strategies that will foster future success. Some interventions can be quite simple, while others are intricate and complex. Current technologies may require student training to be effective classroom supports. Teachers, parents, and schools can create plans together that tailor intervention and accommodations to aid the individuals in successfully becoming independent learners.

If your child has a learning disorder, your child's healthcare team or school might suggest:

Extra help: A reading specialist, math tutor or other trained professional can teach your child ways to do schoolwork, study and get organized.
Individualized education program (IEP): This written plan sets learning goals and describes the special-education services your child needs. Public schools develop IEPs for students whose challenges meet the school system's guidelines for a learning disorder. In some countries, IEPs are called individual education plans.
Changes in the classroom: These are also known as accommodations. For instance, some students with learning disorders get more time to complete work or tests. They may be asked to do fewer math problems in assignments. And they may get seated near their teachers to boost attention. Some students are allowed to use gadgets. These could include calculators to help solve math problems and programs that turn text into speech you can hear. The school also might be willing to provide audiobooks to listen to while reading along with a physical copy.
Therapy: Different types of therapy may help. Occupational therapy might improve writing problems. A speech-language therapist can help with language skills.
Medicine: Your child's healthcare professional might suggest medicine to treat depression or anxiety. Medicines for ADHD may help a child's ability to focus in school.

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